7 cool tech resolutions to keep until 2023 (and we’re sticking to them!)
2023 is just around the corner and it’s time to make good decisions for your digital life. From screen time to best practices, here are some tips.
From computers to social networks to phones, digital activities require some good practices, both for security and for regaining control over usage.
• Spend less time on your phone
The average user spends between two and four hours a day on their phone. In apps, a riveted nose can quickly turn into a bottomless pit, scrolling the screen to infinity. What if the resolution of 2023 was to get rid of your phone and reconnect with the real world? Delete Instagram and you’ll notice that their mobile site no longer makes you want to spend long hours on your phone.
The first solution may be self-discipline, putting your phone away during moments of concentration, avoiding looking at your device before going to bed or checking your notifications before waking up in the morning.
A second solution may be to turn off important or non-urgent notifications from your phone. This will prevent you from focusing on the constantly lit screen. If that’s not enough, you can always impose more restrictive measures on yourself, such as limiting the duration of certain applications.
For example, it is possible to lock apps with a code on the iPhone. To configure this feature, you need to go to the “screen time” option, then select “app limits”, choose a code and set the duration for each application. The code will unlock the app even if it has expired.
On top of it android device, the function can be found in the settings under the “Digital well-being and parental control” tab. By touching the graph, the user can determine the length of time spent on each program. When the limit is reached, the application is closed and its icon is dimmed. There is no code to activate the unlock, you need to remove the app timer.
• Mastering the use of social networks
In addition to the time spent on social networks, it is about regaining control over its use and showing passivity in the face of the content offered. The first solution may be to sort out our subscriptions, surely there are Instagram or Twitter accounts that you have not been interested in for a long time and that are polluting your news feed.
If you are not interested in the content, it is possible to inform the algorithm using the icon in the upper right of the publication (the same manipulation on Facebook and Instagram). On Twitter, however, two news feeds are possible: recommended tweets and the latest one, which allows you to better control your content.
Finally, networks are full of all kinds of information. You need to check the sources of information, this also applies to personalized sites like Google News, which work using algorithms based on your reading habits.
• Back up all files
2022 important personal or business documents, invoices or mythical photos, the computer contains our entire digital life. It’s important to back up all your files so you don’t lose everything if the device fails overnight. There are several solutions for this: either on an external hard drive (do not forget to organize it in different files, for example, thematically so that it is easier to find a certain document) or in the cloud (Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.). ). ).
Backup on the phone is usually automated. To activate it on Android, the backup is done with a Google account. This includes apps and their data, call history, contacts, photos and videos, and text messages. To enable it, you need to go to System Settings, find it Backup and restore. In the section Google account activate it Backup and restore my data automatically and verify that the backup account matches your Google account.
On the iPhone side, the device works with iCloud, which automatically backs up your data on a daily basis. To make sure that the device has backed up your files, you should go to this address Parameterschoose iCloud after iCloud backup. Select to perform a manual backup Backup now.
• Learn to beware of scams
Whether it’s parcels to be delivered, taxes to be paid, or even helping to lower your energy bill, SMS scams are on the rise and can be confusing, especially during the holiday season. To prevent them is to delete them.
To do this, read the message carefully and identify formulas, spelling or grammar. Messages from official bodies never start with 06 or 07, usually indicating the name of the body. You should never click on a link in an SMS that looks suspicious, is not directly related to you, or comes from an unknown number, and you should never provide your bank details.
• Accept the correct gestures
Although the energy crisis has increased the bill, there are a few small gestures related to electronic devices. Start by charging your phone. avoid peak hours to charge it i.e. 8 am to 1 pm and 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm and prefer to recharge when the battery is between 20% and 80%.
For other devices, it is recommended that you completely turn off your computer and screen at the end of the day, turn off your box when you are away, and do not leave any devices (box, TV, computer, game console, etc.) on standby. ). The Co2 impact tool allows estimating annual digital pollution and is several orders of magnitude.
• Check your mailbox
If you’re not used to sorting through your inbox regularly, take heart. First step, delete all junk emails and spam, this may take time but your inbox and your environment will thank you.
Step two, unsubscribe from emails and ads you don’t want to receive. This option is usually at the bottom or top of the email. The operation must be repeated regularly.
• Use a password manager
The golden rule is not to use the same password for all sites and personal accounts. It is customary to use strong passwords, that is, passwords that mix upper and lower case letters, numbers and special characters.
A solution can be useful for managing all your passwords: a password manager like Dashlane. If the platform allows it, you can opt for two-factor authentication for more security.
