3 simple tech resolutions you can actually keep

If you have ever made a New Year’s Resolution, you know how difficult it can be to keep. But just because 2021 has been just as much of a mess as the year before, it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t use tech to go into the new year.

One way to be more productive and make life easier is by adding apps to your mobile devices. You can find apps that do pretty much anything you can think of, from entertainment to work and so much more. Tap or click here for the best home inventory apps to help sort out all your stuff. How’s that for a resolution?

Another way to start 2022 the right way is by getting all your devices in order. It’s time for a technological makeover, and here are three tech resolutions that you can actually keep.

Wipe your old devices

Christmas is a popular time for receiving new gadgets and electronics, and who doesn’t want to ring in the new year with brand-new technology? But before you go all in with your new device, you should plan what you will do with your old ones.

The best starting point is to sign yourself out of any profiles or services on the old device. Remove or transfer any photos to cloud storage, or make sure that you have backups.

To wipe mobile phones and other portable tech devices, it’s usually easy to reset them to their factory settings. By doing this, all personal information and data will be deleted from it, making the device safe for yourself and others.

For computer hard drives, a simple format should be enough but look at open-source software to do a professional deep clean on the drive. Tap or click here for step-by-step directions to wipe a hard drive on your Windows PC or Mac.

Once you are confident that the device has been wiped, you should consider donating it or sending it to a recycling facility.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a handy list of where you can donate your electronics. You’ll find technology companies that will dispose of devices on your behalf or recycling facilities in your state or community.

Update all your tech

Earth gets a clean slate around the sun, so why not do the same for your technology? Ring in the new year by updating operating systems, drivers or software versions for all your devices.

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