Spring-Clean Your Tech in 5 Easy Steps

 
When you hear the term “spring-cleaning” you probably think about digging into closets and getting rid of tangible clutter. That’s what organizer Marie Kondo preaches on her Netflix show “Tidying Up,” right? But your digital space can get messy, too. This month, we put together five ways to clean up your technology and help your company run more smoothly.
 

1. Streamline your internal communications.

If you’re still using text and email to communicate with your team, then you might be stabbing yourself in the back. These methods are disconnected, ineffective, and lead to a cluttered, confusing inbox where client emails get lost. For a clean alternative, separate your internal communications from your external ones with a platform like Slack or Microsoft Teams.
 

2. Track your projects digitally.

To keep things organized, you should also have a separate system to manage your company’s projects. There are dozens of project management software options available, including LiquidPlanner, Zoho Projects, Teamwork, and Celoxis. Track your projects there and communicate about them within the platform to keep things from falling through the cracks.
 

3. Clean up your Outlook inbox.

How many unread emails do you have in your inbox? 10? 100? 1,000? To bring that number down, unsubscribe from ads and email threads you don’t care about; sort your existing and incoming emails into folders; and use Rules to set up notifications when valuable messages (like our digital newsletter!) come in or screen less important ones for later.
 

4. Turn off notifications on your smartphone.

We recommend using email notifications strategically, but smartphone buzzes and dings are usually more distracting than helpful. Silence them, and you’ll increase your productivity.
 

5. Organize your passwords.

Data breaches happen every day, and the best way to avoid them (and tidy up your digital space) is to organize and safeguard your passwords. Luckily, we’ve come up with a simple solution to protect all of your accounts with unique, sophisticated passwords you won’t forget. You can learn more about this solution by visiting -Randy Sklar