Technology New Year’s resolutions 2026 – how to improve cybersecurity, data privacy, work ergonomics and digital hygiene. Specific changes worth making: passwords, MFA, notification detox and healthy use of devices and services.
Technology New Year’s resolutions – what should you change to use electronics more wisely?
If one “technology resolution” really makes a difference, it’s not a new phone or another productivity app. I think what matters most here is regaining control over three areas: account security, data privacy and hygiene of using screens. Below you will find a specific action plan that does not necessarily require you to become a digital hermit.
Passwords that actually protect
Switch to a password manager and end the era of “one password for everything”
A password manager (e.g. 1Password, Keeper, NordPass, the open-source Bitwarden or native tools from Google and Apple) is a solution that has long been out of the question for advanced technology users. It’s a convenient answer to the most common problem we all face: repetition and predictable patterns. You get unique, long passwords for each website and order in logins.
Enable MFA on all key accounts
MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication) can block over 99.9% of automated account takeover attempts.
In practice: if you have MFA enabled, simply stealing your password is usually not enough. The best variant is additional authentication application or a physical key in the form of a small pendrive. Plan B may be to confirm your password via SMS.
Check if your passwords have been leaked
The website Have I Been Pwned provides a database Pwned Passwords and API for password verification. This is a website that collects and organizes data about leaks – i.e. situations in which login databases (e-mail addresses, passwords, sometimes other data) find their way to the network after a hack. For the user, it is a simple control tool. It allows you to check whether your account may have been among those affected and whether you are using a password that has already been leaked.
The most practical part of HIBP is Pwned Passwords – a huge database of passwords that appeared in known leaks. The website allows you to check your password in a safe way. It’s worth visiting this site to do a quick security audit. If your password is marked as “pwned”, it’s a sign that it is easier to guess or is already circulating in attackers’ dictionaries. Then the best move is to change the password to a long and unique one (easiest with a password manager) and enable MFA on a given account.
Limit the amount of blue light
Screens don’t have to damage your eyesight, but they can tire your eyes and disturb your evening rhythm. A study reported by the University of Houston found that short-wave light-blocking glasses before bed were associated with increase in melatonin production by approximately 58%.
Healthy eyes: minimum protocol
- enable Night Shift / night mode on all devices in the evening;
- apply the rule 20-20-20: every 20 minutes, look for 20 seconds at something 6 meters away (in the original name of this practice makes more sense, because 6 meters corresponds to 20 feet);
- set a larger font and limit large brightness differences (light background + dark room = asking for eye discomfort).
Ergonomics of the workstation: take care of your spine!
The problems of remote work are associated with classic pain – neck, loin and wrist pain. Setting the monitor in a slightly different position and adapting the equipment to your posture may help, not the other way around.
Settings that repeat all health and safety guides
- monitor at arm’s lengthand its upper edge at eye level or slightly lower;
- feet on the floor, thighs approximately parallel to the ground, lumbar support;
- elbows bent around 90°, wrists neutral (no “kink” on the edge of the desk);
It is also worth investing in a height-adjustable desk and changing your position several times a day – from sitting to standing and vice versa. A kneeler may also be helpful.
These applications will tell you how to sit “well”.
There are applications on the market that use body position analysis from a smartphone camera to help improve work ergonomics and correct posture. Tools like APECS: Body Posture Evaluation Whether Pose Pro: AI Posture Analysis they scan the figure and can indicate typical mistakes, e.g. a forward head or a rounded back, which facilitates self-awareness of one’s posture and reduces the risk of pain during office work. Technologies of this type are now also available in more advanced solutions, such as: PoseCheckerwhich compares shots and visualizes deviations, and in development tools (ML Kit Pose Detection), on which more and more ergonomics-related applications are based.
I honestly admit that I have not tested any of these tools, but such an interesting fact could not be missing here. I added the apps to my New Year’s backlog and hope to find time to check them out sometime soon.
Digital detox without ideology
Data collected by Exploding Topics shows that in 2025 the average person will spend approximately 4 hours and 37 minutes a day on your smartphone. We reach for them about 58 times a day! So I have the impression that the main problem is not necessarily the total number of minutes, but the frequency of interruptions.
Resolutions that actually make your day better
- morning without a phone: the first 30-60 minutes without any feeds (you leave space for the brain to start);
- screen-free zones: bedroom and table/dining room;
- checking email at designated times: check there 1-2 times a day;
- 2-3 hours “do not disturb” blocks at work (telephone + instant messaging);
- if you work in a team: set a schedule in Slack “Do not disturb” and working hours.
Algorithms that are addictive and triggering
Social media has long ceased to be a neutral information environment (if it ever was…). Their algorithms are optimized for the time spent in applications (autoplay, infinite scroll, notifications, recommendations). I’m not saying you should cut yourself off from them completely, but it’s worth introducing some hygiene there. This will free up some free time, but also take care of the health of the head trapped in information bubbles.
‘Minimum effectiveness’ provision
- limit of 30-60 minutes a day on social media (tools Screen time and Digital balance);
- social media is best consume in one or two blocksnot “a little bit” throughout the day;
- push notifications: disable almost all of them apart from messages from people you really care about;
- content diet: unfollow accounts that drain you, mute keywords, clean your feed every month;
- rule of 2–3 sources: if you come across information that outrages or delights you, do not share it immediately; check it in at least two other independent places (ideally, if they are not from the “same bubble”);
- look for the primary source: report, study, document, communication of the institution;
- you don’t have to be everywhere: choose 1-2 platforms that really give you something, and skip or limit the rest to gain more time for yourself;
- if you have children or teenagers at home: it’s worth having a conversation about how recommendations work (“why am I seeing this?”) and use parental controls where it makes sense.
Digital minimalism 2.0: intentional use, not escape
It’s not about “disconnecting from the world.” The idea is to control the chaos.
- Once a month, delete apps you don’t use or can do without.
- Organize files and the cloud (one naming logic, fewer duplicates).
- Organize your desktop and browser tabs.
- Limit the number of communication channels: if possible, one messenger “for friends”, one “for work”, the rest to the trash or only on one device where you need it most.
- Tidy up your app permissions: location, microphone, camera “only when in use” or not at all.
- Limit subscriptions and newsletters: first unsubscribe en masse, then act according to the “one in, one out” principle (new subscription = one old one disappears).
- Do a “home screen reset”: leave only your first choice apps on top.
- Remove shortcuts to websites that are too addictive (or move them to the second screen).
In the end, it all comes down to one idea: technology is supposed to serve you – not train you to be always available.
