Now on a scale of 1 to 10, how bad do we treat our computers on a daily basis? If it is my scale it would be a 13. Constantly pushing and exceeding the limits that I created the week before. However, it’s important that we treat all of our equipment well if we want our business to succeed. Especially, devices such as our computers, phones and tablets because we use them to run our businesses.
Remove Programs
Go through your applications folder and see all the programs that you are not using and delete them. There were programs on my computer that had not been used in three long years. Taking up gigabytes of space. We all download programs like Evernote because everyone raves about it. We use it for two weeks and then lose interest in it because it’s really not for us.
Clean Up Your Desktop
Remember the scale of 1 to 10 we discussed earlier. Yeah, my desktop got it the worst. All the downloaded files, music, photos and more were stored right on the desktop. Never knew having a million files on my desktop would slow down my computer. Everything has a place in and on your computer. To help solve the clutter issue, start using cloud base services like Dropbox, Google Drive and OneDrive.
Stop Auto Launching
After the 5 minute delay from your computer starting up, how long does it take for all your programs and such to come on. All those auto launches when logging in are causing drag time. Word, mail, safari, and calendar were all launching plus files and more on my laptop. Now, the only thing I auto launch is mail. This has increased start time drastically. Open programs as needed instead.
Shut computer down nightly
Who actually shuts down their computer at the end of the day. Not this girl. After a long talk with my computer guy, he basically said I was killing my computer slowly. Shutting down your computer nightly has benefits such as; lower energy cost, less system issues, and your computer will run smoother.
Use An External Hard Drive
Use an external hard drive to back up your computers important information. This is a great way to protect your computer and your business if your laptop is stolen, completely dies or worse you spill water on it. You can get a TB external hard drive for less than $75. Schedule your back up to occur at the same time daily. This will ensure that you are getting a full 24 hours of coverage around the clock.
Bonus tip: Schedule a reminder to securely empty your trash can once a week. Also, delete all of those files that you have downloaded but just leave in the download file. Had files from 2012 in that folder, eek! All of that slows down your computer. Are you really dumpster diving back into your trash can? Probably not. Clean them out.
Let’s stop treating our computers like pawns when they are the queens and kings that run our kingdoms of business. Which one of these cardinal sins have you committed against your computer? What can you do today to treat it better.
Image by Javier Ferreiro; Creative Commons
