Our digital lives have become such an integral part of our waking lives, that the two have become almost indistinguishable. The two are so intertwined, it is imperitive that our digital life is spick and span, or the mess will surely infiltrate our day-to-day.
The break over the festive season is the perfect time to take stock of what is going on in your digital life, and to clean it up a little.
This is what you can do now to ensure you enter 2018 with a clean slate.Delete apps you no longer need: Haven’t played Angry Birds in ages? Get rid of it – it’s only cluttering your screen and taking up space on your phone. The golden rule is the same as when you clean out your closet: if you haven’t used it for six months, you probably won’t use it any time soon.
Sort the documents on your computer:
If you’re like me, there are dozens of documents with obscure names like “Document 24”, that were only used to write a rough draft for something. Our computers are filled with documents we don’t need that just cause clutter. Read through them, delete where necessary, and create folders to curate the important ones.
Make back-ups of all your important documents:
Wills, policy schedules, information about investments… all of these might have changed in the year that has passed. Make electronic and printed back-ups and keep them somewhere safe.
Change your passwords:
You’ve been putting it off, but got spooked by a few information leaks this year. Now is a good time to change your passwords (as you periodically should) and to start committing them to memory.
Back up old emails:
Go through your inbox and get rid of all the spam and emails you don’t need anymore. Make an electronic back-up of those emails you do still need.
Update your phone’s contact list:
Delete numbers that have changed and always confuse you, and save the details of all the flyers, business cards and menus on your phone for easy access.
Back up your phone:
Make a back-up of all the information and photos on your phone. Get into the habit of doing this regularly, and you won’t be in trouble if you lose your phone or if it gets lost.
Clean up and update your social media profiles:
Go through your friends lists on all the different platforms and clean them up. Update your profile and cover pictures. Update your LinkedIn profile to make sure you look enticing to potential employers in the new year – a lot can happen in a year!
Pin your goals for the new year on Pinterest:
These aren’t like New Years’ Resolutions. Having a visual representation of what you aim to achieve in 2018 constantly reinforces goals and serves as motivation. Remember to update your goals throughout the year!
Create a playlist for 2018:
Nothing says new year like a new playlist full of fresh tracks. That’s your New Year’s Party sorted, and the first few months of 2018 will be rocking!