4. Perform Monthly Tasks

Once a month—perhaps on a different day from the one on which you perform your weekly tasks—set aside about 15 minutes to perform four additional maintenance tasks: emptying your trash, running Disk Utility, cleaning your screen, and cleaning your mouse or trackball.

Empty Your Trash

I have no doubt that some readers are now concluding I’m out of my mind. Empty my Trash once a month?! What could he be thinking? The thing is, of those people, some of them are thinking that once a month is far too seldom, and others are thinking it’s far too often!

Your Trash, as you probably know, is simply another folder. As a result, moving files or folders to the Trash does not delete them, just as tossing a crumpled paper in a physical ...

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