So it happened! The cup tipped over, and the coffee spilled all over my ol’ faithful Mac. I mean, all over…Right in the middle of my article! I was having a good morning too…And right there, in front of my horrified eyes, the screen sputters, and goes black…Worst nightmare!
And of course, I wasn’t prepared… Who’s ever prepared anyways? It also seems to happen when none of your data is backed up, when you’ve forgotten about the cloud, and when you have that client thing due like…tomorrow!
And when you combine lack of preparedness with lack of tech savvy, plus a serious high level of impatience and having to pick up he kids in the next hour, the end result can spell disaster!
How after weathering the loss of my ok’ faithful and contemplating the possibily of losing every family pic and word from the last 5 years or so, here are a few lessons learned from the depths of No Tech Land:
Avoid tech disaster but be ready for it!
Ok I didn’t mean to sound that gloomy… but really! If you don’t have your stuff already backed up on a regular basis, start now! Find the cloud, or some memory device, and back up your data regularly!
Research what to do when disaster strikes!
“Did you flip the laptop when it all happened so the water would not seep into the circuit board?”
“I hope you didn’t keep turning it on after the laptop went off, it would create a short-circuit!”
Great, everyone was telling me what I should have done after I really needed the info. Of course, I didn’t flip the laptop upside down, or unplugged it and refrained from turning it on for some time. No, what I did was frantically turning it on while cleaning it with a towel (thus allowing all the coffee to seep deeper into it)…I mean, how was I supposed to know?
So long story short, take some time to read up on what you’re supposed to do (and not do) when tech disaster strikes! Or ask around, or at least attempt to know what not to do if you spill coffee on your laptop, or drop it from the kitchen table…
Breathe and stay calm!
If you only use your laptop to pay the bills or play around online, tech disaster may hurt but not as much as if you’re an entrepreneur and your whole life/income is saved on it! Truth be told, I failed miserably at this…Instead of remaining calm, cool and composed, of course, I freaked out, frantically hitting the start button on my laptop…
Lesson learned: instead of panicking, accept the situation for what it is. You can’t go back in time, so take a deep breath…
Contact higher-ups, clients and anyone else relying on your work
If anyone is relying on you to submit any work/documentation/files that require you to have use of your laptop, contact them first! As soon as you can text, call or contact supervisors, bosses, professors, clients, etc, please do so and inform them of the situation.
Providing an early heads up will help smooth things out, and buying the time you need to address the situation.
Find other alternatives!
Being out of a computer is no reason to slack off! Make use of other resources, such as asking for a loaner for instance. If you’re a freelancer or entrepreneur, find the closest library and use it for free! You can also opt to split your time between the library and your office, if you happen to be a corporatepreneur.
Accept the help of others as well! Your friends and family may offer to lend a hand. Your office may also offer you great alternatives. Graciously say yes!
Make this resolution: “I will always back up my files!”
Nothing like experiencing a situation like this to take your precautions! At least I’ve learnt my lesson…Which prompted me to invest in an external hard drive. Yes, we have the Cloud nowadays, but not all your files can be stored on it. If anything, consider investing in an external hard drive, and backup your files at least once a month.
I also use tools such as Google Docs and Dropbox, through which I can access my documents on the web at any time.
You turn: How have you survived a computer crash in your career or business?
To Your Success,
The Corporate Sis.
