Let me tell you about something I see all the time.

It usually starts the same way.

A laptop sitting on a table.
A phone nearby.
A printer still in the box.

And a person looking at all of it, thinking:

“I should know this by now.”

If that thought has ever crossed your mind, I want you to pause right here.

Take a breath.

Because this post is for you.

A Familiar Moment

A little while ago, I sat at a kitchen table with a client who had just bought a new computer.

It wasn’t broken.
Nothing was wrong with it.

But it stayed closed for weeks.
Why?

Because opening it felt like opening a door to frustration.
Passwords. Updates. Settings.
That quiet fear of “What if I mess this up?”

So we didn’t rush.

We opened it slowly.
We cleaned up the screen.
We made things simple again.

And at one point, she smiled and said:

“It feels like a fresh start.”

That stuck with me.

The One Simple Question

Here’s the question I think matters most as we step into 2026:

“What would I do if I could start fresh?”

Not perfectly.
Not like a tech expert.

Just… calmly.

For some people, that means:

Finally understanding their phone instead of fighting it
Buying a new computer and setting it up the right way
Organizing photos so memories don’t feel scattered
Getting passwords under control so nothing feels urgent or stressful
Letting go of an old printer that’s caused nothing but grief

None of this is flashy.
But it’s powerful.

What A Clean Slate Really Looks Like

A clean slate isn’t about learning everything.

It’s about learning what matters to you.

It might look like:

Logging into email without anxiety
Knowing where important documents live
Feeling confident using a health portal
Creating a photo book or scrapbook for the first time
Hearing yourself say, “I’ve got this.”

And sometimes, the proudest moment?

When someone tells me they solved something on their own.

That’s a win.

A Quick, Practical Reset You Can Try

Here’s something simple you can do today.

No pressure.

Turn on the device you use most
Close anything you don’t recognize
Move the 3 apps or icons you actually use to the front
Rename one file or folder so it finally makes sense to you

That’s it.

Small steps create calm.
Calm creates confidence.

A Bigger Thought (worth sitting with)

Technology gets framed as young vs. old.

That’s nonsense.

Technology is really about access.
To people.
To information.
To independence.

Learning doesn’t expire.
Curiosity doesn’t age out.

And starting over isn’t failure.
It’s clarity.

A Little Humor (because it matters)

I always joke that there are three guarantees in life:

Death.
Taxes.
And printers eventually betraying you.

If you’ve ever argued with a printer, you’re not behind.
You’re human.

If You’re An Adult Child Reading This

Here’s something important to know.

The people you love don’t need to be “fixed.”

They want dignity.
Patience.
Someone who explains things without rushing or judging.

Confidence is the real gift.

The Takeaway

2026 doesn’t need to be louder.
Or faster.
Or more complicated.

It can start quietly.

With one device.
One question.
One clean slate.

And if you ever need a calm hand at the table, you know where to find me.

No shame.
No jargon.
Just real help.

What’s one thing you’d love to finally feel confident doing with your tech this year?

That answer is where your clean slate begins.

Thanks again, and as always, stay connected!

Dave

The Clean Slate: How Older Adults Can Start Fresh With Technology in 2026