January 12, 2026
Right now, millions are embracing Dry January, choosing to ditch alcohol for a month.
They're cutting out the one vice they know impacts their wellbeing to boost energy, enhance focus, and finally stop postponing change with "I'll start Monday."
Your business has its own version of Dry January — a list of bad tech habits holding you back.
These aren't cocktails, but risky and inefficient tech routines.
You recognize them. Everyone knows they're problematic, yet we keep saying "it's fine" and "we're busy."
Until suddenly, it's not.
Here are six destructive tech behaviors you need to eliminate immediately — plus smarter alternatives to adopt.
Habit #1: Ignoring Software Updates by Clicking "Remind Me Later"
That simple button has caused more harm to small businesses than any hacker could.
We understand — nobody wants their computer restarting mid-day. But updates aren't just about new features; many patch serious security vulnerabilities actively exploited by cybercriminals.
"Later" quickly turns to weeks, weeks to months, leaving you exposed to attacks using known loopholes.
For example, the devastating WannaCry ransomware attack exploited a flaw Microsoft had patched two months earlier — but businesses kept hitting "remind me later."
The fallout? Billions lost and businesses halted in over 150 countries.
Stop this now: Schedule updates for after business hours or have your IT team handle them quietly in the background. Prevent disruptions, surprise restarts, and blocked security gaps.
Habit #2: Using a Single Password for Everything
Everyone has that one go-to password.
It "meets requirements," feels secure, and is easy to recall. So you use it everywhere — email, banking, Amazon, accounting software, random forums.
The problem: Data breaches are constant. That forum's leaked database now puts your credentials on the black market, where hackers buy them cheaply.
They don't guess your bank password — they already have it and simply try it on other sites.
This attack, called credential stuffing, causes a huge number of account breaches. Your supposedly strong password acts like a universal key — duplicated and in the wrong hands.
Change that habit: Adopt a password manager like LastPass, 1Password, or Bitwarden. You only need to remember one master password, while it generates and stores complex, unique passwords for every account. Setup takes minutes, but offers lifelong peace of mind.
Habit #3: Sending Passwords via Email or Text
"Could you send me the login for the shared account?"
"Sure! Username is admin@company.com, password is Summer2024!"
Whether through Slack, text, or email, this quick fix creates a dangerous permanent record.
These messages linger in inboxes, sent folders, cloud backups — searchable and forwardable forever.
If anyone's email is compromised, an attacker can easily find and capture all your shared passwords.
This is like mailing your house key to a stranger.
Quit this habit: Use password managers' secure sharing features. Recipients access credentials without ever seeing the actual password, with control to revoke access anytime — no permanent traces left behind. If you must share manually, split info across channels and immediately change the password afterward.
Habit #4: Granting Admin Rights to Everyone for Convenience
Maybe someone needed to install software or tweak a setting once, so you gave them admin privileges rather than assign specific permissions.
Now half your team has full admin rights because it was easier than doing it correctly.
Admin access lets users install programs, disable security tools, alter critical settings, or delete vital files. If their credentials are stolen, attackers wield those powers too.
Ransomware especially exploits admin accounts—more access means faster, larger damage.
Giving everyone admin rights is like handing out keys to the safe just because one person needed a stapler.
Fix this now: Follow the principle of least privilege — grant only the access needed for each role. It may take extra minutes to set up, but it's a tiny price for greatly reduced risk of breaches and accidental deletions.
Habit #5: Leaving Temporary Workarounds as Permanent Solutions
Something broke, you found a workaround, saying "We'll fix it properly later."
That was years ago.
Now the workaround is simply how things get done.
Sure, it involves extra steps and everyone remembers the trick, so why fix what's "not broken"?
But multiplied over days and people, this hurts productivity on a large scale.
Even worse, these makeshift fixes depend on fragile conditions, specific software versions, or team members' memory. When things change—and they always do—the system collapses, and no one recalls the proper fix.
End this cycle: List all workarounds your team uses. Don't try to fix them yourself. Instead, let us help you replace them with robust solutions that save time and frustration.
Habit #6: Relying on a Single Overcomplicated Spreadsheet to Run Your Business
You know the infamous file.
One Excel workbook, a dozen tabs, complex formulas only a few understand, and its creator no longer here.
If that file becomes corrupted, what's the backup plan? If the expert leaves, who maintains it?
This spreadsheet is a ticking time bomb disguised as a business tool.
Spreadsheets lack audit trails. If data is accidentally deleted, you'll never recover it. They don't scale or integrate, and proper backups are rare. It's digital duct tape covering a critical system.
Take action: Document the workflows your spreadsheet supports, then adopt dedicated tools built for those tasks — CRM for customer management, inventory software for stock control, scheduling apps for appointments. These solutions offer backups, audit trails, and permission controls, reducing reliance on a single person's memory. Spreadsheets are invaluable tools but poor platforms.
Why These Tech Habits Are Tough to Break
You already know these habits are harmful.
It's not ignorance; it's being overwhelmed.
Here's why bad tech habits linger:
- Risks remain unseen until disaster strikes — reused passwords work seamlessly until the day they don't.
- The "right" approach feels slower — setting up a password manager takes hours versus seconds to type a known password. But the cost of a breach dwarfs that time difference.
- Everyone does it — When password sharing via chat is the norm, risks become invisible.
This is why Dry January works; it interrupts autopilot, shines a light on harmful habits, and fosters real change.
How to Quit Tech Bad Habits Without Relying on Willpower
Willpower alone doesn't sustain changes like Dry January does.
Changing your environment does.
In business tech, the smartest companies don't depend on discipline.
They redesign systems so the safest, easiest behaviors are automatic:
- Companywide password managers prevent insecure sharing.
- Automated updates remove the option to defer patches.
- Centralized permission management stops admin rights being given out freely.
- Real solutions replace tribal knowledge workarounds.
- Critical spreadsheets migrate to professional platforms with backups and controls.
When the right choices are the easiest choices, bad habits become the harder path.
This is what a great IT partner delivers — not lectures on what's ideal, but systems that make good behavior the default.
Ready to Break Free from Business Habits Holding You Back?
Schedule a Bad Habit Audit with us.
In just 15 minutes, we'll explore your challenges and map out how to solve them permanently.
No judgment. No confusing jargon. Just a streamlined, secure, efficient, and more profitable 2026.
Click here or give us a call at (973) 575-4950 to schedule your Consultation.
Some habits deserve to be quit cold turkey.
January is the perfect time to start.