1. Update your old passwords
Regardless of whether you made the most complicated password in the world, we live in an age where more and more companies are suffering data breaches at the hands of cyber-criminals. Be honest, do you have the same password for something really important, (like internet banking) as you do for that one small company that you bought a single candle from that one time? Odds are that “small candle company ltd” don’t have industry-leading data protection software, meaning if a cyber-criminal gets your password from there they could access some really important information on other sites.
So what should you be doing? well simply, change your passwords. It would be good practice to change important passwords once a month for the really important things. However, even if you are can manage to change your passwords once a year, that would be better than nothing. There is a really useful site that will tell you companies that you have registered on that have suffered a data breach. Obviously, it would be a good idea to prioritise those passwords for updating. You can check it out here, just enter your email and it does the rest: https://haveibeenpwned.com/
2. Save some cash
It’s no secret that people are worrying about money right now, the impact of this pandemic is clear to see with some people even losing their jobs. So take advantage of your extra time and save some money. How? get to the price comparison sites.
How many times have you felt like you probably could have gotten a better deal on your phone bill, gas etc. if you had just spent more time looking around? My guess is that you are like me and at least once, you bit the bullet and just went with something that felt expensive because you were too busy to keep looking. Well here is your chance to put that right, hit the comparison sites and save some money.
3. The holiday is cancelled, so why not sort out the old ones?
Ok, let me know if this sounds familiar to you. You go on holiday, you make amazing memories, you take loads photos to capture those memories and then… You get home throw all those photos onto your PC, laptop or wherever and then haven’t even looked at them for years. Now I am not judging here this is something we all do. But now you have some free time you can do something about it, plus you’ll like up free up loads of storage space on your PC/Phone while you’re at it.
Why not go through those photos, get rid of the bad or now unimportant and then organise them into something that, in words of good old Marie Kondo will “bring you joy”. You could make a really cool desktop screen saver, awesome collage or there are some really awesome display screens you can get these days if you wanted to get them on display in your home. Here’s a really cool site to edit photos and make collages: https://www.befunky.com/
4. Device spring cleaning
Following on from Marie’s spring cleaning vibes lets talk tidying, but not just any tidying, tidying your devices. #gunsdontkilldevices DUST DOES. When’s the last time you dusted off the back of your TV, smart box, games console or even better yet, the plugs (you know the mains electricity) that they are all plugged into? Cleaning your devices won’t just have your house looking tidier or stop you breathing in dust, it will also stop your devices from overheating and help them last longer.
And for extra credit, why not tidy up your cables? It makes such a difference when cables are tucked neatly out of view, that way they won’t ruin those Instagram shots of your freshly clean home.
5. Stay connected
Sometimes you need some human interaction, we are for the most part social creatures after all. So if you are starved for some “banter” or “real talk” why not take the time to make your home more social…
For example, did you know that you can set up Netflix watch parties, meaning you can stream shows with friends in real-time? It also lets you pause every ones progress at the same time so you don’t get ahead of each other.
Also, many gyms are diversifying to keep their customers happy. Many are now offering live group video training sessions, so set up your cam and get stuck in.
Finally, we would like to mention social media. Now, this comes with a bit of a caveat because we wouldn’t recommend you get your only interactions on social media as we don’t think that’s healthy. However, there are some really cool trends coming out to help combat this isolation. For example #MuseumFromHome is trending and is proving an amazing way for museums to stay connected to those that unfortunately can no longer go.