April 2025:
"Spring Clean Your Tech"

Spring isn't just for tidying closets—it's also the perfect time to declutter your digital workspace and reduce tech-related stress. As we wrap up Spring Cleaning Season and National Stress Awareness Month, we’re focusing on boosting performance, clearing out digital clutter, and helping your team work smarter—not harder.

If you're dealing with a sluggish computer, messy spreadsheets, or slow IT support, we've put together practical tips and productivity insights to help you refresh your tech environment and finish spring strong.

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How to Speed Up a Slow Computer Without Calling IT

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Is your computer getting slower by the day?
Apps take forever to open, your browser freezes, and your morning starts with a 10-minute wait just to log in.

Before you call IT or budget for a new machine, try these quick DIY fixes that often speed things up—no tech degree required.


🔄Restart Your Computer (Really, Don’t Just Sleep It)

A full restart clears temporary files, resets stuck processes, and gives your system a fresh start. If you usually just “sleep” or “shut the lid,” a proper reboot can work wonders.

🗂️Close Unused Browser Tabs and Apps

Too many tabs = too much memory usage.
Close anything you’re not actively using—especially resource hogs like Chrome, Teams, or Zoom.

🚫Disable Startup Programs You Don’t Need

Some apps run in the background every time you log in—even if you’re not using them.

How to fix:

  • Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager
  • Go to the Startup tab
  • Right-click and disable apps you don’t need at startup (like Spotify or Adobe)

🧹Delete Temporary Files

Junk files pile up over time and can slow things down.

Quick cleanup:

  • Open the Start menu and type Disk Cleanup
  • Select your drive (usually C:)
  • Check temp files, recycle bin, and system cache
  • Hit OK

🔔Update Your Operating System and Apps

Outdated software can slow performance or cause compatibility issues. Check for Windows updates and keep apps like Teams, Office, and Chrome up to date.


🛡️Scan for Malware or Unwanted Programs

Even if you don’t see popups, sneaky malware or “bloatware” could be eating resources.

Run a quick security scan using Windows Defender or your preferred antivirus tool.

☁️Move Files to the Cloud or External Drive

If your hard drive is 90% full or more, your system can struggle.
Back up large files to OneDrive or an external hard drive to free up space.

🖥️Add More RAM (If You Can)

This is the only semi-technical tip on the list. If your device supports it, adding RAM is often the most cost-effective way to breathe new life into a slow machine.


Don’t let tech slow your team down

These tips work great for everyday slowdowns, but if your entire office is dealing with sluggish systems, there might be a bigger issue—like aging infrastructure, poor network setup, or overloaded servers.

That’s where we can help.

ITS helps businesses optimize their tech, keep things running smoothly, and spot problems before they cost you time and money.


💡Want us to evaluate your systems for speed issues?

📅 Book a free performance review with our team →

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How to Auto-Format and Clean Up Spreadsheets in Excel (Without Formulas)

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Excel is powerful—but most people only use the basics.
If your spreadsheets look like a wall of tiny numbers and text, it’s time for a quick cleanup.

The good news? You can make your spreadsheets easier to read, share, and understand in just a few clicks—no formulas or advanced training needed.


1. Use Format as Table for Instant Styling

Highlight your data, go to the Home tab, and click Format as Table.
Boom—your data is now clean, sortable, and easy on the eyes.
Bonus: it auto-adds filter buttons to each column.

2.  Apply Text Wrapping
So You Can Actually Read What’s There

If text is getting cut off in cells, click Wrap Text in the Home tab.
Now you’ll see the full info—without stretching the column 10 miles wide.

3. Use Freeze Panes to Keep Headers Visible While You Scroll

Tired of forgetting what each column means?
Go to View > Freeze Panes > Freeze Top Row so your headers stay put while you scroll down.

4. Auto-Fit Columns and Rows With One Click

Instead of manually dragging column widths, select your whole sheet (Ctrl + A), then double-click any column border. Excel will auto-fit the content perfectly.

5. Add Conditional Formatting to Highlight Key Info

Want to quickly spot high numbers, low scores, or duplicates?
Use Conditional Formatting under the Home tab to color-code your data—no formulas required.

6. Remove Blank Rows and Columns in Seconds

Click on any blank row or column, right-click, and choose Delete.

Or use Go To Special > Blanks to select all empty cells at once and clean up faster.

7. Use Data > Remove Duplicates to Clean Up Lists

Got a list of names, emails, or values with duplicates?
Select the column and go to Data > Remove Duplicates. Excel will clean it up instantly.

8. Use Cell Styles to Make Headers Pop

Use Cell Styles (Home tab) to add bold headers, highlight totals, or give your sheet a consistent look—without messing with fonts manually.


