Are you afraid of mistakes?

It was a bit of a silly day for me. I had a Zoom meeting on mySewnet Embroidery Software in the morning, and we were talking about file structures and how to PROPERLY save files within file structures. That led me to write a small article (still writing) on ideas, and I wanted to provide a sample. How could I do that when my file structure is a mess? 

That's not exactly true- my file structure is pretty decent, but I have become super diligent only in the last couple of years. Before that, it was a bit of a mess. So, I started to investigate and found this on my Google Drive. 

Running out of storage on Google Drive

You get 100 GB of storage, and I've almost used it up! Is that a surprise? And I had to laugh when I saw this! 

OH -- those darn emails with large attachments

The problem is that these Cloud storage devices do not give you MORE storage; they store the SAME documents in multiple places. It really would be nice if we could choose what goes where. Or how things get backed up, but that is not always the case with those Cloud-based storage areas. OR if we can choose, it's not easy to find an answer. 

I finally figured out the out-of-office reply issue, which I'll share another day. 

So, to clean up my file structure, I spent a bit of time yesterday and found all kinds of duplication. 

Messing with file structures

There was duplication, empty file folders, and documents left over from when I worked for a fabric company that I certainly do not need today. So there was a lot of moving files and deleting going on! OH GOSH --- in one folder with pictures, I spotted this. 

Who are these people?

The picture is dated 2013. Who are these people? I've no idea -- just random people. I found THREE photos of snakes, and I've no idea where they came from. I would REMEMBER taking a picture of that large snake. I'll spare you that one. 

I found a blurry picture of a quilt top that I was making at a retreat. I think something happened to my camera setting. 

This photo is a KEEPER - NOT!

While this is a digital picture, it reminds me of the THOUSANDS (perhaps not that many) of the blurry images we took in the past with film, and I KEPT them all! Why? Because my Mom would keep them all! I'll delete these pictures - I kept them just to show you this morning. 

And I have just scratched the surface of what needs to be deleted. It's better to delete BEFORE moving rather than just restructuring. And there's another HARD DISK to contend with, and I'm sure there are files on my computer and laptop that must be dealt with. SIGH --- that will take a lot of time to deal with, but I'll figure it out. Most of my files are NOT stored on my computer but on external hard disks. It's way easier to take the files with you or get a new computer. 

I may have no choice but to work on the file structure for no other reason than to ensure that I don't end up with more duplication. If you think clearing up real things is an issue, try dealing with GIGABYTES of data. 

I found MANY LARGE emails in my draft folder and deleted ALL the 2023 large emails with attachments. I think --- I probably have to go in and clean out the trash bins on each server and reboot before I see any improvements. What a MASSIVE MESS. But I'm learning; honestly, I love the process. Look and delete - look and delete. My mind sometimes gets into a methodic rhythm, and I appreciate a task like that -- it's easy and doesn't require too much brain power. I either need to keep the file or delete it. 

And let's not talk about the THOUSANDS of pictures I must go through. But that should also be easy, and I can tag them to make finding them easier. But first -- a major delete needs to happen. That will free up quite a bit of disk space as well. 

OH -- it was Murphy who smelled like skunk, not me! Thankfully, it wasn't a direct hit! But boy, she goes ballistic when there's something to chase. Lexi got hit once with a skunk, and while she was there at the fence, she was much more cautious. Clever girl, Lexi! Of course, Murphy tried to be friendly all day to rub the stink on someone else!

I tried to get a picture of her with her head under this table. She often looks out the window while peeking under the table. What a goof. 

MOM -- I have to stand here; someone is in my bed!

And the Little Guy has ZERO issues running right up those steps into the big dog bed so he can check out the neighborhood! 

The sentinel!

And Lexi likes to sit regally in the backyard as any princess would!

MOM -- I'm OK!!

I ended up NOT going to the movies yesterday. The $5 was for a REGULAR film, and the ones in the theatre close to me that I wanted to see were not in a regular theatre (they were in DX or whatever it was). The whole point of going was to enjoy the $5. Thankfully, it's every Tuesday this month, so I hope to get to the theatre next week. Besides, I had work to do, and I needed to finish some follow-up for my Zooms, which took place in the last couple of days. I NEED to be prepping for the upcoming classes this weekend, and I have a quilt to be quilted. 

Today, it's all heads down to get that done. I'm NOT panicked; I just need to focus a bit. The computer with all those files to delete was a major distraction. I still need to create a nice file structure for the group, but I can fake that out, and they will never know! Don't tell them!!

And here's what I keep telling people, but they do NOT believe me. 

A great quote

The stress of completing something PERFECTLY the first time is incredible, yet people are willing to put themselves under such stress. Why are we so afraid of making mistakes? No one will criticize you for it. I applaud people who forge ahead and make mistakes. One thing to remember is to laugh at those mistakes, and you bet -- the memory of a project gone bad is way better to relate to someone than saying, "I did it perfectly the first time!" People will HATE you if you say that, but if you tell a funny story about how you messed up? People LOVE that kind of story because they are right there with you!!! 

DO NOT BE AFRAID!!!! 

I'm off to spin class this morning, then to the computer to finish the follow-ups, and then downstairs to quilt and cut fabric. 

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!!