When I brought this site back online, I shared how I was compromised. What I did not fully explain at the time was just how much I stood to lose.
I had built up a huge collection of media over the years. Files, projects, things I cared about, things I assumed would always be there. When everything went sideways, I found myself trying to piece things back together using whatever I had. Old drives, partial backups, random copies. It was a patchwork effort, but in the end I was able to recover over half of what I lost.
Over half.
That number stuck with me. Not because it was good, but because it easily could have been zero.
Since then I have become a lot more serious about my backup routines. One of my favorite things now is my nightly backup setup. My backup server powers on, runs the backups, and then shuts itself down. It is simple, clean, and reliable. On top of that, it sends me a message so I know everything completed successfully. There is something reassuring about waking up and knowing your data is safe.
I will be honest though. Even now it can feel like a chore. Backups are not exciting. They are not something you look forward to doing. And because they are not difficult, they are very easy to ignore.
That is the dangerous part.
To help with that, I put reminders in place. Systems help, but habits matter too. I also keep a monthly process where I back up key data to a separate USB drive. That drive stays disconnected and stored away. I hope I never need it, but I am grateful it is there.
Think of backups like taking medicine. It may not be fun. It may not feel important in the moment. But when you need it, you really need it.
Stay healthy.
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