<img src="http://www.2time-sys.com/2TimeBlog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ray-podcast-header.png">
Hello, and welcome!
My name is Francis Wade and this decision tool will help you make some critical decisions around the storage of all the digital items in your possession, plus some of your rare or unique physical items.
It's a proof of concept project developed by 2Time Labs based on a lengthy <a "http://www.2time-sys.com/the-design-of-a-storage-decision-tool/">podcast conversation</a> between Ray Sidney-Smith and I. I'll be your guide as you apply what you learn in real time to make some meaningful decisions about what to store and where.
The 21st century professional faces a dizzying array of information types and storage options. While most larger companies have IT experts who apply enterprise solutions, small to medium business-people are left to manage on their own. They may search the internet for solutions, but are more likely to find bits and pieces than a coherent approach.
In this decision tool, we have pulled together the best thinking we could find on the topic, hoping to supplement what you already know. This tool should be a bit like the data consultant you can't afford, but wish you had. You provide answers to questions, and the tool helps you make some decisions based on best practices.
As you progress, you will be asked about the current state of your digital information. At the end, you will see a list of recommendations based on your specific circumstances.
We hope you find this journey to be practical and educational.
[[Your Agenda]]
(set: $list to "List: ")
(set: $listarchive to "List of Items to be Archived: ")
(set: $listother to "List of Other Legacy Items: ")
(set: $listphoto to "List of Photographs: ")
(set: $listnonlegal to "List of Non-Legal Documents: ")
(set: $listlegal to "List of Legal Documents: ")
(set: $planacquisition to "Plan for Acquiring Legacy Items: ")
(set: $plandigitize to "Plan to Digitize Legacy Items: ")
(set: $plandonate to "Plan to Donate Legacy Items: ")
(set: $plandiscard to "Plan to Discard Legacy Items: ")
(set: $listmedia to "What media do you create in? ")
(set: $listdevices to "What devices do you use? ")
(set: $listlocations to "Where do you create? ")
(set: $plansmartloc1 to "My plan to store information on the device is ")
(set: $plansmartloc2 to "My plan to store information on the SD Card is ")
(set: $plansmartloc3 to "My plan to store information in the cloud is ")
(set: $listcreative to "List of Creative Non-Cloud Software: ")
(set: $listcloud to "List of Cloud Storage Resources: ")
(set: $rec1 to "This is the recommendation for the first type of data")
(set: $rec2 to "This is the recommendation for the second type of data")
(set: $rec3 to "This is the recommendation for the third type of data")
(set: $rec4 to "This is the recommendation for the fourth type of data")In this decision tool, we'll be looking at different kinds of information, data and items in your possession.
For ease of understanding, we break them down into four types.
Type 1 - Legacy Items - stuff you would like to keep forever due to its sentimental value.
Type 2 - Immediate Information - stuff you would like to secure in the very next moment i.e. just after it's created.
Type 3 - Data you created more than a moment ago that you may need in the foreseeable future.
Type 4 - Information you want to keep forever, by storing it permanently in a secure location where you can save and forget it.
While the lines between these types can be a bit blurry, the goal of this exercise is not to be exact, but give you a chance to augment your peace of mind. Therefore it won't matter much if a piece of information falls into one or more categories.
Your mission will be to answer the questions posed as accurately as you can, while learning some useful distinctions along the way.
Do you accept your mission?
[[Yes, Accept Mission]]
[[No]]Great, let's start by defining The Law of Catastrophic Loss. It's the idea that we can protect ourselves against the impact of a major, unwanted life event that "happens when you are making other plans." The law states that immediate and continual peace of mind is ours when we secure our valuables against loss.
Take a moment and imagine what it might be like to arrive at your home to the following scene:
<img src="http://www.2time-sys.com/2TimeBlog/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/stockfresh_862155_flood-house-in-water_sizeXS.jpg">
This could be any natural disaster, such as a hurricane, fire, earthquake, tsunami or an eruption of a volcano.
It could also be a human event like a theft, arson or act of war or terror.
Or, more likely perhaps, it represents an everyday loss such as the accidental deletion or misplacement of an item on your hard drive.
It could also be that you placed the item in storage and the facility has failed.
We could enumerate all the circumstances but the point here is to think about what might happen to something precious if one of these events were to happen.
Before a catastrophe hits, let us imagine that you took some steps to secure an item. You may have chosen one of three levels of protection.
*Gold Protection* would be the highest - like enjoying the peace of mind of having 50 copies of a rare picture saved in different places in different countries.
*Bronze Protection* would be the lowest you would choose - like having a single copy of the picture someplace.
*Silver Protection* would be somewhere in between.
And then, of course there's *No Protection* which means that you haven't even begun to secure your peace of mind against the loss of that item.
Keep these four levels of protection in mind as we'll apply them throughout our discussion of the four types of data. Our hypothesis is that your peace of mind is ultimately based on having an appropriate level of protection that works for you, based on your choice of budget, time, difficulty to implement, space and other pertinent factors.
So, let's get on with it... which asset would you like us to work with first? Here's the full list and the estimated time for you to work on each data type. (We recommend you proceed in numeric order.)
[[Type 1]] Legacy Information and Keepsakes (10 minutes)
[[Type 2]] Immediate Information (5 minutes)
[[Type 3]] Short-Term Storage (12 minutes)
[[Type 4]] Archival Storage (5 minutes)
[[No]] I'd like to stop and return to this laterAlright, feel free to come back and restart this tool at any time for recommendations on protecting your data.
[[Quit]] (set: $type1 to "yes")
<img src="http://www.2time-sys.com/2TimeBlog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ray-4-type1-png.png">
**Type 1 - Legacy Information and Keepsakes**
These are items loaded with emotional value. You may be the only person who cares about them but there's a strong feeling you have every time you look at them or pick them up. As you do so, positive memories return.
The idea of parting with them is unbearable - it's easier to keep them around, and forget about them, so that you don't have to contend with the idea of separation. Most people are happy throwing such items in the attic, basement or back of a closet.
However, that's not the kind of peace of mind promised by the Law of Catastrophic Loss. Believing that "What you don't know doesn't hurt you" only erodes your well-being in the long-term, as the possibility of a disaster slowly increases in the background.
But not all of these items end up hidden way. Some of them make their way into your "line of sight" because you have placed them on a wall or on a table.
However, after a while, most of us have too many of these items in front of us. We either become blind to them or eventually hide them away.
In this section, we are going to identify these emotional items and deal with them in a way that's appropriate and empowering for your circumstances. However, the focus of this tool is digital storage so we won't have much to say about big-ticket or large-sized items such as your country home, vintage car or speedboat.
