Spring is here! That means the tulips are pushing up from the softening ground and the sun is finally coming out (almost) everyday. But, it also means it’s time to shed our winter skins and do a bit of cleaning. Sure, that can be going through all of your clothing and giving away the stuff you don’t wear or finally deep-cleaning your fridge, but your technology is another area of your life that could use a good clean this spring.
1.) Actually, physically, clean them!
We’ve all probably seen that article from Time Magazine stating that our phones are “10 times dirtier than a toilet seat.” While it may seem far fetched, research from the University of Arizona does prove that ten times as many bacteria do reside on our phones than on our toilet seats. The best way to combat this is to clean your phone pretty regularly, but since this is spring cleaning, I suggest popping off the case and getting out all that grime since you probably haven’t in awhile. Protect your phone by using a microfiber cloth and spray bottle with equal parts water and 70 percent Isopropyl rubbing alcohol. It’s safe for your computer too!
2.) Take an hour (or two!) and delete, delete, delete.
You’ll be amazed at what you find when scrolling back through all of your 6,000 photos. Some are true gems, and some aren’t. You might be like me and have 100 or more pictures from the same day/outing. Pick three good ones and trash the rest. Delete text messages too, and clear your voicemails. This goes for your computer as well. Drag the miscellaneous files cluttering your desktop into the trash, clear your search history, delete some emails and make sure there aren’t programs running in the background by checking your “Force Quit” window.
3.) Do the same with all your social media.
It’s weird to think about something like our social media profiles getting dirty or cluttered, but it happens in it’s own way. Think about all the people who followed you, who you didn’t really know and followed back out of curiosity. Are they adding anything to your fan experience? Is that person who you went to elementary school who just posts highly-edited pictures of sports cars adding anything? Going through all of the accounts you are following and weaning out the unnecessary ones can give you the room to follow new, more interesting and valuable accounts. Pruning your social media is all about expanding your presence, so it’s also a good idea to go through all of your past posts and make sure each one still represents yourself in the way you want it to.
4.) Have a website? Revamp it. Don’t have one? Make one.
Web design is constantly changing and it’s amazing how quickly websites can become out of date. Revamping your website can mean simply changing the current template to a new one, picking a more seasonal color scheme, or just making sure all the information about yourself is up to date and accurate. If you don’t already have a website, I suggest making one. It’s a great way to put yourself online in a way to can curate and it comes in handy when applying for jobs. Many job applications will give you an area to add a link for a website or portfolio, and an hour or so spent on Wix or WordPress can give you that extra edge.
5.) So, whether you know it or not, you’ve been creating content all year. Time to put it out there!
Speaking of websites, they’re a great place to dump all that content you’ve been creating all year. Whether it was for class or something extracurricular, you worked hard on it. Let the world see what you made! Put it up on your website then share, share, share. This is where it all comes together. Use your newly primped social media, promote your website and the content you put on it. This is a great way to get your writing or artwork or design work out there and seen. Share it on Instagram and Twitter, yes, but don’t forget about Facebook and Linkedin where many professional groups and organizations have a very strong presence. You never know who will see it and it good very well land you a job in the future. But the most important part is upkeep, so don’t forget to keep posting and to constantly be improving your presence.