You can’t lie that didn’t sound like the intro of a reality TV show.

Anyways,

While I was away, I turned 27 big old years. At first, I was not excited for it, but boy, it has been the best 27th I could ask for. This year, I received tons of gifts. My Ayanfe planned a Garden BBQ party for my birthday, but not just those cute things, for the first time in a while, I was in a better headspace career-wise and mentally, and that was just perfect.

While I was away, I started a new job. Which meant: exams were left pending, blogs left unwritten, drafts piling up. What did I tell myself? “Just two weeks to settle in.” Then two weeks became four. Before I knew it, my last post was starting to read like a timestamp from two months ago.

This isn’t a rant. This is a prompt — a reminder — to lock in on my goals.

And it wouldn’t be an ElizabethLearnsIT blog if I didn’t find a way to relate all this to IT support.

Starting a new job feels a lot like when your computer is installing critical updates. Everything else slows down — your favourite apps run with less memory, and your browser tabs lag. At this point, what you necessarily have to do is - wait.

You wait, because the update needs to take. You don’t want any interruption. Cause you know when that update is complete, it will be the best version of itself.

Taking My Own Advice

And here’s the kicker — in a previous post, I literally said sometimes the best fix is to restart, reset, or reschedule. Guess who had to eat her own words? Yep. Me.

It’s one thing to give IT tips, but another to apply them to yourself. Still, that’s the beauty of IT (and life): patience, prioritisation, and persistence are just as important for humans as they are for our devices.

The Reboot

So, this post? It’s my reboot. My system update. A reminder that it’s not about running every single program at full speed all the time. It’s about making sure the processes that matter most don’t get stuck.

For now, I’m just glad to be back.

Frustrated, she muttered, “This damned thing again.” My dad, always nearby and ready with suggestions, said, “Maybe we should take it to the repair shop.”

The idea of them stressing to drive out, look for someone to fix something that might be minute stressed me so I go: “We can work it out.”

Now here’s the thing: my mom is an Economics genius. But her phone? That’s her kryptonite.

I know that if I don’t approach tech with patience, she’ll default to “Never mind” and just live with it.

So, I started with questions:

• When did this start?

• Did anything change recently?

• What kind of ads are showing?

She mentioned that her last major phone activity was when my 4-year-old nephew visited, and they tried to download some games. After that, she noticed pop-up ads she couldn’t get rid of—no matter how many times she tried to uninstall the app.

Classic case of malicious app behaviour. Likely the app asked for permission to show over other apps or run in the background.

Now came the actual support:

I decided to guide her through the Play Store route—simple and safe.

• I asked her to open the Play Store.

• Look at the top-right corner for her profile icon—it probably had her initials.

• Tap Manage apps & devices.

• Switch to the “Installed” tab and sort by Recently added.

• She read out the names one by one until we found the likely culprit.

• She tapped it and uninstalled it.

And just like that—problem solved.

Her voice lifted with joy: “It’s gone!”

That moment reminded me of what real IT support is about:

Not just solving problems, but guiding users with kindness, patience, and curiosity.

It’s not always fancy tools or scripts—sometimes it’s just good questions and clear directions.

This is why I started #ElizabethLearnsIT.

Because these everyday tech moments are real tech support.

By Elizabeth | #ElizabethLearnsIT

Imagine this:

The weekend is over.

You cleaned your apartment.

You had brunch with your friends.

You did peaceful yoga.

You slept the kind of sleep that makes you feel rested.

A new week begins. You’re fresh. Focused. Ready to conquer work.

Your computer does this, too

Except for them, the weekend flies by in seconds.

Now imagine again:

You didn’t get to rest this weekend.

You had work to bring home.

You were catching up on online courses.

Your kids wanted attention. The house needed cleaning.

Everything is chaos.

Before you know it, it’s 7 a.m. on a Monday.

You are back to multitasking. You are answering a hundred messages.
You’re juggling tasks, making decisions.

You’re thinking too fast.

Eventually, what happens?

You get slower. You snap. You’re tired.

Natalia just asked for another report. 😩

What you wouldn't give to just crash into bed right now 😅, that's what your computer decides to do. Crash!.

I NEED A NAP TOO 😴

When your device has been on for days, things start to fall apart a little, like Chinua Achebe predicted. [Chinua Achebe was a Nigerian novelist, poet, and critic who wrote Things Fall Apart.] Apps run in the background, Temporary files pile up, RAM (short-term memory) gets full, Processes freeze or loop, in simple terms, it starts acting… weird

Here's Why Restarting Helps

• Restarting clears temporary memory (RAM)

RAM(Random Access Memory) is the short-term memory where your computer stores data that it needs to access quickly. For us, it's like that mental to-do list of things we need to do for a short period. Your phone or computer uses RAM to keep things running smoothly, and over time, this memory fills up with app data, background processes, and temporary files.
Restarting your system will clear this temporary clutter, which may likely fix freezing, slowness, or lagging. Fingers crossed.

• Restarting resets background services

If you are like me, you might definitely have tons of apps, and you are jumping from app to app like I’m switching careers. 😅 You should know all these apps, if not closed, are actively performing tasks even without direct user interaction- simply means they are just having a party while you are not there and burning your electricity bill or something, and because of this, background apps or services can sometimes crash or get stuck.
Restarting is saying, “Party’s over. Everyone out. Start fresh.”

• Restarting fixes small software glitches

I tell my colleagues this a lot – “By 3 p.m., I start glitching. Ask me what 2 + 2 is and I’ll say ‘Paris',” leaving my desk, taking a short walk, or staying dehydrated tends to do the trick.

Your device bugs as well, for your device? Just restart it.

It fixes small issues like – Apps not opening, Wi-Fi not connecting, Frozen screens.

DO NOT hydrate your laptop. But yes — give it a break.

🌱 So… give your device a nap today

This weekend, when you clear mental clutter, don't forget to clear your device's RAM and temporary files.

When you are sleeping to stop from overthinking, don't forget to shut down background services, basically don't forget to let your computer unplug and reset for the productive week you are about to have.

Reset for a productive week...

Let it unplug.

Let it rest.

Let it reboot.

You’re a team after all. 💻✨

✅ Want more relatable tech posts like this? Follow my journey at #ElizabethLearnsIT — where I make tech support less scary, more human, and sometimes a little funny.