[[Steps to Follow]]
(set: $type2 to "yes")
<img src="http://www.2time-sys.com/2TimeBlog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ray-4-type2-png.png">
**Type 2: Immediate Information**
As you may recall, this aspect of your storage deals with information you have just created. Here's an example.
Let's imagine for a minute you are typing at your keyboard, writing a document using Microsoft Word.
<img src="http://www.2time-sys.com/2TimeBlog/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/0-Y6oWxM0JVY2_IaMb.jpg" width="500">
You are plugged in, and all of a sudden the lights flicker. You look and then back down, but your screen is blank. It takes a few minutes to sort things out, but by the time you do, your heart is racing.
Did you lose everything?
Very few people have their lives arranged so that they are completely secured against this kind of catastrophe. I didn't, while visiting a client location in South America. A few drips of water from their ceiling a/c unit into my laptop's keyboard meant a loss of everything I had been working on since my last backup.
How do you protect your peace of mind by putting in place immediate backups for content you are creating, or information you have just curated? Back in the not-so-old days, some people carried around semi-smartphones complaining "If I lose my phone, I'll be in big trouble - it has my entire life in it."
Fast forward to 2019 and in today's world, we have no excuses. The technology exists for us to treat each device we use daily as if is about to fail, with very few adverse consequences in the short term.
Let's capture all the platforms and devices you use to create unique information.
[[Key Platforms and Devices]]
(set: $type3 to "yes")
<img src="http://www.2time-sys.com/2TimeBlog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ray-4-type3-png.png">
**Type 3: Short-Term Data**
This type of data has to do with all the digital information you use on a daily basis. It may include content you create as well as content you store for subsequent use.
As you'll see in this discussion, we have tried to avoid any references to specific companies in an effort to make this decision tool as evergreen as possible. Instead, we'll try to stick to the principles you should be using, regardless of the amount of data you need to protect.
As Ray said in the podcast, he recommends the **Lockbox Test** to determine what happens when access to a particular device is lost. To recap, he said "If I lock some device away for a day, a week, a month, six months, a year... What data can I **not** do without during that period? My answer should unearth what data needs to be backed up."
It's an easy way to simulate the catastrophic loss of a device and all the data being stored within it.
Let's apply the Lockbox Test to the following groups of devices.
[[Smartphone/Tablets]]
[[Laptops/Desktops]]
(set: $type4 to "yes")
<img src="http://www.2time-sys.com/2TimeBlog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ray-4-type4-png.png">
**Type 4 - Archival Storage**
Type 4 data consists of all that stuff you wish to save in a long-term archive and essentially forget about, unless it's needed.
Then, you want to be able to access it within a matter of hours or days, but not usually instantly.
Over the course of your career you have created files of all kinds that you don't want or need on your hard drive. Potentially, trying to hold onto everything slows down your computer.
What are some examples of items that you may store in the cloud, but not on your computer?
- iTunes music files. These aren't unique and could be replaced, but the time it requires to do so would be prohibitive
- pictures you have purchased or downloaded. They may also be replaceable, but costly.
- legacy items These are personal items.
- large files that you probably will never need again. These are saved to the cloud just to preserve space on your hard drive. For example, archived Outlook email or downloaded videos, or maybe a backup of your Evernote account or other cloud content.
- movies you have purchased but don't want to watch again in the near future.
I have designated a single cloud space as my preferred location for permanent archived files of this nature. This makes things easier for me as I know if I need an old file that's not on my hard drive, this is the most likely place to look.
On the next page, make a list of all the items you would like to store in your archive. As you know, we recommend that it be stored in the cloud either in a specific directory or in a cloud of its own.
[[Enter Your Items to be Archived]]You can now close this tab to exit the tool, or reload the page to start again.<img src="http://www.2time-sys.com/2TimeBlog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ray-4-type1-png.png">
Layering Up is the act of taking a legacy item and overlaying a powerful experience over it, allowing you to freely discard the original object.
If you have listened to the podcast where we created the ideas behind this decision tool, you may recall the moment when Ray shared this technique. I had never heard of it before and was amazed. Maybe I was even a bit incredulous.
But then a few weeks later, I took the following picture.
<img src= "http://www.2time-sys.com/2TimeBlog/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/20190312_152516-e1554767232560.jpg" width="500">
This is the school uniform I wore as an eleven-year old at St. Andrew Prep here in Jamaica. The tradition is to get signatures all over the uniform on the last day of school. And yes, I was a pretty small guy!
My Mom saved it for me, and when the class of 1977 started an online chat in 2019, I pulled it out. Zooming into each signature, I shared it with my classmates, who had a good laugh. The most popular comment I received back then? "Good riddance!"
But after the experience I felt that light feeling Ray described. Now, I could discard the shirt itself and keep the new experience and the pictures in a safe place.
I later confirmed this with an expert and author in hoarding, Judith Kolberg.
She reported by email: "Back in the day when I wrote Conquering Chronic Disorganization, I promoted a method of taking photos to remember items and then discarding the actual item itself. It worked well for many of my clients."
The idea behind Layering Up is that objects don't, by themselves, hold experiences. Instead, it's a combination of the object plus the thoughts it triggers in your mind. If you can layer a new experience on top of the old one, you can discard the object.
On the podcast, Ray shared his extreme application of this practice. He routinely uses this technique to reduce the physical objects in his life to a minimum...without any regrets.
But don't take my word for it...let's give this idea a whirl. Why don't we perform an experiment that uses almost everything we have learned so far?
Step 1. Pick an item. Perhaps it's one from your lists.
Step 2. Bring to mind someone who will potentially care about what you are about to say: a great-grandchild, family tree researcher, historian, documentary film-maker.
Step 3. With a device of your choice, record yourself talking about the meaning it brings to you.
Step 4. Pick up another item and repeat.
Once the session is over, save the recording(s) in a safe place.
In a few hours, days, weeks or months... if you notice that your attachment to the item is gone, discard it.
Before you move onto the next phase, make sure you try this technique at least once to verify it's practical value to you. I can't promise it will work with each and every person, so you must do your own testing.
On the next page, I'll pull up all the lists you have created so far in this section on keepsakes. Your plan of attack may involve grouping these items in some way, but that's up to you.
[[Full List of Legacy Items]]
If you would like to go through the process for another data type, select your choice below
(if: $type1 is not "yes")[[[Type 1]]]
(if: $type2 is not "yes")[[[Type 2]]]
(if: $type3 is not "yes")[[[Type 3]]]
(if: $type4 is not "yes")[[[Type 4]]]
If you would like to get a final report on these recommendations, click Final below.
[[Final]]Congratulations! Hopefully, by virtue of using this tool, you have found a way to augment your peace of mind with respect to all your digital data and some keepsake and legacy items which can be converted to digital formats.
