January Project & Hoarding tendencies...

We've had budget cuts here in the Pothier Casa thanks to a hefty tuition bill and of course the first to go is the home projects budget. But part of what makes me tick is the idea of projects and then carrying out projects so I'm trying to be realistic here as we start to make the transition.

I understand the fabulous kitchen remodel I had slated for this spring is no longer an option, and I'm totally okay with that. The kitchen will still be there in a couple years waiting for my loving attention! But I still need a project. Obviously, they will be on a much smaller scale, but a project none the less. I figured I could spend each month devoted to one low-cost project and it would satisfy my need. So came the birth of my first project.

I have an irrational fear of losing my harddrives. Not just having one fail, but instead having someone steal my computer and drives. I know that the chances of this happening are slim to none, but I've had three friends who have lost every file they owned because of this, and it eats away at me. It would devastate me beyond measure to lose all the information saved (mostly the pictures and videos.) I decided harddrives aren't enough for me anymore and cloud storage needed to be the end goal. I researched it out and came across this company (thanks to consumer reports) who offered unlimited storage. (I'm sure there's a ton of these companies, this just happened to work for my lifestyle and budget)

I immediately signed up for it and started the initial backup. But based on the numbers they were projecting, I wouldn't be backed up for months!! It became apparent that I would need to clean my computer harddrive and all my external harddrives and free them of all my unwanted files. I've had a strong start. But just a few hours into this project I realized just how long this task was going to take. (I'm like that runner at a marathon that just sprints off the line while all the other runners look at them saying, "Who's the idiot that doesn't realize this is not a sprint?") I came to a very valuable and insightful realization. I am a hoarder. Not a keep-everything-in-sight-and-let-it-take-over-my-home hoarder, but more of a constant collector of digital files. This may seem ridiculous to most, but its true. I have four terabytes of information. And before this week, I was clueless as to what was on each one of them.

I hope I'm not alone (or else this just became awkward for myself realizing I'm crazy) but I collected all that information without even noticing it. It starts with one computer. The computer dies, but fortunately they're able to save all the data and put it on a external drive for me. I always say I'm going to go through the files, but never make the time to do it. I get a new computer and keep collecting files. Before long that crashes as well but once again I transfer yet another harddrive of files. And then one drive starts to make funny noises so I back everything on it to another drive. And I have worked for so many different people and carry all their files. To add to it I'm addicted to photos and carry 30,000 images all along the way. I've been hoarding for several years now. But that is about to change.

I have spent the last week deleting more files than you can imagine. On Saturday night alone, while Steve was gone, I deleted over 60,000 files in one sitting. Who needs a kitchen remodel when I'm seeing success like this!! I reorganized files that weren't in the right place and created order. It felt so good. I've always had systems in place, but they're receiving a much needed overhaul and revamping. And although it's not nearly as fun as posting a picture of a newly remodeled room, it carries the same gratification for me.

I am reclaiming my harddrive space and I won't let it own me. There, I said it, and just acknowledging it is satisfying!