“We had no computers when we were your age.”

Undeniably, computer systems have played a significant role in what have achieved such growth. Every organization needs computers today, no matter how small the operations are.

But the reality is that technology, according to Simon Sinek, has made millennials more and more entitled. Of course, that is a more psychological interpretation of how technology has affected us.

Computer Habits to Break

In a more concrete sense, several computer habits have had repercussions on our physical health. But it would be wrong to put the entire blame on the technology. It is our own actions and behaviors that inflict damages upon ourselves. Of the several bad computer habits that we engage in every day, here are the 8 major ones that need to be broken now:

1. Bad Posture

Of the most recurring instance of computer habits that need to be dealt with immediately is the bad posture. Being too lazy to sit straight while using computer systems has caused around 5.8% of the population to contract entrapment neuropathy. A significant cause for this is the short-term comfort that we find in sitting in bad positions.

So, even with a proper computer chair, we may choose to slouch and put our feet on the desk while using our computer systems. Little do we realize how bad such short-term comfort is compromising our long-term health. Treatment, even for mild cases of entrapment neuropathy, is surgery. Moreover, once you have a surgery on your spine, there is no going back.

To treat this issue, it is essential that your seat be always set to a height where your screen is precisely at eye-level, so you are not slouching to look at it or looking up to it. Furthermore, you should also ensure that your knees bend at an angle of 90 degrees while being flat on the floor while your wrists are parallel to the floor while typing.

To ensure this happens, get a standing desk converter for your computer. A standing desk riser will bring the computer screen to your eye-level while you sit in a comfortable posture with your legs at 90-degrees. It could also come in handy for you when you lean back on your chair and want the desk to be the perfect height. A desk converter will do wonders for your posture.

2. Working without Breaks

Working on a computer is not as exhausting as exercise and physical training, but it is exhausting after all. Since most people tend to only think about exhaustion in the conventional, physical sense, they fail to realize that they are getting tired. The most that they will realize is that they are sleepy and bored but not that they are tired.

That is what makes screen time so dangerous. It can leach out all your energy without you even realizing it. This is especially true in the context of teens that would use computers for gaming for long hours. So, in order to ensure that you do not burn yourself out with so much exposure, always ensure that you take plenty of breaks from your workstations; it does not matter if it is a sitting or standing workstation.

3. Not Giving Your Computer a Break

Apart from your own body’s exhaustion, your computer systems tend to tire out too. When computer systems are kept on for long working hours continuously, they tend to drop their performance as they heat up. This will not only make work slower but frustrate and tire you out.

So, keeping your computer on for long hours is a slippery slope to tread. The type of computer, be it a PC or a Mac, really does not influence whether the computer drops its performance or not. Therefore, to keep up optimal performance – for the computer and yourself – make sure that you restart your computer over and over again when working long hours.

4. Not Shutting Down Your Computer

In addition to just letting your computer take breaks within working hours, it is also essential that your computer takes its sleep as humans do. So, it is not just small restarts that your computer needs to keep its performance up, but also complete shutdowns. This might seem like a silly thing to emphasize, but many people tend to leave their computers on sleep rather than booting it up entirely every time.

This drastically shortens your computer’s lifespan and kills its performance. Plus, a computer that has not been shut down for a while might overheat so much that it raises the risk of short-circuits. So, keep your computer and yourself safe, shut down your computers.

5. Lap Tops

Just because it is called a laptop does not mean that you should place it in your lap while working on it.

The heat that comes out of the laptop can damage your skin drastically. This may include dryness and de-coloration to extreme issues like cancer too. Furthermore, going back to the “posture” argument, keeping your laptop computer in your lap means that you slouch over the laptop while working on it. This introduces spine issues again, and the weight on your thighs can cause neurological damage.

The best fix for such bad habits is to find a height-adjustable work station, be it stand or sit-down table. If you must use it on your bed, get a lap desk stand for yourself. The ideal situation, of course, is a height-adjustable work table.

6. Running Too Many Programs at Once

Among several bad habits that affect your computer, most people do not realize that multitasking is one. This, again, is like humans. When we cannot manage more and more tasks at once, the computer – no matter how powerful it might be – cannot either.

So, just like our efficiency falls when working on multiple things at once, a computer does too. Not only does it strain both the hardware and yourself. Therefore, the right thing to do is not to overburden, either.

7. Same Passwords

It does not even make sense to explain this point, but it remains one of the biggest bad habits to date. But given its simplicity, let’s just cut to how to fix this. The simple trick is to use the same base for each id, but add a website specific code at the end (or the beginning).

8. Failing to update

Another one of the simpler bad habits that we have today is simply failing to update the handful of applications on our phones and computers today. Why is it important? Because new updates do bring not only new features but also include better security patches and bug fixes that may be essential to keep your data safe.

To not be annoyed by constant notifications, turn on auto-updates.