A big thank-you to Ray Sidney-Smith for his help in sharing the ideas that lie behind this tool.
**Feedback**
While we have no immediate plans to take this project any further, we welcome your corrections. Please send them on Twitter to @fwade or add them to the comments below the show notes on the podcast page.
If you would like to start again, I recommend relaunching the tool so that the information you entered won't be recalled. If that's what you want, click below to return to the beginning.
[[Welcome to the Storage Decision Tool]]<img src="http://www.2time-sys.com/2TimeBlog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ray-4-type1-png.png">
Here are the phases we will follow for Type 1.
1 > I will suggest a possible list of legacy items or keepsakes. You will be asked to enter your own list.
2 > I will explain the magic of "Layering Up" your keepsakes.
3 > You will create a process for managing keepsakes in the future. This should include acquiring, digitizing, donating, or discarding them.
By the end of these three phases you will be in a great position to secure your items, but most of all, you will have completed an act of extreme self-care.
Let's brainstorm a list of possible items that may be keepsakes by starting with your physical pictures.
[[Keepsake Photographs]]<img src="http://www.2time-sys.com/2TimeBlog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ray-4-type1-png.png">
Perhaps you have heard tragic stories of people running back into burning homes just in order to retrieve old photographs. Even in our digital age, they still occupy a special place in our lives as they become increasingly rare, and therefore more valuable.
Now imagine a catastrophe occuring at the place which stores your dearest, most precious pictures. Where are you vulnerable? Which ones do you care about the most?
Use both your mind and intuition to start making a list. It will be printed to the screen when you're done so that you can copy and paste it to a safe place. (The program may not save the data so you should open up a file to make your own copy.)
First, pick a cutoff year. You'll only be focusing on pictures taken before this year. (I chose 2005, a year just before before I really started using social media and a smartphone.)
Then, bring to mind photographs of:
- yourself
- family members
- friends from birth
- your childhood and adult homes
They may be scattered in different places. That's OK - at this point we are just making an immediate, high-impact list. It won't be comprehensive, but try to cover people, items and pictures which show up in the most important parts of your life.
On the next page you will start creating your list. It may look like:
**Write next item in list here,** Pics of my Dad, Mom and sister
**Write next item in list here,** Pics of my grandparents and cousins
**Write next item in list here,** Pics of my neighbors when I was a kid
etc.
[[Create Your Keepsake Photograph List]]<img src="http://www.2time-sys.com/2TimeBlog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ray-4-type1-png.png">
(if: $listphoto is "List of Photographs: ")[
(set: $listphoto to (text: $listphoto) + (prompt: "Write next item in list here", ""))
(set: $listphoto2 to $listphoto + ", " + (prompt: "Write next item in list here", ""))
(set: $listphoto to $listphoto2)
]
(else: )[
(set: $listphoto to (text: $listphoto) + ", " + (prompt: "Write next item in list here", ""))
(set: $listphoto2 to $listphoto + ", " + (prompt: "Write next item in list here", ""))
(set: $listphoto to $listphoto2)
]
(color: red)[(print: $listphoto - "")]
To continue adding items to this list, click Create Your Keepsake Photograph List below.
If you're done, copy and paste the list you made into someplace safe, just in case your work gets interrupted.
Then, move on to the next set of items with a click on Non-Legal Documents
[[Create Your Keepsake Photograph List]]
[[Non-Legal Documents]] <img src="http://www.2time-sys.com/2TimeBlog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ray-4-type1-png.png">
These aren't illegal documents, just the ones with sentimental value!
While they serve no legal purpose, they have emotional importance that can't be understated.
This list may include:
- your first driver's license
- your Mom's passport
- that love letter which started everything
- a birth certificate which your grandfather signed
On the next page, you will start creating your list.
Ready?
[[Create Your List of Non-Legal Documents]]<img src="http://www.2time-sys.com/2TimeBlog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ray-4-type1-png.png">
(if: $listnonlegal is "List of Non-Legal Documents: ")[
(set: $listnonlegal to (text: $listnonlegal) + (prompt: "Write next item in list here", ""))
(set: $listnonlegal2 to $listnonlegal + ", " + (prompt: "Write next item in list here", ""))
(set: $listnonlegal to $listnonlegal2)
]
(else: )[
(set: $listnonlegal to (text: $listnonlegal) + ", " + (prompt: "Write next item in list here", ""))
(set: $listnonlegal2 to $listnonlegal + ", " + (prompt: "Write next item in list here", ""))
(set: $listnonlegal to $listnonlegal2)
]
(color: red)[(print: $listnonlegal - "")]
To continue adding items to this list, click Create Your List of Non-Legal Documents below.
If you're done, copy and paste the list you made into someplace safe, just in case your work gets interrupted.
Then, move on to the next items with a click on Legal Documents
[[Create Your List of Non-Legal Documents]]
[[Legal Documents]] <img src="http://www.2time-sys.com/2TimeBlog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ray-4-type1-png.png">
These items may not have the emotional tug of the ones we have discussed so far, but they will cause untold stress if a catastrophe occurs. That's because they have significant legal or financial value.
A Will
Receipts
Deeds
Loan Agreements
Insurance Policies
Titles
Bank Accounts
Birth Certificates
In this case, not only is your peace of mind at stake but that of others. When you pass away, these legacy items will become someone else' headache.
In some cases, the preservation of the originals is important.
Go ahead and make another list.
[[Create Your List of Legal Documents]]<img src="http://www.2time-sys.com/2TimeBlog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ray-4-type1-png.png">
(if: $listlegal is "List of Legal Documents: ")[
(set: $listlegal to (text: $listlegal) + (prompt: "Write next item in list here", ""))
(set: $listlegal2 to $listlegal + ", " + (prompt: "Write next item in list here", ""))
(set: $listlegal to $listlegal2)
]
(else: )[
(set: $listlegal to (text: $listlegal) + ", " + (prompt: "Write next item in list here", ""))
(set: $listlegal2 to $listlegal + ", " + (prompt: "Write next item in list here", ""))
(set: $listlegal to $listlegal2)
]
(color: red)[(print: $listlegal - "")]
To continue adding items to this list, click Create Your List of Legal Documents below.
If you're done, copy and paste the list you made into someplace safe, just in case your work gets interrupted.
Then, move on to the next items with a click on Other Legacy Stuff
[[Create Your List of Legal Documents]]
[[Other Legacy Stuff]]<img src="http://www.2time-sys.com/2TimeBlog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ray-4-type1-png.png">
You may have no other legacy items you can immediately think of, but let's make sure. Together, let's look in some possible emotional corners.
