Let’s Back It Up!
Let’s Back It Up!
We’ve all been there. . . your computer dies at the worst time.
Is there a good time?
So why not plan for the inevitable? Here are three tips to help you prepare for this digital disaster.
Back up to an external hard drive. They are inexpensive (about $100) ways to back up your data. You must remember to do it or have it set to run automatically. They aren’t remote, meaning your external drive and computer could be gone if you had a fire, flood, or theft.
Use online backups like Dropbox.com (free for your first 5GB of data). This is not Dropbox’s true purpose, but it works since you have a copy of all your documents in the cloud. You shouldn’t rely on only a service like this, and you need to be comfortable with your materials being in the cloud.
Consider an automatic online backup like MyPCBackup.com. Installing software that will do the task for you regularly allows you to save your work without even thinking about it.
Whatever you do, just do it. I would suggest 2 methods of backup. Then you can really sleep well at night knowing that you’re covered.
Let’s Back It Up!
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Janet Schiesl
Janet has been organizing since 2005. She is a Certified Professional Organizer and the owner of Basic Organization.
She loves using her background as a space planner to challenge her clients to look at their space differently. She leads the team in large projects and works one-on-one with clients to help the process move quickly and comfortably. Call her crazy, but she loves to work with paper, to purge what is not needed and to create filing systems that work for each individual client.
Janet is a Past Board Member of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals and a Past President of the Washington DC Chapter of NAPO were she has been named Organizer of the Year and Volunteer of the Year.
Janet Schiesl
Janet has been organizing since 2005. She is a Certified Professional Organizer and the owner of Basic Organization.
She loves using her background as a space planner to challenge her clients to look at their space differently. She leads the team in large projects and works one-on-one with clients to help the process move quickly and comfortably. Call her crazy, but she loves to work with paper, to purge what is not needed and to create filing systems that work for each individual client.
Janet is a Past Board Member of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals and a Past President of the Washington DC Chapter of NAPO were she has been named Organizer of the Year and Volunteer of the Year.
An external hard drive is great, especially if you have a desktop computer that you couldn’t grab easily in the event of a fire or evacuation. I knew someone who had two – she kept one in her home office and one offsite, and alternated them after running a monthly backup.
Yes. I’ve heard the advice about having two external drives. Since I transitioned to a laptop I use the cloud as a kind of back up.
I TOTALLY agree that having two methods of backup is critical (and helps me to sleep better at night.)
A back up (like getting your paperwork in order) WILL help you sleep better at night. I love that!
I agree – backups are so important! I have an external backup and also backup to Cloud storage.
Good plan Diane.
Oh, yes! I’ve been there. Years ago, my computer died right before a big event. It was so stressful. After that experience, I invested in multiple types of backup. I have an external hard drive attached to Time Machine that automatically backs up and a remote service, Carbonite, which backs up, too. Both have saved me from other ‘situations’ that have happened since.
I consider these backup devices/services like insurance. You might never need them, but if/when you do, you’ll be glad you put the preventative measures in place.
Oh no! That’s everyone’s worst nightmare.
I have a combination of systems. I have an external hard drive that uses Time Machine like Linda, and a remote service. I agree with Linda that these are like insurance. This post is a good reminder to make sure these are working because I haven’t checked in awhile!
I think in the future more will become cloud-based, but then you are the mercy of that system provider. It’s tricky, but worth coming up with a plan.
I think you are right – The cloud is the future, but we will all still need to be concerned with our digital files.
Great points! I back my computers up to a local hard drive using Apple’s Time Machine that’s already built into my iMacs, as well as backing them up to the cloud using Backblaze. In addition, I back a zipped file up of my website up (using a WordPress plugin) to one of my cloud accounts, and any document I need to make sure I have NO MATTER WHAT (like a current manuscript or the speaking notes for a public speaking engagement) in Evernote and/or Dropbox. And none of that counts photos, because they’re backed up to iCloud, Amazon photos, and as part of my device backups.
Backups are an essential insurance policy, but we also need to make sure that our digital backup systems work by periodically testing them. Oy.
Julie, I knew you’d be on top of backing up!