Every January, millions of people give something up — alcohol, sugar, social media — because they want to feel better, think clearer, and finally break habits they’ve been avoiding.
Well, your business has its own version of Dry January. Except instead of cocktails, you’re dealing with terrible tech habits — the kind everyone knows are risky, but nobody fixes because…
“We’re busy.”
“It’s fine.”
“We’ll handle it next month.”
Until it’s not fine.
These six bad technology habits silently create cybersecurity risk, productivity loss, downtime, and unnecessary stress for East Tennessee businesses. Here’s what to quit — and how to replace bad habits with safer, simpler systems.
Habit #1: Clicking “Remind Me Later” on Updates
This tiny button has caused more business damage than most cybercriminals.
Updates don’t just add features — they patch known vulnerabilities. When you delay them, hackers already know the weaknesses you're running.
The WannaCry attack?
It used a flaw Microsoft had already patched two months earlier.
Victims simply clicked "remind me later" a few too many times.
Quit it:
Schedule updates after hours or let your IT partner push them silently in the background.
Habit #2: Using the Same Password Everywhere
Your “favorite” password is not security — it’s a master key that hackers already have.
When even a small website gets breached, your email + password combination is sold for pennies. Attackers then try it across banking, email, QuickBooks, Microsoft 365 — everything.
This is called credential stuffing, and it's responsible for a massive portion of today’s breaches.
Quit it:
Deploy a password manager (1Password, Bitwarden, LastPass).
It creates unique, unbreakable passwords — and you only remember one.
Habit #3: Sharing Passwords Over Email or Text
“Hey, can you send me the login real quick?”
“Sure — here it is!”
Now you've left your keys sitting in a searchable, permanent archive.
If anyone gets hacked, attackers can search inboxes for “password” and harvest every credential ever shared by your team.
Quit it:
Password managers include secure sharing features.
You share access — not the password itself. No emailing passwords, ever.
Habit #4: Making Everyone an Admin Because It’s Easier
Someone once needed to install software… and suddenly half your office has admin rights.
Admin access means they can:
- Disable security tools
- Install malware by accident
- Change critical system settings
- Delete important files
If their account gets phished?
Attackers now have full access to your business.
Quit it:
Use least privilege access — give employees exactly what they need, nothing more.
Habit #5: “Temporary Fixes” That Became Permanent
Something broke.
You created a workaround.
You said you’d fix it later.
That was four years ago.
Workarounds multiply inefficiency and create operational fragility. The moment the wrong person quits or the wrong update happens, everything breaks.
Quit it:
List your team’s workarounds → let your IT partner replace them with permanent solutions.
Habit #6: The Spreadsheet That Runs Your Entire Company
Every business has this spreadsheet:
12 tabs.
Impossible formulas.
Three people “kind of” understand it.
One person fully understands it — and they left last year.
This isn’t a spreadsheet.
It’s a single point of catastrophic failure.
Spreadsheets aren’t:
❌ auditable
❌ scalable
❌ secure
❌ backed up properly
❌ multi-user friendly
Quit it:
Document the workflow → replace it with tools designed for the job (CRM, scheduling software, inventory tools, etc.).
Why These Habits Are Hard to Break
Because you're not uninformed — you're busy.
Bad tech habits persist because:
- The consequences are invisible until they’re catastrophic
- The “right way” feels slower in the moment
- If the team normalizes bad behavior, it stops feeling risky
This is why Dry January works: it breaks autopilot.
How to Actually Quit These Habits (Without Willpower)
Willpower doesn’t fix business IT — environment does.
The businesses that successfully quit bad tech habits do it by changing the system:
- Password managers replace shared passwords
- Automated updates remove the “remind me later” temptation
- Centralized permissions eliminate accidental admin rights
- Real workflows replace workarounds
- Proper tools replace fragile spreadsheets
A good IT partner makes the right behavior the default behavior.
Time to Break the Habits Hurting Your Business
If you want 2026 to be safer, faster, and less stressful, start with the habits holding your team back.
👉 Book a “Bad Habit Audit” — a 15-minute checkup that reveals quick wins and long-term fixes.
No shame. No jargon. Just smarter, safer business technology.