Bring to mind someone you care about. Picture them receiving news of your sudden passing and sitting down after your untimely demise. By law, they must make sense of your legacy items. Are they arranged in a way that is helpful?
Now, let's try a different angle. Imagine that an overseas relative of yours is in town. She is trying to complete your family tree and is coming by tonight to make copies of everything you have that may be useful to her quest. Are your legacy items ready for her visit? Can they be found on short notice?
These two circumstances illustrate the fact that sometimes it helps to think about the impact we have on other people. In those sometime, difficult moments, perhaps they may benefit from a small investment in time and effort on your part. As you may imagine, the sooner you start on this, the better!
What would it be like, as they start to dig, to be proud of the trail you left behind?
=><=
On a personal note...A few years ago, my father passed away a month after being diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer. While we were hopeful, he was ruthlessly pragmatic and put his affairs in order immaculately. To this day, we benefit from his wisdom under the worst of pressures, while he was in pain.
By contrast. my high school is celebrating it's 290th anniversary this year. My father and grandmother went to the school, so you can imagine my dismay to hear news of a fire in 1991 which gutted the administration building. All the records were destroyed. An amazing history was decimated.
<==
OK...with that not-very-subtle appeal to your better self, perhaps you're now ready?
Let's really think about the other legacy items in your life which are important.
Go ahead and make a final list of any other stuff.
[[Create Your List of Other Legacy Stuff]]
<img src="http://www.2time-sys.com/2TimeBlog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ray-4-type1-png.png">
(if: $listother is "List of Other Legacy Items: ")[
(set: $listother to (text: $listother) + (prompt: "Write next item in list here", ""))
(set: $listother2 to $listother + ", " + (prompt: "Write next item in list here", ""))
(set: $listother to $listother2)
]
(else: )[
(set: $listother to (text: $listother) + ", " + (prompt: "Write next item in list here", ""))
(set: $listother2 to $listother + ", " + (prompt: "Write next item in list here", ""))
(set: $listother to $listother2)
]
(color: red)[(print: $listother - "")]
To continue adding items to this list, click Create Your List of Other Legacy Stuff below.
If you're done, copy and paste the list you made into someplace safe, just in case your work gets interrupted.
Then, move on to move to the next phase of securing your Legacy Items.
[[Create Your List of Other Legacy Stuff]]
[[Second Phase of Legacy Items]]<img src="http://www.2time-sys.com/2TimeBlog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ray-4-type1-png.png">
CONGRATULATIONS!
If you feel a just a little bit lighter and a bit more peace of mind, it may indicate that you didn't rush through the exercise. People who complete activities like this report a new freedom or catharsis.
You may recall the three phases I described earlier. The first is now complete:
1 > ~~I will suggest a possible list of legacy items or keepsakes. Use this activity to create your own list.~~
2 > I will explain the process of "Layering Up" the most important keepsakes. I'll leave you to apply it to the ones which are least important.
3 > You will create a process for managing keepsakes in the future. This should include acquiring, digitizing, donating, discarding plus other strategies.
Now it's time for us to explore the technique of "Layering Up."
[[Layering Up Experiences: A Technique]]<img src="http://www.2time-sys.com/2TimeBlog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ray-4-type1-png.png">
(color: red)[(print: (text: $list) - "")]
(color: red)[(print: (text: $listphoto) - "")]
(color: red)[(print: (text: $listlegal) - "")]
(color: red)[(print: (text: $listother) - "")]
If nothing has shifted inside from your attempts to handle legacy items, you may be dealing with a deeper psychological issue. It may not be something we can tackle in a decision tool like this one. If that's the case, here are some other resources.
* An article - 10 Steps for Saying Goodbye to Sentimental Objects can be <a href="https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/33814847" style="color: rgb(0,255,0)" target="_blank">found here.<a/>
* Have a chat with a Clutter Expert such as my colleague, <a href = "http://mindingyourmatters.com" style="color: rgb(0,255,0)" target="_blank"> Janice Russell</a>. She can guide you through the process of organizing these items and dealing with the emotions it may bring up. I recommend her work highly.
That completes the second phase - let's move onto the third.
1 > ~~I will suggest a possible list of legacy items or keepsakes. Use this activity to create your own list.~~
2 > ~~I will explain the process of "Layering Up" the most important keepsakes. I'll leave you to apply it to the ones which are least important.~~
3 > **You will create a process for managing keepsakes in the future. This should include acquiring, digitizing, donating, discarding plus other strategies.**
Let us look to the future. How will you deal with Legacy Items that enter your world, or new ones that you identify?
Ray suggests that if you want to live a minimal, clutter-free life, this phase is critical.
To complete this exercise, I pulled almost all the items out of my Keepsake Box. I inherited it (and the idea) from a close friend. As I started Layering Up I realized I had a great deal of emotions confined to
a single, physical location. Something interesting happened when I went through and recorded each item...I felt fully present once again.
So I resolved to do more than hold on to Keepsakes and Legacy items. Now, the technology exists to capture and augment the emotion that goes with it, while ultimately letting go of the item.
My plan is to continue Layering Up just to allow the experiences to be fresh.
What is your plan?
Take a stab at creating one by completing the following sentences on the next page.
My plan to acquire Legacy Items is...
My plan to digitize Legacy Items is....
My plan to donate Legacy Items is...
"My plan to discard Legacy Items is...
Click below the start to enter your responses.
[[Enter Your Plan]]
<img src="http://www.2time-sys.com/2TimeBlog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ray-4-type1-png.png">
(color: red)[(print: $planacquisition)]
(color: red)[(print: $plandigitize)]
(color: red)[(print: $plandonate)]
(color: red)[(print: $plandiscard)]
Now you have everything in place to deal with Legacy Items which can be digitized. By the way, some of these principles can be applied to those big and/or expensive items we mentioned before.
You may want to take a break before you tackle another section. Here are the four of them once again. Click to choose the one you would like to do next.
(if: $type1 is not "yes")[[[Type 1]]]
(if: $type2 is not "yes")[[[Type 2]]]
(if: $type3 is not "yes")[[[Type 3]]]
(if: $type4 is not "yes")[[[Type 4]]]
[[Wrap-Up]]
[[Quit]] (Without saving)<img src="http://www.2time-sys.com/2TimeBlog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ray-4-type1-png.png">
(set: $planacquisition to (text:(prompt: "My plan to acquire Legacy Items is ","")))
(set: $plandigitize to (prompt: "My plan to digitize Legacy Items is ", ""))
(set: $plandonate to (prompt: "My plan to donate Legacy Items is ", ""))
(set: $plandiscard to (prompt: "My plan to discard Legacy Items is ", ""))
When your plan is complete click to display it on the next page.
