Forget New Annual resolutions. Instead, dedicate your New Year’s Day to completing a few simple tech tasks that will quickly make you feel better about the state of your digital life.
The first four are very quick and easy, while the last six take a bit more time but can still be done in less than an hour.
1. Dispose of Your Computer’s Trash
How long have you been emptying your desktop? Get started with this simple, two-click exercise and enjoy the motivation you feel to continue your cleaning list.
2. Close Additional Tabs and Clear Your Browser History
Listen up, tab-keepers! Today is the day you free yourself from a browser window in hell. If you’re hesitant to let go of all your open tabs, consider bookmarking them first. In Chrome, go to Bookmarks > Bookmark all tabs and move on with your life. Clear your browsing data, and on both desktop and mobile devices.
3. Use Compressed Air to Clean Your Appliances
Time to blow all the crumbs and lint off your keyboard. Grab a can of compressed air and work its magic on your keyboard or laptop. You can also clean all the holes in your laptop, phone, and tablet while you’re at it.
4. Assemble the Desktop
When was the last time you saw your virtual desktop? Take all the loose files and move them into a folder. If you’re not sure where to start, create a folder called “2025 and beyond” and dump everything in there.
If you have more time, even 10 minutes, organize your files in whatever way makes the most sense for you. There is no right way to do it. It’s the only way to help you find what you need.
5. Unsubscribe from spam
It seems easier and faster to press delete than to unsubscribe from spam. But then more and more emails keep coming. Make January 1st the day you invest an extra 15 seconds per message to fully unsubscribe from a certain email list.
If you have a soft spot in your heart for emails with deals and discounts, consider setting up an alias address for them. That way, you can keep deal emails completely separate from personal messages, bank notifications, updates from your kids’ school, and other important information. The reason I chose to use an email alias rather than using your real address and letting the deal emails go to a dedicated folder or tab is because of what happens when companies sell your information to a third party. If you’re getting scam messages that look like they’re from your bank, but go to your email alias, you don’t have to dig around to find out if they’re legitimate—they’re not.
6. Back up the photos on your phone
Do you have photos on your phone that are more than a year old? Are they backed up somewhere automatically? If not, take care of it today.
How much time you need for this task depends on whether you already have a cloud storage service that you use for your photos. Seeing as photos are among people’s most popular data, it’s worth spending, say, half an hour to find a service, sign up, and set up your photos to automatically back up there. Keep copies of your favorite photos on your phone, but delete others to free up space.
7. Give Your Files to Google Drive Once
If you have a Google account, the chance of having unexpected files in your Google Drive and Gmail is high. One example is that you may have large PDFs of menus from scanning QR codes at restaurants if the provider hosts the file in Google Drive and you are signed into your account while viewing it. You may also have files that others have emailed you hidden in Google Drive.
Remove these unnecessary items from Google Drive. I recommend that you start by viewing the files It was shared with me in the left rail of Google Drive.
8. Scan Any Loose But Important Papers
Scan and digitally send any paperwork that accumulates during the year. Once you have the scanned copy, shred it and recycle or compost the paper responsibly.
9. Do a Privacy Checkup
Another gripe I have with online services, including social media, is that sometimes they change your settings when they release updates, or opt-in for features you don’t want. Do a privacy check on your online accounts, paying close attention to social media (don’t forget YouTube), and Google. Check what kind of data is being shared under your current settings and decide if you’re still comfortable with it.
10. Review and Cancel Subscriptions
Review and cancel any unwanted subscriptions, such as streaming services, newsletters, and memberships you no longer need. With most services, you can cancel at any time and continue using what you paid for until the end of the billing period. If you’re tightening your budget in 2026, consider canceling all streaming services and keeping only one at a time. In some cases, you can cancel a prepaid membership and get a refund for unused time, although this is rare.
