April 14, 2025
Spring cleaning involves more than battling dust bunnies under the couch. The change of seasons also offers a perfect time to slay the inbox zombies haunting your screens.
Cleaning up your online space should command the same attention as dusting off your appliances and surfaces, if not more so. Dejunking your virtual workspace has several benefits, including reducing distraction and securing your documents away from prying eyes. These habits can allow you to focus on daily tasks, save time and keep your personally identifiable information (PII) secure.
In an age where our lives exist in both physical and digital realms, spring cleaning is no longer a one-dimensional chore. Neglecting either space risks triggering a domino effect of stress, inefficiency and even vulnerability.
Last year's newsletter listed ways to clean and protect your spaces. Here are additional strategies that build on last year’s habits to help you continue to manage both your physical and digital workspace to stay organized and secure!
Physical Cleaning Tips
- Shred paper documents with a cross-cut shredder.
- Discarded paper is often forgotten, which is exactly what scammers count on when hunting for your information.
- Cross-cut shredding paper prevents scammers from potentially reconstructing your discarded documents and exploiting the information contained on them.
- Label and sort retained documents.
- Folders and papers are often left scattered and unorganized. When you eventually need them, you will have rummage through them to locate a single document.
- Sorting and labeling folders saves time and prevents misplacing important files.
- Mix personal identifiable information (PII) debris into multiple disposal bins.
- Scammers can go to extraordinary lengths to obtain PII, including reassembling torn papers to glean the information.
- Mixing and dumping shredded paper containing PII into different bins can make it harder for criminals to piece together valuable data.
Digital Cleaning Tips
- Use data erasure software to securely remove data from hard drives.
- Using your devices’ built-in program remover typically gets rid of most unnecessary data, but it may not guarantee total removal.
- Dedicated data-erasure software designed for removing used storage goes a step further by ensuring that files are permanently removed, including files that the default program remover may not recognize.
- Encrypt valuable data.
- Scammers use malware and other methods to obtain valuable information.
- Encryption transforms your data and files into a scrambled puzzle that only authorized users can solve.
- Encrypting sensitive information prevents threat actors from gaining unauthorized access to your system and keeps your data private.
- Delete old or unused accounts.
- Keeping inactive accounts can result in unwanted SPAM emails and contributes to overcrowded email inboxes. Consider deleting old or unused accounts
- To avoid creating an unused account on an e-commerce site you don’t visit frequently, consider checking out as a guest.
- Old accounts can be compromised in a security breach. If you have reused passwords across multiple accounts, your current accounts could be at risk. Always use a unique password when creating an online account.
- Unsubscribe from irrelevant mailing lists.
- Being enrolled in several mailing lists will eventually clutter and disorganize your inbox, while also using valuable space on your email storage.
- Unsubscribing from irrelevant lists reduces inbox clutter and removes constant email distractions, keeping your mind clear and vigilant for phishing attempts.
- Organize files with folders.
- Creating and managing folders on your devices can significantly improve organization, making it easier to find the files you want and delete the files you don’t need.
- Labeling files and folders clearly can make it easier to locate them in the future, like finding that one picture in your whole album.
A clean workspace enables better focus on important daily tasks. Overall, spring cleaning reminds us to let go of what no longer serves us, making space for clarity and calm. Digital spring cleaning also empowers you to delete old files, update passwords and harden privacy settings, shielding your data from modern threats. A little effort now can lead to a safer, simpler and more serene year ahead.
Cyber Habit of the Month
Electronics like smartphones, laptops and other electronic appliances that are nearing end of life and need to be discarded or recycled are referred to as electronic waste, or e-waste. These devices contain hazardous materials, such as lead and mercury; if disposed of incorrectly, these materials can damage ecosystems and pose health risks.
Always prioritize reducing consumption and repairing devices to extend their lifespan. If electronics are still functional, donate, sell or recycle them through certified e-waste programs to endure safe handling of toxins and to recover valuable materials.
These devices also likely contain sensitive information that could put your identity at risk, if it were to fall into the wrong hands. Before disposal, wipe all personal data and/or reset the device to factory settings. Check manufacturing or retail take-back programs for ecofriendly options. For more information and how to start the process in your area, check out helpful tips from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the United States Environmental Protection Agency.