[[Display Legacy Plan]]<img src="http://www.2time-sys.com/2TimeBlog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ray-4-type2-png.png">
Consider all the content you create that is mission critical. Some typical examples might be:
- A book you are writing using Word on an Apple Macintosh
- Video you capture for a webinar on your Android smartphone
- Audio you record on your tablet for a future podcast
- A complex search you are doing for a research topic on your desktop
- A critical task you need to remember to do later when you are driving in your car
The point of greatest risk lies in the gap between the following points:
<img src="http://www.2time-sys.com/2TimeBlog/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/gap-of-highest-risk.jpg">
That is, it occurs between the point of creation and the moment when the item is safely stored to the cloud.
The goal of this second part of the storage decision tool is about minimizing that risk right away, then putting in place enduring practices to make sure it remains as low as possible.
Let's get started by taking an inventory of all the tools, places, devices and apps you use to create unique content and therefore are at risk.
[[Your Content Creation Tools]]Let's enter the places you create content of different kinds.
Here's an example of the answers which you can give in response to the prompts you'll receive.
What media do you use? Paper/pencil or pen, digital, oil paint
What devices do you use? Android phone, Windows 10 laptop, paper pad, Amazon Fire Tablet, canvas
Where do you create? At home, in the office, in the studio, in nature, while being transported
[[Enter my creative data]]
<img src="http://www.2time-sys.com/2TimeBlog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ray-4-type2-png.png">
(if: $listmedia is "What media do you create in? ")[
(set: $listmedia to (text: $listmedia) + (prompt: "What media do you create in? ", "digital, written, spoken, sound, oil"))
]
(else: )[
(set: $listmedia to (text: $listmedia) + ", " + (prompt: "What media do you create in? ", "digital, written, spoken, sound, oil"))
]
(if: $listdevices is "What devices do you use? ")[
(set: $listdevices to (text: $listdevices) + (prompt: "What devices do you use? ", "laptop, desktop"))
]
(else: )[
(set: $listdevices to (text: $listdevices) + ", " + (prompt: "What devices do you use? ", "laptop, desktop"))
]
(if: $listlocations is "Where do you create? ")[
(set: $listlocations to (text: $listlocations) + (prompt: "Where do you create? ", "home, office"))
]
(else: )[
(set: $listlocations to (text: $listlocations) + ", " + (prompt: "Where do you create? ", "home, office"))
]
Do you want to continue entering more information? Click below
[[Enter my creative data]]
Or to move on to take a look at what you entered, click below.
[[Survey Your Complete Setup]]
<img src="http://www.2time-sys.com/2TimeBlog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ray-4-type2-png.png">
(color: red)[(print: $listmedia)]
(color: red)[(print: $listdevices)]
(color: red)[(print: $listlocations)]
Now that you are aware of the gap between your creative output and securing it safely, you may notice a few more places where catastrophes could occur.
Before we create some plans to augment your peace of mind, let's look at a few of the technologies which are available.
[[Keystroke Logging]]<img src="http://www.2time-sys.com/2TimeBlog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ray-4-type2-png.png">
**Keystroke Logging**
This technology allows you to keep track of every single keystroke you make, almost in real time. (You may be familiar with the term from hearing of its surreptitious use in spyware).
In the event of a system failure, you can simply retrieve the file with your data and retrieve your latest input.
Here are some links to 2018-19 software reviews of these apps.
<a href="https://www.keylogger.org/monitoring-software-review/" style="color: rgb(0,255,0)" target="_blank">KeyloggerSoftware Reviews 2019</a>
<a href="https://www.topattack.com/list/keyloggers-and-monitoring-software-review/69" style="color: rgb(0,255,0)" target="_blank">2019 Best Keyloggers and Monitoring Software Review</a>
<a href="https://www.elitekeyloggers.com/help/best-keylogger.html" style="color: rgb(0,255,0)" target="_blank">Top 10 Free Keylogger Software In 2019</a>
But there's more you can do.
[[Setting Up Auto-Save]]
<img src="http://www.2time-sys.com/2TimeBlog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ray-4-type2-png.png">
**Setting Up Auto-Save**
One of the great features in Online Office Suites like Google Apps is that as soon as you make a change, it's safely recorded in the cloud.
However, the same may not be true for your settings in a desktop-based suite such as Microsoft Office. You may have to pick these settings manually.
Here is an article which describes how.
<a href="https://support.office.com/en-us/article/use-autosave-and-autorecover-to-help-protect-your-files-in-case-of-a-crash-551c29b1-6a4b-4415-a3ff-a80415b92f99" style="color: rgb(0,255,0)" target="_blank">Use Auto-Save and AutoRecover to help protect your files in case of a crash</a>
As far as the rest of your non-cloud based software goes, you must check these one by one. Here is one approach to use for frequently used software.
Make a list of the non-cloud based programs you use most frequently, from highest to lowest frequency and/or importance.
Then, work your way down the list as time allows, checking each one for auto-save features that may be hidden somewhere.
Here is an example.
What creative software do you use? Microsoft Suite, Audacity, Paint.net, Shotcut
Click below to enter your own list
[[Enter Your Creative Software]]<img src="http://www.2time-sys.com/2TimeBlog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ray-4-type2-png.png">
(if: $listcreative is "List of Creative Non-Cloud Software: ")[
(set: $listcreative to (text: $listcreative) + (prompt: "Write next item in list here", ""))
(set: $listcreative2 to $listcreative + ", " + (prompt: "Write next item in list here", ""))
(set: $listcreative to $listcreative2)
]
(else: )[
(set: $listcreative to (text: $listcreative) + ", " + (prompt: "Write next item in list here", ""))
(set: $listcreative2 to $listcreative + ", " + (prompt: "Write next item in list here", ""))
(set: $listcreative to $listcreative2)
]
(color: red)[(print: $listcreative - "")]
To continue adding items to this list, click Enter Your Creative Software Below.
If you're done, copy and paste the list you made into someplace safe, just in case your work gets interrupted.
Then, move on to the last step in this section on mitigating risk.
[[Create Your List of Non-Legal Documents]]
[[How Can You Reduce the Risk?]] <img src="http://www.2time-sys.com/2TimeBlog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ray-4-type2-png.png">
But what if you work in a medium that cannot be captured to the cloud, such as the visual or performing arts?
Some of your professional colleagues have protected themselves by recording everything they do with portable devices. Some go further, and have someone follow them around and record rehearsals, performances, unfinished works of art etc. I read somewhere that the dancer/choreographer Twyla Tharp tries to videotape her work-in-progress at the end of each day. Unlike a composer, painter or writer, her medium is ephemeral. Video-taping is the best she can do to ensure continuity of her creative activity, she explains.
