It probably is fair to say that most of us are glued to our computers for a large part of each and every day. Accordingly, how can we improve our computer experience? A good start is to follow eight fairly simple tips, among a variety of other tips that also could be considered.
First, make sure periodically to restart your computer. A restart can cure computer sluggishness. We all have a need for speed, so reboot!
The second tip is not use your keyboard as a plate. You accidentally could spill something that could destroy your computer. Also, computer keyboards host all sorts of bacteria and thus are not sanitary. So, don’t compute where you eat!
Third, it is imperative to back up computer data. Computers of all types have a limited shelf life. You do not want important and sensitive data to live (and die) solely on a computer. Make sure to have data stored securely on back up drives on in the cloud.
Fourth, for your own mental and physical health, take frequent breaks away from your computer(s). These devices always beckon, but as humans, we need to be in the real world, too. Without breaks, we can suffer too much stress. We also need to use or bodies, more than just our hands moving on keyboards. And too much keyboard use can lead to repetitive motion hand injuries.
The fifth tip is critical: use more than one password for your different computers and devices. If someone finds out your one password, all your computers, devices and accounts could be compromised. Amazingly, the most common password on the Internet is “password.” Really? We need to be more creative and diverse in password selection.
Sixth, getting back to the sluggishness point, it is not a good idea to run too many programs at once. Running too many programs definitely slows down computer run time.
Seventh, it is common to download apps. But certain apps that we download we do not use. Those unused apps should be deleted. They clutter up our computers and devices, and they also can slow down performance by running silently in the background.
And last for now, we need to remember that when we get rid of our phones, devices and computers, the associated hard drives must be wiped clean. We do not want our sensitive data to get into the hands of other people.
These eight tips were explained by J.P. Zhang recently in his own words in his post on Entrepeneur.com. Your trusty blogger (moi) agrees with these tips and they have been summarized in my own way here.
Eric Sinrod (@EricSinrod on Twitter) is a partner in the San Francisco office of Duane Morris LLP, where he focuses on litigation matters of various types, including information technology and intellectual property disputes. You can read his professional biography here. To receive a weekly email link to Mr. Sinrod’s columns, please email him at ejsinrod@duanemorris.com with Subscribe in the Subject line. This column is prepared and published for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. The views expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the author’s law firm or its individual partners.