Spring Cleaning Tips for Your Small Business’s Digital Space

It’s spring and a young business owner’s fancy turns to thoughts of what else—spring cleaning. It may not be poetry but it can impact your productivity, especially when it comes to tidying up your digital files. How much time do you spend looking for something on your computer? Consider these tips to help you declutter your small business’s digital space and find what you need, now.

Clear off your desktop

If you can’t make out the image behind all of the icons on your home screen, then you probably have too much stuff on your desktop. It’s hard to find what you need and it’s too easy to get distracted. So delete the files or apps you don’t need. Then organize what’s left into functional folders. For example, place all invoices in a folder for the month they are due. When it comes time to pay them, they’ll all be located in one place.

Manage your mail

Use your inbox to store only unread messages. Once you open an email, either take action on it, delete it or move it into a mail file folder. Don’t leave it to clutter up your inbox. There are also a number of programs that will automate your email management. For example, Unroll.me will help you unsubscribe from unwanted messages with one click.

Shed those megabytes

Sort your document files by size with the largest ones first. Just click on the “size” column heading in your document list. Starting with your biggest file, delete the ones you no longer need. It will be visually easier to find a file and you can create additional storage space for the files you really need.

Detox and Backup

Run a complete security scan on your system for viruses or malware. And if you don’t already, regularly schedule scans using your program’s automated feature. You can set it to run at nonpeak times so it doesn’t slow down your system. Make it a practice to regularly back up your data so it can be retrieved in case your hardware is damaged. Cloud-based storage is becoming more affordable and gives you access to your information from any device.

Get the latest

You know all those updates that you decline thinking you’ll do it later? Do it now. Check for any updates and download them. Often they have new features or correct bugs that may be affecting the performance of your system. Some operating systems allow you to download updates automatically so you don’t have to take the time.

Rekey your digital locks

Your password is a digital key to valuable information. So consider “rekeying” or changing your passwords on a regular basis. Spend too much time managing your current passwords? There are a number of password management programs that can help. They will remember it for you and some even provide feedback on how secure the password is. Start by looking at these PC Magazine recommendations for 2016.

Clear out your digital dust with these suggested tips. It can help you declutter your digital space so you can make room for more important stuff—like more customers.

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