Millions of people are doing Dry January right now.
They’re cutting out something they know isn’t good for them because they want to feel better, work better, and stop pretending “I’ll start Monday” is a real plan.
Your business has its own Dry January list.
It just happens to be made up of bad tech habits instead of cocktails.
You know the ones. Everyone knows they’re risky or inefficient. Everyone keeps doing them because “it’s fine” and “we’re busy.”
Until it’s not fine.
Here are six tech habits your business should quit cold turkey this month—and what to do instead.
Habit #1: Clicking “Remind Me Later” on Updates
That little button has caused more damage to small businesses than most hackers ever could.
We get it. No one wants their computer restarting in the middle of the day. But updates aren’t just about new features—they often patch security holes that cybercriminals are actively exploiting.
“Later” turns into days. Days turn into months. And suddenly you’re running software with known vulnerabilities that attackers already know how to abuse.
The WannaCry ransomware attack is a perfect example. It spread by exploiting a vulnerability Microsoft had already patched two months earlier. Every affected business had skipped that update one too many times.
The result? Businesses in more than 150 countries were disrupted, with billions lost.
Quit it: Schedule updates after hours or let your IT partner manage them quietly in the background. No surprise restarts. No drama. No open doors for attackers.
Habit #2: One Password for Everything
You have a go-to password.
It meets requirements. It feels secure. It’s easy to remember. And you use it everywhere—email, banking, accounting software, online vendors, and that random site you signed up for years ago.
Here’s the problem: data breaches happen constantly.
That obscure site you forgot about? Its database was probably leaked. Your email and password combo is now floating around on the dark web, being sold for pocket change.
Hackers don’t guess passwords anymore. They reuse them everywhere until something opens. This is called credential stuffing, and it’s one of the most common causes of account takeovers.
Your “strong” password just became a master key—and someone else has it.
Quit it: Use a password manager. Period. Tools like 1Password, Bitwarden, or LastPass create and store unique passwords for every account. You remember one master password. Everything else is handled for you.
Setup takes minutes. The security benefit lasts indefinitely.
Habit #3: Sharing Passwords Over Email, Text, or Slack
“Can you send me the login?”
“Sure—admin@company.com, password is Summer2024!”
Quick problem solved… and a long-term one created.
That message now lives forever—in inboxes, sent folders, cloud backups, and searchable archives. If one email account ever gets compromised, an attacker can easily find every password that’s ever been shared.
It’s like writing your house key on a postcard and mailing it.
Quit it: Password managers include secure sharing features. Users get access without ever seeing the actual password, and access can be revoked instantly. If you must share credentials manually, split them across channels and change the password immediately after.
Habit #4: Making Everyone an Admin Because It’s “Easier”
Someone needed to install something once. Or change a setting. Instead of configuring permissions properly, admin access felt like the fastest option.
Now half your team has full control over critical systems.
Admin access means the ability to install software, disable security tools, delete files, and change configurations. If one of those accounts gets phished, the attacker inherits all of that power.
Ransomware thrives on admin privileges. More access means faster, more widespread damage.
Quit it: Follow the principle of least privilege. Give people access only to what they actually need. It takes a little more effort upfront—but far less than recovering from a breach or accidental deletion.
Habit #5: “Temporary” Fixes That Became Permanent
Something broke. You found a workaround. You told yourself you’d fix it properly later.
That was years ago.
Now the workaround is the process.
Those extra steps add up—wasting time, frustrating staff, and introducing risk. Worse, workarounds depend on specific conditions and people who “know the trick.” When something changes (and it always does), everything falls apart.
Quit it: Start by listing the workarounds your team relies on. You don’t need to fix them yourself. If you could, you already would have. This is where an IT partner can step in, eliminate the duct tape, and replace it with solutions that actually work.
Habit #6: The Spreadsheet That Runs the Business
You know exactly which one this is.
One massive Excel file. Multiple tabs. Complex formulas. A few people understand it. One of them built it—and no longer works here.
If that file corrupts or disappears, what’s the plan?
Spreadsheets make terrible systems of record. There’s limited auditing, weak access controls, poor scalability, and often no reliable backups. They’re great tools—but awful platforms.
Quit it: Document the business process the spreadsheet supports, then replace it with a proper system—CRM, inventory software, scheduling tools—built for that purpose and protected by backups and permissions.
Why These Habits Stick Around
You already know most of these are bad ideas.
The issue isn’t ignorance—it’s busyness.
Bad tech habits persist because:
- The consequences stay invisible until they’re catastrophic
- The “right way” feels slower in the moment
- Everyone else is doing it, so it feels normal
Dry January works because it forces awareness. It breaks autopilot. The same applies to your business technology.
How to Actually Quit (Without Relying on Willpower)
Willpower doesn’t fix bad habits—systems do.
The businesses that succeed don’t rely on discipline. They change their environment:
- Password managers eliminate insecure sharing
- Updates are automated
- Permissions are centrally managed
- Workarounds are replaced with real solutions
- Critical data moves out of fragile spreadsheets
The right behavior becomes the easiest behavior.
That’s what a good IT partner does—not lectures, but builds systems that make doing the right thing automatic.
Ready to Quit the Tech Habits Holding You Back?
Schedule a discovery call.
In 15 minutes, we’ll learn how your business operates, identify problem areas, and outline practical next steps to clean things up for good.
No judgment. No jargon. Just a smarter, safer way to start the year.
Schedule your 15-minute discovery call here.
Because some habits are worth quitting cold turkey—and January is a great place to start.
