Millions of people are doing Dry January right now.
They’re cutting out something they know isn’t helping—because they want more energy, better focus, and fewer regrets. No more “I’ll start Monday.” Just a clean reset.
Your business has its own version of Dry January.
It’s not about cocktails.
It’s about technology habits you already know are risky, inefficient, or overdue—but keep tolerating because “we’re busy” and “it’s fine.”
Until it isn’t.
Here are six tech habits worth quitting cold turkey this month—and what to replace them with.
Habit #1: Clicking “Remind Me Later” on Updates
That little button has caused more real-world damage than most business owners realize.
Software updates aren’t just about new features. Many exist to patch security holes that hackers are actively exploiting.
“Later” turns into weeks.
Weeks turn into months.
And suddenly you’re running systems with known vulnerabilities.
History has proven this over and over. Large-scale ransomware attacks have succeeded simply because organizations delayed updates that already had fixes available.
Quit it:
Schedule updates after hours or let your IT partner manage them quietly in the background. No surprise reboots. No open doors for attackers.
Habit #2: One Password to Rule Them All
You have the password.
It meets requirements. It feels strong. It’s easy to remember. And you use it everywhere—email, banking, accounting software, online vendors, random industry tools you barely remember signing up for.
Here’s the problem: data breaches are constant.
When any service is compromised, stolen credentials get sold and reused automatically. Attackers don’t guess passwords—they try known combinations everywhere.
That “strong” password becomes a master key someone else owns.
Quit it:
Use a password manager. Period.
Tools like LastPass, 1Password, or Bitwarden generate and store unique passwords for every login. You remember one master password. Everything else is handled securely.
Habit #3: Sharing Passwords Over Email, Text, or Slack
“Can you send me the login real quick?”
It feels efficient. It takes 30 seconds. And now that credential lives forever—in inboxes, chat histories, cloud backups, and searchable archives.
If any account tied to that message is compromised, attackers can harvest years of shared passwords in minutes.
It’s the digital equivalent of mailing your house key on a postcard.
Quit it:
Use secure sharing inside a password manager. The recipient gets access without ever seeing the password, and access can be revoked instantly.
If you must share manually, split the information across channels and change the password immediately after.
Habit #4: Giving Everyone Admin Access Because It’s “Easier”
Someone needed to install software once.
Instead of adjusting permissions properly, admin rights were granted.
Now, half the company has full control over systems.
Admin access allows users to install software, disable protections, delete files, and change critical settings. If one admin account gets compromised, attackers inherit all of that power.
Ransomware thrives on excessive permissions.
Quit it:
Follow the principle of least privilege. Give people only the access they need—nothing more.
Yes, it takes a few extra minutes up front. It saves weeks of damage later.
Habit #5: “Temporary” Fixes That Became Permanent
Something broke. A workaround was created.
“We’ll fix it properly later.”
That was years ago.
Now the workaround is the process—extra steps, special knowledge, and fragile dependencies that only work under specific conditions.
These fixes quietly drain productivity and collapse the moment something changes—or someone leaves.
Quit it:
Make a simple list of workarounds your team relies on. Don’t fix them yourself. If you could, you already would have.
Instead, bring in help to replace them with stable, documented solutions that don’t rely on tribal knowledge.
Habit #6: The Spreadsheet That Runs the Business
You know the one.
One massive Excel file. Endless tabs. Complicated formulas. A few people understand it. The person who built it might not even work here anymore.
If it corrupts, what’s the plan?
If knowledge leaves, who maintains it?
That spreadsheet is a single point of failure disguised as a tool.
Quit it:
Document the process the spreadsheet supports—then move it into systems designed for the job.
CRMs, inventory platforms, scheduling tools, and accounting systems offer permissions, backups, audit trails, and scalability spreadsheets simply can’t.
Spreadsheets are excellent tools.
They’re terrible platforms.
Why These Habits Are So Hard to Break
You already knew most of these were bad ideas.
The problem isn’t ignorance—it’s time.
Bad tech habits persist because:
- The consequences are invisible until they’re catastrophic
- The “right way” feels slower in the moment
- Everyone else does it, so it feels normal
That’s exactly why Dry January works. It interrupts autopilot and forces awareness.
How to Quit Without Relying on Willpower
Willpower doesn’t work. The environment does.
The businesses that actually break these habits change the system so the right behavior becomes the easy one:
- Password managers eliminate insecure sharing
- Updates happen automatically
- Permissions are managed centrally
- Workarounds are replaced with stable solutions
- Critical spreadsheets move into proper platforms
No lectures. No finger-pointing. Just better defaults.
That’s the role of a good IT partner: not telling you what should happen, but making sure it does happen—consistently.
Ready to Quit the Habits That Are Quietly Hurting Your Business?
Schedule a Bad Habit Audit.
In just 15 minutes, you’ll get clarity on what’s holding your business back—and a practical roadmap to fix it.
No judgment. No jargon. Just a cleaner, safer, more efficient year ahead.
Because some habits are worth quitting cold turkey.
And January is a great place to start.
