Technically I'm "off-grid" this week on my long-awaited snow-avoidance break (somehow October me knew this would be the ideal time to get out of dodge).
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But let's be real. Of course I'm gonna randomly check my email so I don't come back to a mountain of to-dos.
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And then I saw a note from an old co-worker asking me the whereabouts of a specific font license agreement. I last worked with that team in 2017 (that's like building a Model T in internet years).
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But if there's one thing about me, it's that I keep track of things forever. I was able to source the receipt indicating when they purchased the license in my archives.
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It's why I'm a firm believer in archiving your stuff for longer than you might think you need to - especially your written words and digital records. It's too easy with the current landscape to have things deleted (or suppressed).
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My rules?

1. Never write your newsletter, blog posts or other content directly inside your publishing platform. Sure it's easy to pop in there and start writing - but I've seen too many people lose their work because they lost power, somebody else removed it or they accidentally hit delete. Plus most platforms don't have an undo button. (And if you're posting on a hosted platform like Substack, Medium or social media you never know if you might get something taken down - I never trust someone else's platform for long-term storage).
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   Always write (and save) your content in another tool first before copying or moving it to where you'll publish it. For example, I always write my newsletter or blog posts in a Google doc or Evernote. Consider writing social media posts to a Google sheet or Airtable and connect to your automation tools for timed posting.
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2. Backup everything in multiple places. I've had several friends lose computers to disasters in recent weeks. Consider adding a cloud-based backup - so even if your primary computer or physical hard drive is destroyed, you can get back up and running fast. I'm a fan of Backblaze for inexpensive, automated backups.
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3. Keep a record of how to get into your stuff. After years of trying, I finally got a family member to start using 1password to securely manage their passwords instead of adding to their pile of ever-growing hand-written index cards (a nightmare to keep updated). And I can access the details from anywhere. Calling it my best win of the week - if you've ever had to deal with accessing parental accounts, this might be the game-changer you didn't know you needed.

you’ve got this,
Michelle
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p.s. miss last week’s note? Read it here: space age​