Essential Backup Strategies for Daily Writers and Creators
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Chapter 1: The Importance of Backing Up Your Work
As a dedicated writer, you likely engage with your computer daily to craft stories and articles across various platforms. Over time, this results in a substantial collection of documents. Imagine the frustration when your computer suddenly fails to boot or the hard drive begins to malfunction, leading to the potential loss of all your hard work. While you might believe that certain pieces were only meant for one-time use, the reality is that repurposing and republishing are essential in today’s content-driven landscape.
Medium’s Editor
Many writers have shared their preferences for using Medium’s editor on YouTube, which is perfectly fine for creating content. However, relying solely on this platform means your valuable insights are at risk without any backup.
To safeguard your writing, once you've completed an article in the Medium Editor, use the keyboard shortcuts CTL-A to select all the text and CTL-C to copy it. Then, open either an MS Word document or a Google Docs page and paste the content using CTL-V. By saving this document, you create a basic backup for your Medium articles.
For optimal protection, consider drafting your work directly in Google Docs or MS Word before transferring it to the Medium Editor. This way, your writing is already stored safely on your hard drive.
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Using Hardware for Backup
Most individuals are familiar with flash drives, also known as thumb drives, which provide a straightforward method for backing up your computer files. Organize your documents by creating a main directory titled "Medium Documents" and further categorize your writings by year to simplify future retrieval.
When you need to back up your work, plug the flash drive into a USB port, right-click on your main directory, select "Copy," navigate to the flash drive, and paste the files in a similarly named directory.
Cloud Storage Considerations
If you regularly utilize Google Docs, your documents are automatically saved in the cloud, which offers convenience. However, there’s a risk involved—what happens if Google suspends your account or you lose access to your login credentials?
To mitigate this risk, follow the same strategy outlined previously: maintain a "Medium Documents" directory on Google Drive, but also create a corresponding directory on your computer’s hard drive. For added security, regularly copy these files to a USB flash drive.
The Importance of Consistent Backups
You might think that older articles will never be useful again, leading you to neglect backups. This is a misstep, as you can repurpose your work across various platforms.
Often, the primary reason for not backing up files is simply forgetfulness. It’s crucial to make a conscious effort to back up your work regularly. You’ll be grateful you did when disaster strikes.
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