Currently, countless individuals are participating in Dry January. They are eliminating something they recognize as unhealthy, aiming to improve their well-being, enhance productivity, and abandon the notion that "I'll start Monday" is a viable strategy.
Similarly, your business has its own version of a Dry January list. However, it consists of technological habits rather than drinks.
These are the practices everyone acknowledges as either risky or inefficient. Everyone still does them because "it is fine" and "we are busy." Until it is not fine.
Here are six bad tech habits to quit cold turkey this month, and what to do instead.
1. Treating Software Updates Like Optional Chores
Updates do not feel urgent, until they are.
Most attacks do not rely on sophisticated tricks. They exploit weaknesses that already have fixes available. Delaying updates is not neutral; it is choosing to stay exposed.
The longer systems stay unpatched, the more predictable and attractive, they become to attackers.
Better approach: Automate updates or schedule them outside business hours. Security should not depend on someone remembering to click the right button.
2. Reusing the Same Password Because It “Hasn’t Failed Yet”
Most people rely on one password they trust.
It checks the complexity boxes, feels secure, and is easy to remember, so it ends up protecting everything from email and financial accounts to cloud tools and old websites long forgotten.
Password strength is not the issue. Reusing the same password across systems is.
Data breaches occur every day. When even one site is compromised, attackers gain access to email-and-password combinations that are quickly circulated and resold. From there, they do not try to break into accounts, they simply reuse those credentials across other platforms.
If the same login works for email, banking, or business systems, access is granted without resistance.
This technique, known as credential stuffing, is one of the most common causes of account takeovers. A single reused password effectively becomes a universal key, and once it is exposed, control is no longer yours.
Better approach: Use a password manager and eliminate reuse entirely. One strong habit replaces dozens of weak ones.
3. Sharing Passwords Over Text or Email
"Hey, can you send me the login for the shared account?"
"Sure! It is admin@company.com, password is Summer2024!"
Sent through Slack, text, or email. Issue resolved in half a minute.
But now that message is immortal.
In your sent folder. In their inbox. Stored in the cloud. Searchable. Forwardable. If anyone is email is ever breached, the intruder can search for "password" and collect every credential your team has ever exchanged.
This practice resembles writing your house key on a postcard and sending it through the mail.
Better approach: Use secure password-sharing tools within a password manager. These tools grant access without exposing the password itself and allow you to revoke access at any time. If you must share credentials manually, split the information across separate channels and change the password immediately afterward.
4. Granting Everyone Admin Rights Because "It is Simpler"
Someone needed to install something once. Or adjust a setting. Instead of determining the specific permission required, you simply granted them admin rights.
Now, half of your team possesses full administrative privileges because it was quicker than setting it up correctly.
Here is what having admin access entails: They have the ability to install software, disable security measures, alter crucial settings, and delete vital files. If their credentials are compromised through phishing the attacker gains all those capabilities as well.
Ransomware particularly targets admin accounts. More access equals more damage, and it happens faster.
Granting everyone admin rights is akin to giving everyone the keys to the vault just because one person once needed a stapler.
Stop it: Implement the principle of least privilege: Individuals receive access to precisely what they require, nothing extra. Yes, it takes a few more minutes to establish proper permissions. This is a minor investment compared to the cost of a security breach or a well-intentioned employee accidentally erasing a crucial folder.
5. "Temporary" Fixes That Became Permanent
Something malfunctioned. You devised a workaround. "We will address it properly later."
That was back in 2019.
The workaround has become simply "our standard procedure."
Yes, it involves three additional steps. Yes, everyone needs to recall the method. However, the task is completed. Why change something that is not malfunctioning?
Those three extra steps, done by everyone every day, add up to a huge loss in productivity.
But even worse: Workarounds introduce vulnerability. They rely on particular conditions, specific software versions, and certain individuals who remember the trick. When something changes everything falls apart. No one recalls how to properly fix it because it was never done correctly in the first place.
Better approach: Compile a list of the workarounds your team relies on. Focus only on identifying them, not fixing them. If these issues were easy to resolve, they wouldn’t still exist. Let us help you address them properly and give your team valuable time back.
6. The Spreadsheet That Manages Your Entire Business
You know the one.
A single Excel file. Twelve sheets. An absurd chain of formulas that no one fully comprehends. Three people understand its workings. One of them developed it and is no longer with the company.
What happens if that file becomes corrupted? What is the contingency plan if the person who knows it inside out leaves?
That spreadsheet is a single point of failure, disguised in a green hat.
Spreadsheets lack a straightforward audit trail. If a row is accidentally deleted, you will have no idea what information was lost. They do not scale well, nor do they integrate seamlessly with other tools. Proper backups are almost never in place. Essentially, you have constructed a vital business system using digital duct tape.
Better approach: Document the business processes the spreadsheet supports, then move those processes into tools designed for the job. CRMs, inventory systems, and scheduling platforms provide permissions, backups, and continuity.
Why These Habits Are So Hard to Break
You were already aware that most of these were poor choices.
You do not lack information. Competing priorities consume your time. That is the real issue.
Poor tech habits endure because:
- The repercussions remain unseen until they become disastrous. Reusing passwords functions flawlessly until the moment it fails. When it fails, the consequences surface all at once
- The "correct method" seems slower initially. Setting up a password manager requires a few hours. Typing a memorized password takes mere seconds. That calculation feels straightforward until something goes wrong.
- Everyone else does it too. When the entire team shares passwords through Slack, it doesn't seem risky. It feels normal. Normalizing poor practices renders them invisible.
This is precisely why Dry January is effective for some individuals. It enforces awareness. It disrupts the autopilot mode. It makes the unseen visible.
How to Truly Quit (Without Depending on Willpower)
Willpower is not effective for Dry January.
The environment is.
The same principle applies to business technology.
Companies that successfully change these habits do not rely on discipline. Instead, they alter their environment, making the right actions the simplest ones:
- Companywide deployment of password managers eliminates the option of insecure credential sharing.
- Automatic updates remove the temptation of clicking "remind me later."
- Centralized permission management prevents the casual distribution of admin rights as a shortcut.
- Real solutions replace workarounds, eliminating the need for tribal knowledge.
- Critical files are transferred to proper systems with backups and access controls.
The correct path becomes the easiest path. Bad habits become more challenging than good ones.
This is the role of a competent IT partner. They do not lecture you on what you should be doing; they transform the systems so that the right behavior becomes the default setting.
Prepared to Break Free from the Habits Silently Damaging Your Business?
Schedule a Bad Habit Audit.
In just 15 minutes, we will learn about your business. We will find the problems you face and give you a plan to fix them for good.
No criticism. No complex terms. Just a more efficient, secure, and profitable 2026.
Because certain habits deserve to be dropped immediately.
January is a great time to start. Imagine stepping into a new year with a fresh perspective and a clear path forward. By identifying and eliminating those bad habits, you can unlock your business's true potential. Our Bad Habit Audit uncovers inefficiencies that often go unnoticed.
During our brief call, we will dive into your current processes and highlight the changes that can make a significant impact. We will help improve communication, boost security, and make workflows better. Our insights will be tailored to your needs.
The goal is simple: to empower you with the tools and strategies that foster positive habits and drive success. You don’t have to navigate this journey alone. With our expertise, you can transform your operations and create an environment where good habits thrive.
So why wait? Take the first step towards a more efficient and profitable future. Schedule your discovery call today, and let’s make 2026 your best year yet. Remember, change starts with a single decision, and that decision can lead to remarkable results.
