The New Year is a time of changes and resolutions. But, did you know that those changes don’t have to be necessarily big to make your life better this time around? Here are five mundane practices that you might want to include in your 2019 resolution.

 

 

1. Using a hand dryer

You might want to rethink using hand dryers every time you see one.

 

While this seemingly innocent item seems to do no harm, hand dryers actually circulate bacteria and fecal matter. Remember soap commercials claiming to kill 99.99% germs? Well, that 0.01% of bacteria actually get sucked in hand dryers. Then, they get spit out on the unlucky person who use the hand dryer next. Don’t believe it? Read the study here for yourself.

 

 

2. Thoughtlessly throwing garbage

You might want to stop hoping nobody sees you litter.

 

Unfortunately, garbage bins aren’t always readily available everywhere, especially in public places. Snacking on Skyflakes and sipping Coke while walking has become a habit, but knowing where to set them down once you’re done has always seemed to be a problem.

 

Considering the bigger picture, plastic wastes that are haphazardly thrown away clog canals. During the rainy season, garbage come back like zombies and lash at you as raging flood debris. This has been happening for years, and now is always the best time to stop this problematic cycle.

 

 

3. Infinite-scrolling

You might want to check the time you’re spending online.

 

The Internet is a blessing and a curse. Though it is a haven of information, it is also a hell-hole of unfiltered posts and memes. Facebook, in particular, is a trap. Although you have actual friends on the platform, you also have random rants, distractingly cute cats, and photos with profound captions. The tendency to keep scrolling is endless because the posts just keep loading, but the quality of information you get… is questionable.

 

At the end of the day, scrolling online or through Facebook can be called an exercise in envy and idleness, which can unfortunately lead to mental health problems.

 

 

4. Posting a lot of photos and videos

You might want to rethink uploading that selfie.

 

Face-swapping was entertaining for a time, but the tech has actually been used to create SFW – and more infamously NSFW – videos of celebrities and even unknowing victims. It’s so convincing that the next-next generation might think that the real Obama deprecated Trump in this video.

 

It is tempting to be relevant and record our daily lives in the age of social media. However, if you want to protect yourself in the long run, you might want to rethink about digitizing your entire life. Someone might just Deepfake it.

 

 

5. Leaving your mic and camera open

You might want to tape your smartphone/laptop camera and microphone from now on.

 

Reports on hacked baby monitors and free webcam streaming are not uncommon online. Accessing your camera and microphone has become massively easy over time. (There’s an app for that!) If you don’t want anyone using a video or an audio clip of you, then you might want to follow Mark Zuckerberg on this tape trick.

 

There are a lot more small steps that you could take to work on the issues you have in 2018. As long as you take the step – no matter how small – then there’s hope to making your 2019 better.