I paid more for my latest smartphone than I did for my first car. That is to say, the little everything-devices we’re all glued to these days could very well be among the most valuable of our every-day possessions – give or take a wedding ring or Rolex. Maybe because they feel like an extension of our hands (and sometimes brains too) we simply don’t treat them with the respect they deserve. Either way, I beat my smartphone up quite a bit and chances are, you do too, without meaning to or even realizing it.

Here are the five of the most common mistakes we make, along with some critical dos and don’ts when it comes to taking proper care of our precious smartphones.

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1. DON’T: Burn out your battery

Your smartphone is your most powerful communication tool, but it’s no good if it’s dead. You might be abusing your battery, especially if you have a habit of leaving the screen on, shutting down apps or tossing it in your bag on a particularly frigid morning.

Smartphones are designed to keep apps open in the background. Forcibly closing them may satisfy that little part of your brain that wants to keep things neat and tidy, but because it takes more juice to start an app fresh than to wake it up, you're beating up on your battery every time you do it. Stop!

If you’re in the habit of treating your smartphone, tablet or laptop as though it were designed with temperature torture tests in mind, that’s another big problem. Apple, Samsung and most other device manufacturers say to avoid letting the temperature of your battery-powered gadgets dip below 32 degrees Fahrenheit or soar above 95 degrees. In either case, damage can occur, lowering – in some cases, dramatically – the life of your battery.

Never leave your laptop or mobile device in a hot car or attempt a sub-zero bike ride with your smartphone strapped to the handlebars. If it’s particularly cold outside, keep your phone in a pocket so that it can benefit from the warmth of your body and conversely, keep electronics out of direct sunlight for extended periods of time.