Clean Data = Better Decisions

When your spreadsheets are clean and easy to read, 
your team can work faster, make better decisions, and avoid costly mistakes.

 

💡Want to strengthen your tech environment and
improve everyday efficiency?

📅 Schedule a quick consult with ITS →

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Use OneNote Like a Pro: How to Organize Meeting Notes That Actually Make Sense

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Sticky notes. Random docs. Long email threads.
Let’s be honest—most teams are bad at capturing and organizing notes.

That’s where Microsoft OneNote comes in.

OneNote is like a digital binder that helps you organize your ideas, notes, and meeting recaps in one easy-to-search place. But most people barely scratch the surface.


Here’s how to get started—and how to actually use it to make meetings more productive.

1) Create a Notebook for Each Team or Project

Instead of one giant notebook, break it down.
Example: “Marketing,” “Operations,” or “Client A – Implementation.”

This keeps everything grouped logically so you’re not scrolling for days.

2) Use Sections for Topics or Phases

Inside each notebook, create Sections like “Meetings,” “Ideas,” “To-Do,” or “Project Phases.”

Think of these like tabs in a binder—they make it easy to jump between types of content.

3) Use Pages for Specific Meetings or Notes

Each meeting = one page.
Each brainstorm = one page.
Each checklist = one page.

Name them clearly with the date and topic so you (and your team) can find them later.

4) Tag Action Items to Create Built-In To-Do Lists

Highlight a sentence and click the checkbox icon to create tasks.

Even better: you can tag items as Important, Questions, or Follow-Up so you don’t lose track.

5) Sync OneNote with Teams or Outlook

If you use Microsoft Teams or Outlook, OneNote integrates directly with both.

  • Add a shared notebook as a tab in a Teams channel
  • Link meeting notes to your Outlook calendar
  • Collaborate in real-time without switching tools

6) Search Everything—Even Handwritten Notes

The search bar in OneNote is powerful. It can find text, tags, and even handwritten notes (if you’re using a tablet).

No more hunting through old notebooks or files.

7) Use Templates for Recurring Meeting Notes

Tired of recreating your meeting layout every time?

Just build a simple template (agenda, attendees, action items) and duplicate it for weekly meetings. Your notes will be consistent and way easier to review.


Small change. Big impact.

When your notes are clear, organized, and easy to share, meetings become more productive and drive real action.
Looking to boost productivity and security across the tools your team already uses?

💡We help businesses streamline their technology for better collaboration and smarter work.

📅 Schedule a productivity check-in with ITS →

Tired of Waiting on IT? 5 Ways to Get Faster Support From Your Provider

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You submitted the ticket.
You sent the email.
You even called—twice.

But the issue still isn’t fixed, and your team can’t work. Sound familiar?

Slow IT support isn’t just annoying. It’s expensive.
Every minute your systems are down is a minute of lost productivity, missed revenue, and growing frustration. And it’s happening more often than it should.

The Problem?
You’re not just dealing with broken tech—you’re dealing with a broken process.

Good support doesn’t mean fast talk. It means fast action.

If your current provider takes days to respond (or doesn’t respond at all), that’s a sign of deeper issues—like poor communication, lack of structure, or being stretched too thin.

But here’s the truth:
You deserve better.
And there are things you can do right now to start getting the support you need.


5 Ways to Get Faster IT Support
Without Changing Providers (Yet)

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1) Use Their Ticketing System Properly

It sounds obvious, but many delays happen because people bypass the system. Make sure your team knows the correct way to submit issues—and what info to include for faster help.

2) Define What “Urgent” Really Means

If everything is marked as urgent, nothing is. Work with your provider to create priority levels (P1, P2, etc.) so they know what truly needs immediate attention—and what can wait a few hours.

3) Ask for SLAs (Service Level Agreements)

Don’t just hope they’ll get back to you. SLAs are promises written into your agreement—like
we’ll respond to critical issues within 1 hour.
If your provider won’t agree to one, that’s a 🚩red flag.

4) Designate a Point of Contact

Too many cooks cause chaos.

Having a single person on your side (and theirs) to handle communication speeds up troubleshooting and avoids missed messages.

5) Schedule a Quarterly Review

Use these meetings to talk about recurring issues, support trends, and what can be improved. It keeps your provider accountable—and your team heard.


Still slow after all that? It might be time to switch.

If your current IT partner can’t or won’t improve, you’ve outgrown them.
And you don’t need to settle for poor support.

At ITS, we’re built for fast, friendly, and reliable help. We don’t just wait for your call—we proactively monitor, respond, and fix problems before you even notice them.

Want IT support that shows up on time—and solves the problem the first time?

Let’s talk.

📅 Book a quick call with our team.

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