If you’ve ever traveled (and even if you haven’t), you might have experienced internet connectivity issues. I know I have!

The other day here in Colombia I was working with my tech guy over Zoom and Team Viewer, conferencing and computer-sharing programs, respectively. The internet kept going out. Each time I checked the “full” wifi connection, my computer had disconnected to the internet here and connected to some other internet from when I stayed at another condo in this complex over a year ago. Connected to that internet, but it didn’t work at all.

Ugh. SO Annoying!

1. We clicked on the wifi signal on my Macbook Air, and selected Open Network Preferences.

2. We clicked on the box “Ask to join new networks.” This will prevent my computer trying to switch to new networks without asking.

But what about “known networks?”

“You should really clean this up,” my clutter-free Swedish tech guy tells me.

“Hmm! What does that mean?” I ask, feeling on the verge of throwing up…as so many tech things cause me to want to lose my lunch.

“It means deleting “known” internets and their password so your computer won’t connect to them without asking,” he explains. (See photo above- You select the wifi and then hit the negative button to remove it from your known list).

So CHECK THIS OUT.

Each time I’ve gotten a new computer (this is my third in the last 14 years) I’ve transferred all the wifi passwords from the old computer for ease to connect automatically wherever i go. There were probably 200 wifis on there…

I’m talking old boyfriends, my graduate school, study groups, friends I’ve lost touch with, restaurants in Europe, hotels from my travels…talk about a walk down memory lane!

Going through the list was an unexpected and somewhat sickening experience.

As with all things Joumor,
we Removed What Doesn’t Belong
so we can focus on the present.

Now, my computer connects (literally) to the present and available internet…and if it can’t connect, it asks me before making a change. My computer is not thinking about 14 years in the past…and neither am I.

In Joumor, Start With What You Know and Move On To What You Don’t.

Start by addressing tech clutter you know about, and you’ll uncover all kind of tech or infrastructure barnacles slowing you down that and important to remove one by one…or they will just proliferate.

What Tech Clutter do you have that you DO know about?

Remove it one tiny barnacle at a time, until your internet speeds zoom.