Tuesday's Tip - Backup, Backup, Backup

I know you’ve heard this before.  You’ve read this before.  Perhaps you have even written about it.  However, are we following our own advice and the advice of our friends?  (I know I haven't been as conscientious as I probably should.)

Many of our friends and neighbors have survived tornados, hurricanes, forest fires and floods.  Every day some of them have fires in their homes.  Some of them have insurance and can rebuild.  That’s the physical building.   But how do you replace the memories, heirlooms, photographs, school papers, certificates, passports, etc, etc, etc.  We never know when the natural or man-made disaster may meet our files. 

There are so many ways to backup now.  We aren’t limited to an external hard drive or making a CD copy of our files and sending it to a friend or taking it to our Safe Deposit box.  So, are we following our own advice? 

So, backup regularly and especially every time before you leave home with your computer. 

Tuesday Tips - Spring Cleaning

Taxes are finished (a day early).  This morning I cleaned out email inboxes (YES, boxes).  Then, I also cleaned out the "sent" files.  AND, then I emptied my Recycle Bin. 

I still have many files, copies of old emails, etc. that need to be tossed.  I know, or at least I've heard, that you should only handle each piece of paper once.  But I just can't seem to do that.  But I found a way that works for me.  I take a stack of papers, about 4 inches, and sort it into piles.  Your piles would probably be different than mine, but mine are quilting, tatting, knitting/crocheting, recipes, exercise/health ideas, and then my genealogy files (2 or 3, depending).  Of course, I also generally throw out at least 1/3 of the pile. 

What do I do with each stack?  Well, I put many of the papers into their own folders, just as they were meant to be.  Other papers (those that may need a little more sorting) I put into pocket file folders.  When I've worked through more papers, then I sort through each of these pocket folders and actually file these where they belong, or make new files if necessary.  This method works for me.  Perhaps it's not the most efficient, but I'm reducing the stacks; cleaning up the drawers; and I'm able to find what I want.  Even having a shorter "pile" of papers, or papers actually in a pocket folder, makes what I'm looking for easier to find.

I'm just presenting this method in case it helps you discover your own.

Good luck to you and your efforts.