Losing patience with tech

I’ve never thrown a smartphone against a wall in frustration although I’ve been tempted many times. I’ve also had the urge to tip my work computer on the floor after becoming irritated with its slow performance.

Tech has a funny way of driving you slightly crazy.

According to a recent survey, the average person’s patience with slow technology lasts 60 seconds before we start to get irritated.

The study by tech company Crucial showed the top things that cause people the most grief are computers that are frozen (47 per cent) or slow (40 per cent).

My top trigger is when I’m helping other people with their devices and they forget their passwords. I don’t think there’s a foolproof way to keep track of your passwords, but you do need a system in place. That principle applies to all technology and is key to reducing frustration. Start with your passwords. Have a secure place for them and keep track of all the important ones.

Take the time to organise your phone and computer.

Next, go through your device regularly and delete unwanted apps, videos and photos. This way you shouldn’t run out of space.

Take the time to organise your phone and computer too. Clear your desktop of unused folders and rearrange the apps on your phone so the ones used the most are easily accessible. Making things easier to find makes life less stressful.

Every year or so you may need to do a bigger overhaul.

For your computer, check if it has enough memory (RAM). If it’s sluggish, then you can give it a boost by adding more memory. There’s plenty of guides online to help you do this and it’s not too expensive or hard. If you are still intimidated, ask a computer shop for a quote.

This could also be the time to update the operating system on your phone or computer or even consider buying a new one.

Another way to reduce frustration with your device is to learn how to use the key features. There are dozens of tutorials online and learning when you’re stress-free means you less likely to lose patience when trying to do something when under pressure.

Having these systems in place will help reduce frustration and means it’ll take more than 60 seconds before you’re itching to hurl your phone at a wall.