There comes the point in every professional’s life that they feel a lack of control over their relationships, finances, and even their future. It’s a natural phase that many people go through, but it doesn’t mean that you should be complacent and hope it will pass. If you have that nagging feeling that you could do something to be more in control, then you’re probably right.
One of the best ways to do this is to improve your privacy. The things people know and don’t know about you can have a huge impact on the way you manage your life. By first taking full control over your privacy, you can better handle every other area of your life.
Manage What People Know
Privacy is an essential part of people’s lives, and yet protecting it is an act that has grown more elusive over the years. The majority of internet users are readily sacrificing their privacy to use websites and applications that sell their information to third parties. But digital privacy invasion is just the beginning. There’s also the matter of improving your physical privacy, may it be at home, in your car, or your office.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking that giving too many people access to your life is only potentially harmful. If you take the time to introspect, it could actually be the very reason you feel unsecured and out of control.
The most negative impact of compromised privacy comes from your virtual life. How many apps have access to your phone’s gallery, email, and contact information? Is your Facebook profile complete with your birthday, middle name, address, education, and work history? Do you post every get-together, mood, and grievances you have?
Limiting what people know about you in the form of photos, videos, and status updates can be liberating. Oftentimes, it’s not even a data breach that creates the most problems, but your willingness to share too much personal information on your social media accounts.
Assess Your Home
At the back of your mind, you do know whether you’ve equipped your house to be as safe as it can be. Security is an essential factor in improving your sense of control. The more you feel that people can look into your life or threaten your personal space at any time, the less confident you become.
Assess your home to see what changes you can make to boost your privacy and security. You can start with simple things like adding a privacy screen to your fence or purchasing better shutters. Vancouver has an oceanic climate that may make it more appropriate to invest in blinds and curtains to keep the house cool in warm weathers.
When shopping and having them installed, talk to professionals to get their advice on what works and what doesn’t in your property and location. Certain house designs and weather pose unique challenges to one’s privacy and may require further changes.
Don’t forget to check your house at night, too, so that you can see what it looks like from the outside. Just because you have full coverage at daytime doesn’t mean you’ll enjoy the same come night-time.
Practice Caution
Making one-time changes to your digital use and household management won’t suffice to maintain your privacy. You’ll want to identify how you can continue to keep your personal data safe and your house secure in the long run.
This may mean reviewing applications before you install them or ensuring that you don’t use your full name in your accounts. Disposing of confidential documents? Don’t just throw them away–shred them. Anything containing your social security number, insurance details, and the like should always be torn apart before throwing.
Perhaps it’s more practical to landscape along your property instead of building a cement fence. You may also want to remove car stickers that are indicative of each member of your family. The bottom line is that your privacy requires continuous active caution. Any complacency can waste whatever effort you already put in.
Feeling Empowered
Knowing that you’re secure from people’s unwanted scrutiny in your social media accounts and in your home can increases your sense of security and make you feel empowered. Having more control over your privacy will then simplify the process of aligning the rest of your life, may it be your relationships, your finances, or your professional career. After all, when you think hard about it, your privacy plays a huge part in your success in these endeavors.