But the principle she uses is the same - how can a creative work product which is in the midst of being completed, be protected against a catastrophe? If you value your work, you must plan for such adverse events.
In fact, in the third part of this storage decision tool, we'll extend this logic to items which you must preserve for later use in the short and mid-term.
But now it's time to move on to a new section. Click to choose the one you would like to do next.
(if: $type1 is not "yes")[[[Type 1]]]
(if: $type2 is not "yes")[[[Type 2]]]
(if: $type3 is not "yes")[[[Type 3]]]
(if: $type4 is not "yes")[[[Type 4]]]
[[Wrap-Up]]
[[Quit]] (Without saving)<img src="http://www.2time-sys.com/2TimeBlog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ray-4-type2-png.png">
**How Can You Reduce the Risk?**
As mentioned before, an easy way to reduce the risk of immediate loss is to work exclusively from files stored in the cloud. We mentioned the use of cloud apps which provide immediate and consistent protection from loss.
However, what can you do if the app is not resident in the cloud?
More often than not, you can protect yourself by saving files directly to drives which sit in the cloud, or are immediately copied to the cloud. Perhaps the most popular alternative is Dropbox, which maintains a local and cloud copy and almost instantly syncs the two.
I have been searching for some time for a service which can immediately sense when a file is updated and copy it to the cloud, even temporarily. So far, I haven't been able to find one, but it would offer ideal passive protection.
However, the cloud storage space is changing rapidly and as more features are added and prices fall, it's only a matter of time before inexpensive, passive, real-time backups become a fact of life.
Until then, we must exercise vigilance and prepare ourselves for catastrophes.
[[How Can You Further Reduce the Risk?]]<img src="http://www.2time-sys.com/2TimeBlog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ray-4-type3-png.png">
We have grouped together these two device types because of an assumption: that most people use these devices in similar ways. That is, they provide you, the user, with timely, portable access to information.
We have also assumed for the sake of brevity that you don't use these devices to create a lot of brand new content. For example, if you're going to write a book, create an infographic or record a podcast, you'd rather do it on a laptop or desktop.
However, you still use your phone or tablet to consume streams of information, send messages or review news, social media and other pertinent feeds.
As such, a catastrophic event is more likely to occur, but likely to have a lesser impact.
**Catastrophes**
Phones and tablets are vulnerable to the following:
- theft or loss
- breakage
- water, heat, cold or physical damage
Under these circumstances, it's possible to lose the entire device and all the items stored at the same time.
For this reason, we suggest that they be treated as completely replaceable at any moment in time. In other words, you should be able to suffer a complete loss of the device and be able to replace it within a few hours of acquiring a brand new device.
Let's take a look at the Levels of Coverage we discussed earlier, ranging from No Protection to Gold Protection.
[[Levels of Coverage - Portables]]
<img src="http://www.2time-sys.com/2TimeBlog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ray-4-type3-png.png">
Our main assumption here is that you use a laptop and/or desktop as your device for the "heavy" stuff. It's where you spend most of your time, store most of your information, do your most difficult work and it's located at your main place of work. Therefore, it's the most critical tool you use.
It may also be the most expensive device you use and the one whose loss would cause you the most pain and suffering. If you were to run out of a burning office building and could only carry a single device, it could be this one.
Protecting your laptop or desktop data from loss is therefore a big deal. In this section of the tool, we'll focus our attention on protecting your data against catastrophes.
**Our Mindset**
During the podcast, Ray recommended that we take an "Enterprise View" of our personal need for secure storage. He even offered a definition of the best kind of storage, which we'll designate as Gold Protection.
Gold: While you do your work, catastrophes are handled (as much as possible) in the background, hidden from view.
Obviously, this doesn't handle all possible disasters, such as a fire which breaks out in the room next door. But our approach will ultimately allow us to handle even the worst of catastrophes.
Let's divide them into [[Internal and External Catastrophes]].
<img src="http://www.2time-sys.com/2TimeBlog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ray-4-type3-png.png">
**No Protection**
Not too long ago, people used to remark: "I can't afford to lose my phone - it has my whole life in it."
Then they would lose their phone the next day. Fortunately, the technology exists to never, ever have to suffer this fate.
As you may know, there are three storage locations for your smartphone.
Location 1 - your phone's internal memory
Location 2 - your phone's SD card
Location 3 - the cloud
You may also know that there are, in general, three kinds of data to be backed up.
1. App Data is generated by you, the user. Either you created it or downloaded it.
2. Settings Data allows you to capture your preferences so they can be restored to a new device.
3. Identity Data is used to claim a new device as your own by transferring critical account and password information.
For simplicity's sake, let's look at one operating system as an example - <a href="https://developer.android.com/guide/topics/data/backup" style="color: rgb(0,255,0)" target="_blank">Android</a>. All three kinds of data can be copied from Location 1 to Location 3 once the smartphone's backup feature is enabled.
In the case where you have other, single files stored on Locations 1 and 2, these can be backed up to the cloud (using Google Drive) or to your laptop. These are a number of apps which would perform this action for you at a low cost, <a href="https://www.androidauthority.com/best-android-backup-apps-and-other-ways-too-608014/" style="color: rgb(0,255,0)" target="_blank">such as the ones found here.</a>
Bronze Protection - copying Location 1 data to Location 2
Silver Protection - using an app that instantly backs up critical information to the cloud in a single location
Gold Protection - using an app that instantly backs up critical information to the cloud in multiple locations
Now, spend a few minutes to enter the changes you'd like to make to data in each location.
[[Enter Your Plan for Smartphone/Tablet Storage Improvement]]<img src="http://www.2time-sys.com/2TimeBlog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ray-4-type3-png.png">
(set: $plansmartloc1 to (text:(prompt: "My plan to store information on the device is ","")))
(set: $plansmartloc2 to (prompt: "My plan to store information on the SD Card is ", ""))
(set: $plansmartloc3 to (prompt: "My plan to store information in the cloud is ", ""))
When your plan is complete click to display it on the next page.
[[Display Smartphone/Tablet Storage Plan]]<img src="http://www.2time-sys.com/2TimeBlog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ray-4-type3-png.png">
(color: red)[(print: $plansmartloc1)]
(color: red)[(print: $plansmartloc2)]
(color: red)[(print: $plansmartloc3)]
Now you have a plan to secure your smartphone and tablet, let's move on to the main event - your laptop or desktop. If you have already done this section, skip it and choose from the 4 Types below.
