Digitizing: Laying the Foundation

We are compelled to hold on to paper documents “just in case” they are needed later.  CDs are strewn in the house, car, and everywhere in between.  Something about the age of DVDs and Blu-Rays has enticed us to own movies instead of being content renting them.  Family photos are stored in shoe boxes, albums, envelops or wherever we decide to stash them rarely to be looked at again.  A good deal of the clutter in our lives can be digitized and organized.  Today we will cover the foundation of what is necessary to digitize much of our lives.

Three things are necessary before continuing.  First, as with most things I will write about, this is a lifestyle change and not a one-time fix.  Secondly, it is important to have an organization system before you start.  Finally, it is very important to backup everything you digitize.  The technology we use is empowering, but it will fail and a good backup minimizes headaches.

Let’s start by laying down the organization system for storing everything.  Windows gives a decent start by having “My Documents”, “My Music”, and “My Photos” folders.  “My Documents” needs more granular folders to make locating your information easier.  Those folders will depend on your situation and needs.  I have folders for legal documents, insurance, education, statements, and a few more.  The “My Music” folder will be organized automatically by Media Player or iTunes.   We talk about ripping your CDs in a later.  Photos can be organized in a variety of ways.  I choose to create a folder for each year, under each year there are folders for each month, and under each month there are specific events.

Organizing in a system similar to what I outlined above will make the task of backing up much more simple.  An external 1TB drive can be purchased for less than $100.  Simply drag and drop the contents of your “My Documents” folder to the external drive folder.  We will go into much more detail on this in a later post.

Upcoming posts will guide through the digitizing process of documents, music, photos, and movies.  In the meantime, take a look at your “My Documents” folder and get acquainted if you aren’t already.  Organize the digital documents that you already have and be ready to move forward.