January 12, 2026
Right now, millions worldwide are embracing Dry January, choosing to forgo alcohol to boost their health, productivity, and stop postponing change.
Your business has its own version of Dry January—composed of tech habits rather than drinks.
These familiar tech routines are recognized as risky or inefficient, yet they persist because "it's convenient" and "we're busy."
Until suddenly, they're not acceptable anymore.
Here are six detrimental tech habits to eliminate immediately, alongside smart alternatives to adopt.
Habit #1: Postponing Software Updates by Clicking "Remind Me Later"
This seemingly harmless button has caused more damage to small businesses than cyber-attacks.
While avoiding inconvenient restarts during your workday is understandable, these updates often contain critical security patches that actively protect you from hackers.
Delay them too long, and you end up running software riddled with known vulnerabilities that attackers exploit effortlessly.
For example, the worldwide havoc caused by the WannaCry ransomware stemmed from delays in applying Microsoft's patches. Each victim had repeatedly deferred updates.
The fallout? Billions lost and operations halted in over 150 countries.
Action: Schedule your updates for the end of the day or allow your IT team to install them seamlessly in the background—no interruptions, no risks.
Habit #2: Using a Single Password Across All Accounts
Relying on one password that "meets requirements" and is easy to remember for your email, bank, shopping, and work accounts is a major security flaw.
Data breaches are common, and credentials from even obscure forums often end up for sale on the dark web.
Hackers use these stolen details to attempt access everywhere—called credential stuffing—compromising many accounts.
Your "strong" password might be a master key in the wrong hands.
Action: Adopt a password manager like LastPass, 1Password, or Bitwarden. Protect your business with unique, complex passwords stored securely—only a single master password to remember, and total peace of mind.
Habit #3: Sharing Passwords via Email, Text, or Chat Apps
Quickly exchanging passwords through Slack, SMS, or email is convenient but dangerous—the messages remain accessible indefinitely, backed up and searchable.
Any compromised inbox could reveal sensitive credentials, akin to mailing your house keys on a postcard.
Action: Utilize secure password-sharing features built into password managers, allowing access without exposing actual passwords and revoking it anytime. If unavoidable, split credentials across channels and change passwords immediately after sharing.
Habit #4: Granting Admin Rights to Everyone for Convenience
Giving full administrative access to multiple team members for simple tasks is a shortcut that significantly raises your security risks.
Admins can install software, disable protections, and change vital settings. If compromised, attackers gain all these powers rapidly.
Think of it as handing out keys to your safest safe to anyone who once needed a stapler.
Action: Apply the principle of least privilege—only grant necessary permissions. This small setup investment saves your company from costly data breaches or accidental damage.
Habit #5: Letting "Temporary" Workarounds Become Permanent Processes
Patch fixes that were meant to be short-term often become entrenched, requiring extra steps and relying on specific individuals' memory.
These fragile workarounds hinder productivity and collapse when updates occur, leaving no clear solution in place.
Action: Identify all current workarounds and partner with experts to replace them with sustainable, efficient solutions that eliminate frustration and save time.
Habit #6: Relying on a Complex Spreadsheet to Run Your Business
There's that one sprawling Excel file with multiple tabs and intricate formulas known only to a few, sometimes no longer an employee.
If it gets corrupted or lost, what's your backup plan? Spreadsheets lack audit trails, don't scale well, and rely heavily on individual knowledge.
Action: Document the business functions your spreadsheet supports, then transition to dedicated tools like CRM, inventory management, or scheduling software that offer security, backups, and team-wide access.
Why Breaking These Habits Is Challenging
You're aware these habits pose risks, but ongoing demands make change difficult.
- Failures only become visible when catastrophe strikes—like reusing passwords till a breach happens.
- Proper methods appear slower upfront, often discouraging adoption.
- Widespread bad practices feel normal, masking risks within team culture.
Dry January works because it disrupts autopilot, making harmful behaviors noticeable.
How to Successfully Overcome These Habits Without Relying on Willpower Alone
Behavior change thrives not on discipline but on reshaping the environment, making secure choices the easiest options.
- Deploy company-wide password managers to eliminate unsafe sharing.
- Automate software updates, removing manual reminders.
- Control permissions centrally to avoid needless admin access.
- Replace workarounds with robust solutions minimizing tribal knowledge risks.
- Migrate key processes from spreadsheets to specialized systems with backups and audit capability.
Transforming systems ensures good habits become effortless and bad ones impractical.
Ready to Break Tech Habits Slowing Your Business?
Schedule a Bad Habit Audit.
In 15 minutes, we'll assess your current challenges and provide a tailored plan to secure and optimize your workflows.
No jargon, no blame—just a streamlined path to a safer, faster, and more profitable 2026.
Click here or give us a call at (210) 582-5814 to book your Discovery Call.
Because some habits deserve to be quit cold turkey—and there's no better time than January.
