Millions of people are doing Dry January right now, which means they are cutting out something they know isn’t helping them, so they can feel better, work better, and stop relying on “I’ll start Monday” as a strategy. 

Your business has a Dry January list too. 
It’s just made of tech habits instead of cocktails. 

You know the ones:  risky shortcuts, “temporary” fixes, and things everyone keeps doing because “we’re busy” and “it’s fine.” 

Until it’s not. 

Here are six bad tech habits to quit this month—plus what to do instead. 

Habit #1:  Clicking “Remind Me Later” on Updates 

That little button has caused more headaches for small businesses than it has ever prevented. 

We understand, no one wants a restart in the middle of the workday. But updates aren’t just new features. Many include security patches for issues hackers are actively targeting. 

“Later” turns into weeks. Weeks turn into months. And suddenly you’re running software with known vulnerabilities—basically leaving a door unlocked because the key was annoying to use. 

Quit it:  Schedule updates after hours, or let your IT partner (like us) manage them in the background. No drama, no surprise interruptions, and fewer security gaps. 

Habit #2:  Using the Same Password Everywhere 

You’ve got the password. It meets requirements, feels strong, and it’s easy to remember… so it ends up everywhere:  email, banking, software logins, vendor portals, that random website you signed up for two years ago. 

There’s only one problem:  breaches happen all the time. When one site gets compromised, hackers try the same email/password combo on everything else. That’s how “one password” becomes “one problem… everywhere.” 

Quit it:  Use a password manager. You remember one master password, and it handles unique, complex passwords for everything else. 

Habit #3:  Sharing Passwords Through Text, Email, or Chat 

“Can you send me the login real quick?” 
“Of course, here you go!” 

Fast? Yes. Safe? Not even a little. 

Messages live forever—sent folders, inboxes, chat history, cloud backups. If someone’s account ever gets compromised, attackers can search for words like “password” and scoop up credentials like it’s a clearance sale. 

Quit it:  Use secure sharing inside a password manager. Access can be granted without showing the actual password, and can be revoked anytime. If you absolutely must share manually, split it across channels and change it right after. 

Habit #4:  Making Everyone an Admin Because “It’s Easier” 

Someone needed to install something once… and suddenly half the company has admin rights. 

Admin access means someone can install software, disable security tools, change system settings, and delete important files. And if that account gets phished? The attacker gets the same power—instantly. 

Quit it:  Use the “Zero Trust” rule:  people get access to exactly what they need, and nothing more. It takes time to set up at first but saves you from a whole lot of damage later. 

Habit #5:  “Temporary” Fixes That Became Permanent 

Something broke, you found a workaround, and told yourselves, “We’ll fix it properly later.” 

That was… a while ago. 

Workarounds don’t just waste time, they create fragile processes that only work if the right person remembers the right trick on the right day. And when systems change (because they always do), everything falls apart. 

Quit it:  Make a quick list of the workarounds your team relies on. Work as a team to solve them: if that were easy, it would already be done. Let us help you clean them up for good and give your team time
(and sanity) back. 

Habit #6: The Spreadsheet That Runs the Entire Business 

You know the one:  a single Excel file with 12 tabs, mystery formulas, and a process that only two people understand… one of whom no longer works here. 

Spreadsheets are great tools, but they’re not great platforms for running critical business operations. They’re harder to audit, easy to break, and often become a single point of failure. 

Quit it:  Document what the spreadsheet actually does (the business process behind it), then move that process to the right tool, whether it’s a CRM, inventory software or scheduling platforms. Built-in backups, permissions, audit trails make for less reliance on “tribal knowledge.” 

Why These Habits Stick (Even When You Know Better) 

If any of this felt familiar, you’re not alone. Most businesses aren’t uninformed, they’re just busy. 

Bad tech habits stick because: 

  • The consequences are invisible… until they’re catastrophic. 
  • The “right way” feels slower in the moment. 
  • The whole team does it, so it feels normal. 

Dry January works because it interrupts autopilot. It makes the invisible visible. 

How to Quit Without Relying on Willpower 

Willpower isn’t a great strategy, whether we are talking about your health or your IT needs.  

What works is changing the environment so the right behavior becomes the easy behavior: 

  • Updates happen automatically 
  • Passwords are managed and shared securely 
  • Admin access is controlled 
  • Workarounds get replaced with reliable systems 
  • Critical spreadsheets move to tools built for the job 

That’s what a good IT partner does. Not lecture, but solve the problem.  

Ready to Quit the Tech Habits That Are Quietly Hurting Your Business? 

Contact IT Radix today so we can help you quit your bad tech habits today.