Career By Design

I had a professor that would create a new folder each year for the current class and copy all the updated lectures, books, and references each year. This took up so much space
having copies of the same lectures over and over and over... that more online storage was needed. 
Sometimes when someone is too organized it becomes disorganized! 

Does anyone have any examples of how they avoid this organized disorganzation?

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Daniel Bressler EIT, A.M.ASCE
Structural Engineer
Brooklyn NY
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Personally I do not, but this issue resonates with me as well. I've yet to find a single ideal form of organization that works for all types of work (and life) documents. The best I've gotten to so far is to create logical folder structures, use understandable file names, and date things in the YYYYMMDD format (so that your PC can sort them chronologically). Sometimes I will create a tracking sheet with more info about each file. When I started my job, I began a Word doc that I continually added to as well. I can control-find different names of tasks and see where the files are saved on the server for a lot of them now.   For me, this is "close enough" and gets me to within 80% of where I want to be. The last 20% can sometimes require old fashioned digging. 

Windows will also force you to stop at a certain level of organization - file paths can only reach 260 characters if I recall correctly.

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Christopher Seigel P.E., M.ASCE
Civil Engineer
------------------------------

The organization I've been using for all my classes involved two-way organization and memory.

Every time I finished a semester, the content of my classes would be split into digital and physical format, so that I would have one copy of each important document. The physical documents were kept inside marked boxes in the attic, in case I needed those; and the digital were kept inside sub-folders in a flash drive I kept nearby, in case I needed those. Textbooks, in either form, were kept right next to the boxes/folders.

This method of organization involved maintaining a good memory of which concepts were covered in which classes.

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Alexander Granato A.M.ASCE
Student
Bexley OH
granato.3@...
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SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures), centralized databases, file management, and data base maintenance. Of course, I am guilty as charged. I have redundant reference, admin and other folders on various drives on different computers, and external storage drives. What seems like a good idea becomes a challenge when file management (i.e., primarily clean-up, consolidation & backup) is not performed. Steps we take to speed up the process are adversely affected due to lack of maintenance.

------------------------------
James Williams P.E., M.ASCE
Principal/Owner
POA&M Structural Engineering, PLC
Yorktown, VA
------------------------------

Very true, James. The busier I am, the less attention I pay to digital housekeeping. Getting organized is important, but staying organized is hard.

Backups are essential, so one necessary SOP is to use good backup software. However, offsite backup is tricky. Trying to restore gigabytes from the cloud can be excruciatingly slow and storing a portable drive in a safe deposit box is and exercise in inconvenience. DOes anyboy have a better solution?

Bill

------------------------------
William McAnally Ph.D., P.E., D.CE, D.NE, F.ASCE
ENGINEER
Columbus MS
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 11-08-2022 08:45 PM
From: James Williams
Subject: So Organized that it's Disorganized

SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures), centralized databases, file management, and data base maintenance. Of course, I am guilty as charged. I have redundant reference, admin and other folders on various drives on different computers, and external storage drives. What seems like a good idea becomes a challenge when file management (i.e., primarily clean-up, consolidation & backup) is not performed. Steps we take to speed up the process are adversely affected due to lack of maintenance.

------------------------------
James Williams P.E., M.ASCE
Principal/Owner
POA&M Structural Engineering, PLC
Yorktown, VA
------------------------------

Hey guys,

I recently started using Backblaze. Its a subscription service to unlimited cloud storage for one PC. I'm not a fan of subscriptions but all things considered, I find this one worth it as I think it is about $7 a month. The way it works is that it makes a copy of every file on your computer, but it is intended to be a mirror of your computer only. So, if you delete files from your PC, after about a month, they will be deleted from your Backblaze account as well. 

For more money, they will save all of your files permanently (even if you delete them from your PC) and also allow you to back up multiple PCs. As someone who plans to not delete much (I can just add more drives to my tower over time)  I like that Backblaze will continue to back these different drives up as well if I get to that point. 

I was either paying $100 every few years for new backup drives, or just paying someone else to do it for me, so the money works out about the same which is why I'm ok with this as a solution.

------------------------------
Christopher Seigel P.E., M.ASCE
Civil Engineer
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 11-09-2022 08:59 AM
From: William McAnally
Subject: So Organized that it's Disorganized

Very true, James. The busier I am, the less attention I pay to digital housekeeping. Getting organized is important, but staying organized is hard.

Backups are essential, so one necessary SOP is to use good backup software. However, offsite backup is tricky. Trying to restore gigabytes from the cloud can be excruciatingly slow and storing a portable drive in a safe deposit box is and exercise in inconvenience. DOes anyboy have a better solution?

Bill

------------------------------
William McAnally Ph.D., P.E., D.CE, D.NE, F.ASCE
ENGINEER
Columbus MS
------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: 11-08-2022 08:45 PM
From: James Williams
Subject: So Organized that it's Disorganized

SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures), centralized databases, file management, and data base maintenance. Of course, I am guilty as charged. I have redundant reference, admin and other folders on various drives on different computers, and external storage drives. What seems like a good idea becomes a challenge when file management (i.e., primarily clean-up, consolidation & backup) is not performed. Steps we take to speed up the process are adversely affected due to lack of maintenance.

------------------------------
James Williams P.E., M.ASCE
Principal/Owner
POA&M Structural Engineering, PLC
Yorktown, VA

Thanks, Chris. Have you tried restoring files from Backblaze? I use Carbonite and the restore download was painfully slow.