[[Laptops/Desktops]]
(if: $type1 is not "yes")[[[Type 1]]]
(if: $type2 is not "yes")[[[Type 2]]]
(if: $type3 is not "yes")[[[Type 3]]]
(if: $type4 is not "yes")[[[Type 4]]]
[[Wrap-Up]]
[[Quit]] (Without saving)<img src="http://www.2time-sys.com/2TimeBlog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ray-4-type3-png.png">
These former are threats which are somewhat within your influence.
Let's imagine a typical example - a hard drive failure. As Ray mentioned, it's best to think about this problem as one that is guaranteed to afflict your machine if you continue to use it for long enough. He advocates thinking about the Mean Time Before Failure (MTBF) as a statistical certainty. Your system is designed to achieve a particular standard. It's a function of the design choices the company made long before you made your purchase.
Knowing that this fault is inevitable means that you can do something about it: put in place a plan for speedy and complete recovery.
External Catastrophes are outside your control. Examples include fires, thefts or hurricanes which can destroy your device and everything in your physical location.
The limited protection against an Internal Catastrophe is a local backup of some kind. We normally mitigate the second by using cloud backups or storage.
What practices, policies and processes would you need to put in place to secure your data using these two broad techniques? Let's start by looking at your information.
[[Your Laptop/Desktop's Digital Information]]
<img src="http://www.2time-sys.com/2TimeBlog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ray-4-type3-png.png">
In the second part of this decision tool, we looked at information that's being created in real-time so we won't revisit those recommendations here.
Instead, we'll focus on the work you typically create in a 24 hour cycle.
**Unsecured Data**
Consider everything that's on your hard drive that's not backed up to be unsecured. Some portion of all that information is important to you for the following reasons:
- you are working on a project and just put in a few hour's work. It represents original thinking that no-one else could replicate.
- during a long search, you have downloaded fifty separate files from different locations, one by one. If the data were lost, you could repeat the process, but it would take you just as long as it did the first time to find it.
-standard information that everyone uses is on your hard drive because you don't use the cloud. This includes contacts, calendars, email, passwords, and tasks.
This data is vulnerable to loos because it's unsecured.
**Locally Secured**
If you have an external hard drive or office server making backups, then you are in a far better position. Now, a catastrophe is mitigated in one of these two ways:
1) a local backup is made which can be used to retrieve a lost file
2) you have at least two hard drives, one of which is a redundant duplicate. It's ready to automatically take the place of a drive which fails and keep going, without interrupting your work.
While this setup is convenient, providing you with instant control, this kind of backup is vulnerable to External Catastrophes. A fire or theft, for example, would be disastrous.
Anything that you want to keep for later reference that resides on your hard drive that's not backed up yet, is unsecured. It could be completely lost via an Internal Catastrophe.
In today's world, DVD and CD storage has been know to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disc_rot" style="color: rgb(0,255,0)" target="_blank">deteriorate.</a>
**Cloud Secured**
A good cloud storage system makes regular updates each day of the important files on your hard drive. It's completely safe from Internal Catastrophes.
Usually, they offer enterprise quality safety, which means that they manage multiple backups of your backups.
However, not every cloud storage company is completely secured against human threats such as malware or hackers. Furthermore, they are companies which can declare bankruptcy or be bought by other concerns.
On the podcast, Ray mentioned having a backup of cloud files stored in an independent location.
Let's declare this level of safety to be Gold, and the other two to be Silver and Bronze respectively.
These definitions attempt to make the most of the strengths of each backup mode, while bearing in mind that overall cost is always a factor. Fortunately, all storage is dropping in price, allowing for added redundancy and safety for the same investment.
With a knowledge of these three kinds or levels of storage, we can start to put together a plan.
But let's get our minds into a [[New Mindset to Use]]
<img src="http://www.2time-sys.com/2TimeBlog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ray-4-type3-png.png">
Let's construct a different mindset for this section.
One method would be to try to survey all the cloud services and list all their features - a "boil the ocean" approach. Instead, let's take a big shortcut.
Instead, we'll start with your needs. Then, we will "interview" each cloud service and "hire" the bare minimum that meet your specific needs.
(For the moment, let's assume that the differences in price will change over time, so that remains a final detail to include in the equation.)
Here are some of the jobs your new services may perform.
Job #1 - Backups. The ability to make passive cloud backups of all files.
Job #2 - Virtual Drive. An external drive that operates in the cloud.
Job #3 - Share files. The ability to download files by different people to their own machine.
Job #4 - Collaboration. More than one person can work on a single ffile, at almost the same time.
Job #5 - File Sync - You can change a single file from multiple machines and keep them all updated with the most recent version.
There are other cool features such as encryption, music streaming and video streaming but let's set them aside for the purposes of this tool.
How do we use a knowledge of these 5 jobs?
[[Using the Five Jobs]]<img src="http://www.2time-sys.com/2TimeBlog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ray-4-type3-png.png">
Obviously, I can't tell you which of these jobs you need your services to do. My general recommendation is that you cover your bases and find services which allow you to cover the full range, even if you don't see an immediate need. At some point, it's likely that you may use the feature you barely understand.
(I remember when someone offered me a DropBox link for the first time. While I was a user, I had no idea it had that capability!)
When I did this exercise, I made a matrix of my storage needs on two dimensions - Work and Personal.
**Step 1**
I made a list of the kinds of **Business Data** I had to protect.
Work
Created
Created $
Audio
Curated
Curated $
Created
Created Legacy
Pics
Curated
Curated $
Created
Created Legacy
Videos
Curated
Curated $
Created
Created Legacy
Docs - other
Curated Research
Legacy
Passwords
Legal/Tax
Then I created a similar list for **Personal Data.**
Legacy
Pictures
Legal
Audio
Video
Documents
Legal/Tax
Financial
Video
Fun
Audio
Fun
Learning
Pictures
Fun
On the business side, I separated content I created myself, from content I curated from other sources. In the former, there are products I sell - they earn me money so I tagged them with a $ sign. In the latter, there is content I have paid for, so I also tagged them with a $ sign.
I also added a "Legacy" tag to some items.
The second step was to list the cloud services I had access to.
[[Step 2 - Cloud Subscriptions]]<img src="http://www.2time-sys.com/2TimeBlog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ray-4-type3-png.png">
Here is a list of the cloud services I have already paid for. Unlike the average person, I have a few that are being under-utilized. Why? Last year I had a hard-drive crash (which I mentioned elsewhere) and I went a bit overboard.
During the catastrophe, I discovered that my backup cloud service was failing to backup certain files.
So, in an abundance of caution, I signed up for more space and decided to set up a fool-proof system. One reason I set up this podcast was to craft a single set of coherent instructions I wasn't able to find with a Google search. All I could pull up were bits and pieces of advice on different blogs, videos and podcasts.
