If you are at all like me and consider yourself technology dependent (i.e., your smartphone is like another appendage) but not necessarily tech wise/savvy, may I suggest prioritizing regular back-ups of your data, and in at least two different ways. Recently, I learned, the hard way, that regular backing up to multiple sources can save each of us from wasted time and frustration. Even though it takes a few minutes upfront, it saves countless time when inevitably our devices crash, drop, or “swim.” Accidents and malfunctions happen to busy people, Wixiis are not immune! To protect ourselves, we suggest two specific tips:
- Set a regular, recurring calendar reminder to sync your mobile device to your computer (I suggest weekly). If most of your data is cloud-based, that is one form of storage.
- Once your data is stored, back-up your computer to an external hard drive. I have my desk set-up so that I plug-in my hard drive whenever I am at my desk and it backs up automatically and continuously. If you have a wireless hard drive (and/or router that can make a hard drive wireless), even better.
Even if you already faithfully back-up, remember it is important to have your essential data backed-up in at least two different ways. For the past two weeks, my iPhone was acting funny, and I finally discovered that some of the apps were corrupted, which meant that the only back-up I had of the data (in the form of a restore file in iTunes) was also corrupted. After spending two VERY painful days resetting my phone and manually restoring data, I am now a convert to regular backups in at least two different ways.
We live, we learn—so please learn from my experience and join our facebook conversation to share your experiences and lessons learned.