------------------------------
William McAnally Ph.D., P.E., D.CE, D.NE, F.ASCE
ENGINEER
Columbus MS
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 11-10-2022 12:07 AM
From: Christopher Seigel
Subject: So Organized that it's Disorganized

Hey guys,

I recently started using Backblaze. Its a subscription service to unlimited cloud storage for one PC. I'm not a fan of subscriptions but all things considered, I find this one worth it as I think it is about $7 a month. The way it works is that it makes a copy of every file on your computer, but it is intended to be a mirror of your computer only. So, if you delete files from your PC, after about a month, they will be deleted from your Backblaze account as well.

For more money, they will save all of your files permanently (even if you delete them from your PC) and also allow you to back up multiple PCs. As someone who plans to not delete much (I can just add more drives to my tower over time)  I like that Backblaze will continue to back these different drives up as well if I get to that point.

I was either paying $100 every few years for new backup drives, or just paying someone else to do it for me, so the money works out about the same which is why I'm ok with this as a solution.

------------------------------
Christopher Seigel P.E., M.ASCE
Civil Engineer
------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: 11-09-2022 08:59 AM
From: William McAnally
Subject: So Organized that it's Disorganized

Very true, James. The busier I am, the less attention I pay to digital housekeeping. Getting organized is important, but staying organized is hard.

Backups are essential, so one necessary SOP is to use good backup software. However, offsite backup is tricky. Trying to restore gigabytes from the cloud can be excruciatingly slow and storing a portable drive in a safe deposit box is and exercise in inconvenience. DOes anyboy have a better solution?

Bill

------------------------------
William McAnally Ph.D., P.E., D.CE, D.NE, F.ASCE
ENGINEER
Columbus MS


Original Message:
Sent: 11-08-2022 08:45 PM
From: James Williams
Subject: So Organized that it's Disorganized

SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures), centralized databases, file management, and data base maintenance. Of course, I am guilty as charged. I have redundant reference, admin and other folders on various drives on different computers, and external storage drives. What seems like a good idea becomes a challenge when file management (i.e., primarily clean-up, consolidation & backup) is not performed. Steps we take to speed up the process are adversely affected due to lack of maintenance.

------------------------------
James Williams P.E., M.ASCE
Principal/Owner
POA&M Structural Engineering, PLC
Yorktown, VA

I've only been using the service for a few months now and thankfully have not needed to replace any bad hard drives during that time. Its my understanding that you can retrieve the backup from the cloud, or you can put down a deposit and they will mail you a physical hard drive containing your data that you can then copy to a new drive of your own. You then send the drive back to them and get your deposit back.

------------------------------
Christopher Seigel P.E., M.ASCE
Civil Engineer
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 11-11-2022 10:15 AM
From: William McAnally
Subject: So Organized that it's Disorganized

Thanks, Chris. Have you tried restoring files from Backblaze? I use Carbonite and the restore download was painfully slow.

------------------------------
William McAnally Ph.D., P.E., D.CE, D.NE, F.ASCE
ENGINEER
Columbus MS
------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: 11-10-2022 12:07 AM
From: Christopher Seigel
Subject: So Organized that it's Disorganized

Hey guys,

I recently started using Backblaze. Its a subscription service to unlimited cloud storage for one PC. I'm not a fan of subscriptions but all things considered, I find this one worth it as I think it is about $7 a month. The way it works is that it makes a copy of every file on your computer, but it is intended to be a mirror of your computer only. So, if you delete files from your PC, after about a month, they will be deleted from your Backblaze account as well.

For more money, they will save all of your files permanently (even if you delete them from your PC) and also allow you to back up multiple PCs. As someone who plans to not delete much (I can just add more drives to my tower over time)  I like that Backblaze will continue to back these different drives up as well if I get to that point.

I was either paying $100 every few years for new backup drives, or just paying someone else to do it for me, so the money works out about the same which is why I'm ok with this as a solution.

------------------------------
Christopher Seigel P.E., M.ASCE
Civil Engineer


Original Message:
Sent: 11-09-2022 08:59 AM
From: William McAnally
Subject: So Organized that it's Disorganized

Very true, James. The busier I am, the less attention I pay to digital housekeeping. Getting organized is important, but staying organized is hard.

Backups are essential, so one necessary SOP is to use good backup software. However, offsite backup is tricky. Trying to restore gigabytes from the cloud can be excruciatingly slow and storing a portable drive in a safe deposit box is and exercise in inconvenience. DOes anyboy have a better solution?

Bill

------------------------------
William McAnally Ph.D., P.E., D.CE, D.NE, F.ASCE
ENGINEER
Columbus MS


Original Message:
Sent: 11-08-2022 08:45 PM
From: James Williams
Subject: So Organized that it's Disorganized

SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures), centralized databases, file management, and data base maintenance. Of course, I am guilty as charged. I have redundant reference, admin and other folders on various drives on different computers, and external storage drives. What seems like a good idea becomes a challenge when file management (i.e., primarily clean-up, consolidation & backup) is not performed. Steps we take to speed up the process are adversely affected due to lack of maintenance.

------------------------------
James Williams P.E., M.ASCE
Principal/Owner
POA&M Structural Engineering, PLC
Yorktown, VA