I imagine that your resources are different from mine
You probably don't have the following exact same resources:
- DropBox 2G (Free)
- Google Drive 200G
- PCloud 500G
plus access to
- Google Photos (unlimited backups of pictures and videos)
- GoDaddy hosting
- HostGator hosting
While I was putting this table together over a period of a few weeks I also gained access to two more cloud services - OneDrive (1Tb) and iCloud (Free.)
However, you probably do have access to <a href="https://www.whizlabs.com/blog/best-free-cloud-storage/" style="color: rgb(0,255,0)" target="_blank"> free cloud resources<a/>.
Plus, for a few dollars per month, you can <a href="https://www.techradar.com/news/the-best-cloud-storage" style="color: rgb(0,255,0)" target="_blank"> increase your quota more inexpensively than ever before.</a>
However, stick with what you have right now. Make your own list on the next page of your immediately accessible cloud storage.
[[Your List of Cloud Storage Resources]]<img src="http://www.2time-sys.com/2TimeBlog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ray-4-type3-png.png">
(if: $listcloud is "List of Cloud Storage Resources: ")[
(set: $listcloud to (text: $listcloud) + (prompt: "Write next resource in list here", ""))
(set: $listcloud2 to $listcloud + ", " + (prompt: "Write next resource in list here", ""))
(set: $listcloud to $listcloud2)
]
(else: )[
(set: $listcloud to (text: $listcloud) + ", " + (prompt: "Write next resource in list here", ""))
(set: $listcloud2 to $listcloud + ", " + (prompt: "Write next resource in list here", ""))
(set: $listcloud to $listcloud2)
]
(color: red)[(print: $listcloud)]
To continue adding items to this list, click Your List of Cloud Storage Resources below.
If you're done, copy and paste the list you made into someplace safe, just in case your work gets interrupted.
Then, move on analyze your data and cloud lists.
[[Your List of Cloud Storage Resources]]
[[Analyze Your Data and Cloud Lists]]<img src="http://www.2time-sys.com/2TimeBlog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ray-4-type3-png.png">
The next step is to lay out the table of files and cloud sources in the following way.
<img src="http://www.2time-sys.com/2TimeBlog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/table-ray.jpg">
Notice the files listed in the left column and the cloud choices arrayed at the top. In the body of the table, I have begun to make some choices about the role I want each cloud service to play.
As I mentioned before, I am "hiring" each one to play a specific part.
Here are some examples:
- I have hired Dropbox to act as a quick backup due to its ubiquity. When I travel to give a speech, for example, I make a quick backup. It also stores my password program which plays well with DropBox. (I'm in no hurry to play with it due to its importance.) I have also hired it as the place I share files for other people to download.
- I have hired Google Photos to store a copy of all the videos and pictures on my laptop. Plus, it stores archives of these two formats. (It does not store audios.)
- I have hired Google Drive to store all collaborative files - the ones I develop in conjunction with other people
- I have hired my external hard drive to make complete weekly system and file backups
As you can see, I have made some choices that are quite idiosyncratic and only make sense to me. So you can't simply copy my example, or anyone else's.
You must take the time to make some decisions for yourself, by completing your own matrix.
I have provided copies of blank sheet <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1lrsh17ijMZJE9zF1sYy6kcid-eWjyx9uTJPhUDQSz0Y/edit?usp=sharing" style="color: rgb(0,255,0)">on Google Sheets.</a>
Start to fill it out now. We will complete it when we complete the fourth leg of our journey.
Did you complete the section on smartphones? If not, go there now. If you have already completed it, then pick the section to visit next.
[[Smartphone/Tablets]]
(if: $type1 is not "yes")[[[Type 1]]]
(if: $type2 is not "yes")[[[Type 2]]]
(if: $type3 is not "yes")[[[Type 3]]]
(if: $type4 is not "yes")[[[Type 4]]]
[[Wrap-Up]]
[[Quit]] (Without saving)<img src="http://www.2time-sys.com/2TimeBlog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ray-4-type4-png.png">
(if: $listarchive is "List of Items to be Archived: ")[
(set: $listarchive to (text: $listarchive) + (prompt: "Write next item in list here", ""))
(set: $listarchive2 to $listarchive + ", " + (prompt: "Write next item in list here", ""))
(set: $listarchive to $listarchive2)
]
(else: )[
(set: $listarchive to (text: $listarchive) + ", " + (prompt: "Write next item in list here", ""))
(set: $listarchive2 to $listarchive + ", " + (prompt: "Write next item in list here", ""))
(set: $listarchive to $listarchive2)
]
(color: red)[(print: $listarchive - "")]
To continue adding items to this list, click Enter Your Items to be Archived below.
If you're done, copy and paste the list you made into someplace safe, just in case your work gets interrupted.
Then, move on to the next step by clicking Once Your Archive Is Created.
[[Enter Your Items to be Archived]]
[[Once Your Archive Is Created]] <img src="http://www.2time-sys.com/2TimeBlog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ray-4-type4-png.png">
Now that you archive has been created, you'll need to continue to refine it as new information and data enters your life. In fact, that's true for all data types to some degree.
Peace of Mind depends on your being vigilant as storage technologies change, and your needs evolve.
If you are not yet finished, you can complete the following Types.
(if: $type1 is not "yes")[[[Type 1]]]
(if: $type2 is not "yes")[[[Type 2]]]
(if: $type3 is not "yes")[[[Type 3]]]
(if: $type4 is not "yes")[[[Type 4]]]
[[Wrap-Up]]
[[Quit]] (Without saving)Hopefully, you have had an opportunity to complete all four types. If so, then the next page will include copy of all the data you input for each data Type.
The next page presents another opportunity for you to save the information you typed in - the program's limitations are such that no other feasible option exists for saving yout inputs.
Are you ready to copy and paste to somewhere safe? If so, go ahead to the final display page.
[[Display Page]]
**Type 1 - Legacy Items**
(print: $listphoto)
(print: $listnonlegal)
(print: $listlegal)
(print: $listother)
(print: $planacquisition)
(print: $plandigitize)
(print: $plandonate)
(print: $plandiscard)
**Type 2 - Immediate Storage**
(print: $listmedia)
(print: $listdevices)
(print: $listlocations)
**Type 3 - Short-Term Storage**
(print: "Plan for Smartphone Device Storage: " + $plansmartloc1)
(print: "Plan for Smartphone SD Storage: " + $plansmartloc2)
(print: "Plan for Smartphone Cloud Storage: " + $plansmartloc3)
(print: $listcloud)
**Type 4- Archives**
(print: $listarchive)
Make a copy of this page and paste it in a safe place.
Now, it's time to roll the credits!
[[Final]]Double-click this passage to edit it.