Tag Archives: back up

A Reminder To Back It Up

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When is the last time you backed up your computer? Every once in a while, I read a horror story of someone who lost everything on their computer and it always scares the daylights out of me. Don’t let your story be the next one I read–if you haven’t done a back up in a while, make today the day.

Keeping House: 5 Key Maintenance Tasks

I love this photo….it’s what writing used to look like. These days we sit in front of a computer and click away; and this means more maintenance tasks than in the old days. The typewriter was a sturdy, no-fuss machine, but we must take care of our computers like a fancy sportscar to insure they do what we ask of them. Here are 5 key maintenance tasks for writers to help insure things go right instead of wrong:

  1. Back it up. Yeah, yeah, you know already….but when is the last time you actually DID it? This should really be a regularly scheduled task. It’s easy to get lazy, but as anyone who has had a crash can tell you–it’s worth the time.
  2. Defragmentation is another important task. Run your defrag on a schedule and your computer will operate more effeciently.
  3. Clean the keyboard. Compressed air is a handy way to get crumbs, etc. out of your keyboard. (Not that you’d EVER eat anything while working…) If you let this go, things can get wedged in behind your keys and cause a jam. There is nothing quite like having a “t” key that doesn’t work when you have a deadline looming.
  4. Dump your recycle bin and clear your deleted e-mail files out. I do keep some of my deleted files, but the spammy ones or those I know I won’t need get purged regularly.
  5. File. I know many writers that can’t find things on their computer when they really need them. A good filing system is an absolute must–and spending time getting things in order each day (or week) will help keep you organized. Get in the habit and you’ll thank yourself. I clear my inbox out every day, leaving only those e-mails I still need to respond to. Everything else gets filed.

Do these 5 tasks on a regular basis and you’ll thank yourself!