Started in 2010, by the PC Museum in Brantford, Canada, National Clean Your Virtual Desktop Day, the third Monday in October, is an opportunity to declutter and organise your computer's desktop.
This can help improve your productivity, privacy and cyber security, and enables you to view whatever beautiful backdrop you have chosen.
Why is it important? Our virtual desktops have become essential tools for work, study, and personal life. Just like our physical spaces, they can accumulate clutter, however the impact of a cluttered desktop goes beyond just aesthetics. Observing National Clean Your Virtual Desktop Day offers several practical benefits:
Improved Productivity: A cluttered desktop can be distracting and make it difficult to find what you need. A clean workspace helps you focus and work more efficiently.
Better Privacy: A cluttered desktop may contain sensitive information that could be compromised if your device falls into the wrong hands. By regularly cleaning up your desktop, you can help protect your privacy.
Enhanced Security: A cluttered desktop may make it harder to spot the impacts and activities of malicious software. By keeping your desktop organised and removing unnecessary files, you may be able to spot unexpected files.
How to Clean Your Virtual Desktop
Declutter Your Desktop:
Remove Unused Files: Start by deleting any files that you no longer need. This includes temporary files, old downloads, and duplicate documents.
Organise Files: Create folders to categorise your files. Use a consistent naming convention to easily find what you need.
Review Your Apps:
Uninstall Unused Apps: Remove any apps that you haven't used in a while. These can take up valuable space and may even pose security risks.
Update Apps: Ensure you keep your apps up-to-date to ensure they have the latest security patches. Set these to auto-update if they can be.
Secure Your Desktop:
Strong Passwords: Use strong, unique passwords for your user accounts used to access your desktop and any associated accounts. Consider using a password manager to help you manage them.
Antivirus Software: Make sure you have a reliable antivirus program installed and this is kept updated.
Firewall: Enable a host-based firewall (Windows Firewall) to protect your device from unauthorised access.
Keep Software Up-to-Date: Ensure your operating system are kept up-to-date, turn on automatic updates wherever possible.
Browser Cleanup:
Clear Browsing History: Delete your browsing history, cookies, and cache to protect your privacy.
Remove Extensions: Review browser extensions that you don't trust or no longer use.
Use Incognito Mode: For added privacy, consider using incognito or private browsing mode.
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