I just read a post by Skip regarding a computer crash he just experienced, and the painful rebuild process he's about to go through to get things back up and running (reinstalling lots o' stuff on his system). Why? No backup.
Been there many times myself. Spent many hours reinstalling stuff, re-registering iTunes, Audible, Anagram, ActiveWords, and other stuff that requires license keys. Not a fun process.
I'm getting better, though, with a new process I follow. Last week I had to rebuild my system (I got a little frisky editing my Windows registry, so it was self-inflicted). It took me under an hour, and I didn't lose more than 20 minutes of work.
How?
- I regularly (once a week or before a long trip) make image copies of my hard drive using Symantec's Ghost, which I got as part of their Systemworks Premier suite.
- I keep a copy the drive image in several places:
- I carry a Ghost boot disk (CD) in my bag in case I have to restore my computer
- I make additional file-by-file backups of my My Documents folder using Iomega's QuickSync software, which I got with my external hard drive (this ensures that I capture changes since the last Ghost snapshot). This is simple, since I did the setup once, and the software automatically synchronizes every time I plug into my docking station.
All of this works pretty well when I have a system crash or I shoot myself in the foot. I simply:
- plug in my USB hard drive
- boot from the Ghost boot CD and follow the instructions to restore the image (by the way each of my external hard drives has a copy of the .ISO image for the boot CD so I can create another one if I need to)
- reboot after the image is restored, at which point QuickSync automatically copies any newer files back on the newly restored drive
This process puts my system back exactly the way it was when I took the Ghost "snapshot." Since I'm on a domain at my office, another handy thing this achieves: It stores (and restores) all the credential information necessary for me to rejoin the domain.
If you want something a bit less techie, check out this article about a gadget called the Fastora ExBoot drive, which claims to do a lot of this sort of stuff for you automatically. I have never used this product, but it sounds pretty cool.
Read MoreIn a couple of weeks, I'll be at David Allen's seminar "GTD | The RoadMap" in San Jose. I'm really looking forward to it, but I feel a bit like people I know who have maid service, but they always clean up before the maid comes over - so nobody will know how messy they really are.
I have started to brush up on the old "Getting Things Done" techniques (some of which have fallen by the wayside for me). What does brushing up mean? I'm doing things like:
- Purging my reference files to reduce clutter (makes them fresher, and gets the drawer less squinchy so it's easier to get things in and out)
- Purging all my context lists and getting brutal with the question: "Is this item really 'someday / maybe', or is it actually 'never, get out of denial,' buster?"
- Reviewing my lists to make sure my 'next actions' are not 'next inactions' pretending to be actionable
- Blocking time this weekend to do a real weekly review (I totally blew this in July due to all the chaos in my life, and I am feeling the effects in my stuckness)
- Doing a mind sweep, complete with the triggers in the Getting Things Done book
- Listening to "Getting Things Done Fast" again [note: this program is no longer available from Davidco.com, but David tells me there are other helpful tools coming soon, and I should stay tuned]
- Getting "In" to empty, and my email Inbox to zero
That last one is the one that's been taunting me the most lately, since it's just plain in my face all day every day. Since I've been without internet access quite a bit in the last month, the old Inbox stacked up pretty high. I know what I should be doing - I'm just not doing it.
So, this week, I set my self up for discipline by public shaming - a co-worker of mine is also a GTD practicioner, and we've agreed to ridicule each other if our Inboxes are not empty each night (beginning Monday - gotta get a running start for this one). With this new approach, "zero peer pressure" is taking on a new meaning for me.
If you want less vindictive assistance in getting right with GTD, you might want to check out a special typr of virtual book study Rosa is running on Talking Story, as well - great stuff. She calls it "MWA3P" and it merges powerful concepts from her own book "Managing with Aloha," as well as concepts from David Allen and Stephen Covey.
Note: The terms and concept in "Getting Things Done" (aka "GTD") are the killer mojo of David Allen, and he's got rules to keep people from messin' with his flavor - check them out here.
Read MoreWell, after a week with no internet access, I'm breaking the silence. As I mentioned when I was posting from England, last week I rushed to Louisiana where my father-in-law had a dismal health prognosis (viral encephalitis, with recovery very unlikely).
First, I want to thank all of you who sent me your wishes, prayers, and supportive messages during the last week (I did have access to email, thanks to my Crackberry).
I'm happy to report that my father-in-law is doing much better than anyone predicted. He's breathing on his own, talking, recognizes the family, and expected to leave the ICU after the weekend.
There is still a long road ahead of him and it'll be weeks (if not months) before they can accurately gauge the long term effects of this bout with encephalitis. But he's still with us and he's getting better.
Never underestimate the power of the human spirit.
Read MoreGot a call this evening (UK time) that my father-in-law's been admitted to the hospital with encephalitis today. The next 24-48 hours are critical to determine whether he'll beat it or not. I'd appreciate your thoughts and prayers for him and our family.
United's helped me get an earlier flight back so I'll be there Saturday night to do whatever I can do to help.
Meanwhile, I'll keep my mind busy by posting a couple of things I intended to post last night.
Thanks in advance for good vibes and such.
Read MoreA couple of days ago, I posted about how odd it felt to get on the train across the tracks from the Finsbury Park mosque. On Thursday morning on the way into London, I was on the same platform and decided to take a picture to show it to you (the red arrow in the picture points to the dome of the mosque).
Later that day, there were 4 more bombing incidents in London. That made it challenging to get around for quite some time, but my colleague and I diligently stayed focused on our lives in the midst of the chaos, taking cabs all over the place to get around the fact that the Underground was shut down. Here is a picture I took with my phone from one of the cabs - I picked it because of the great slogan on the side of the cab (click the image for the full view).
We managed to keep our appointments for the rest of the day, and were even on time or early for them (no easy trick since the addresses were scattered all over London).
Terrorism is barbaric and infuriating. I think it's the ultimate in cowardice.
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