Are you feeling a sudden shift in your emotions or are things not going your way recently? Guess what: Mercury in retrograde started again last March 5 and will last until the 28th. But we’re not here to talk about what you need to do manage your emotions and troubles during this period. (Click here if you want that advice.) We’re here to give you tips on keeping your electronics and gadgets safe.
Mercury is thought to be the planet overseeing expression and communication. Once it goes in retrograde (moving in reverse), our channels might get messed up. You might end up misunderstanding a conversation, forget to mention something during meetings, and tend to not read through paperwork. Likewise, technology might become your best frenemy—meaning your devices will crash unexpectedly, your texts will be misconstrued, and your Wi-Fi connection will be spotty. The horror! Maybe this is why Facebook and Instagram were down earlier.
We’re not gonna lie, we’re already feeling all these things at home and at work. Let’s survive this together with our tips below.
Don’t overload sockets
True story: I saw a really bad spark from a extension cord last week. Thank goodness no one got hurt except for the faulty black wire that snapped after. If you have a lot of appliances and devices plugged at the same time, make sure that you keep an eye on them and unplug them when they’re not in use. This will save you a lot on your energy bill and keep you safe from accidents. (March is fire prevention month too, FYI.)
See what needs to be replaced or fixed
That said, you should always check if your devices and wires are still in tip-top shape. If you see anything broken, examine it and see if you need to bring a technician in or just replace it altogether. This is especially important for wires.
Save and back up files
This is something that you should be doing at any time. But with Mercury in retrograde somewhat causing devices—be it phones or laptops—to malfunction and shut down, we need to stop being lenient.
For phones, make sure that you’re backing up files in a Cloud storage like Google Drive, Dropbox, or Apple Cloud. You can also put your important files and photos in a hard drive. It’s the same with laptops, especially if your job depends on it.
Have alternative Wi-Fi sources—or just don’t use it for a while
Yesterday, my colleague and I were experiencing horrible Wi-Fi connection here in our office. One of the solutions I did was to boot up my broadband stick until I finish articles or until the Wi-Fi becomes stable enough. That’s tip #1 for you: have a small Wi-Fi stick for emergencies, or use your phone’s hotspot if your LTE hasn’t exceeded its limit.
If you’re working at home and you don’t have a broadband stick as backup, you can always go to a café with reliable connection. But if you feel like your workload can be done without Wi-Fi, then just do it. You can check the Internet for additional information some other time.
Double—triple!—check your message before sending
Remember that not all messaging apps and social media platforms have “Undo” and “Delete Message” functions. If you say the wrong thing and the person on the other end got offended, you might have to do damage control. So check your message/s first before hitting send. You can also carefully communicate your point or just meet with your friend so you can talk about important matters in person. Yeah, the latter seems to be the most effective at this point.
Prepare your plan Bs when traveling
Hello Giggles noted that Mercury in retrograde might also affect your travels—flights getting delayed, you getting lost because you can’t check Google Maps on your phone, and so on. Traveling is already stressful enough so just be prepared for whatever comes your way at the airport, bus station, or during a long drive.
More importantly: Plot down the addresses of the locations you’re going to so you won’t have to depend on your phone. You can also get an actual map and feel like an adventurer.
Photo courtesy of Pexels
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