In 2018, it's finally time to ditch those bad tech habits...

It's always good to hit the refresh button on how you use everyday technology. Here are my top 3 tips to improve your tech habits:

1. Stop using emails all of the time.

I'm a big fan of a paper trail (Public Funding 101) but recently our team has started using Slack for specific conversations. Not only does it lighten the load on your email inbox, but it keeps conversations in one place and is easily searchable. Perfect to shave off time searching for that email that you sent about that thing 4 months ago!

2. Be careful about what data you store, and where.

I'm as guilty as the next person about not keeping tabs on what data I'm storing and where. But in 2018, especially with GDPR looming, it's important to be aware of data being accessible to others. That USB stick on your desk with client details on it, or the notebook where you wrote down those sales figures could easily be the source of a data leak.

3. Take a break.

Everyone has a optimum time for productivity during the day, in which tasks seem to get done quicker than they arrive. For me, it tends to be first thing in the morning. I take advantage of this (and a quieter office) by turning off notifications, closing as many browser windows and applications as possible and giving myself some breathing space to focus on my most urgent tasks. After that, I can focus on everything else.