Originally posted on R.E.L. Copywriting blog

If you’re like most people, you have a lot of your life—both personal and business—on your computer. From financial records to secret writing to documents for your work. Right?

You probably have plenty of digital photos and videos, that although priceless in nature—especially of your babies—have always seemed safe on your computer. They have been transferred from computer to computer, as old computers have been replaced with newer ones, hard drives transferred in tact.

priceless memories and data

You probably don’t think much about losing all of that on a day-to-day basis. Do you?

If you’ve been doing this for years and have lost data before by stupid spacious moments (accidents) such as spilling a glass of wine onto the keyboard, or letting the computer get too hot and fry unknowingly, you probably know the pain and swore it would never happen to you again!

Before your losses, however, the mere idea of doing consistent data backups always seemed like just one more thing to do that you didn’t have time for. Trusting in the universe (or the genius bar/geek squad) seemed like a better idea, because you’d rather spend time in a yoga class or sleeping than slaving over the idea of backing up your data. You would tell yourself

it will be just fine. I swear I’ll do it tomorrow.

Now fast forward to the present. Maybe, just maybe (nowadays), part of your data is on the cloud—thanks to the necessity to sync between devices—but not all. Maybe you never find out the answer to that question until your computer hard drive actually dies! You only own Apple devices. [You won’t even talk to people who don’t have Apple devices.] All of your data is backed up hourly on an external drive via the Time Machine. You have nothing to worry about ever. You totally trust the technical process.

backup to the cloud

And then, the day is here to test you… Your hard drive on your precious Macintosh all of a sudden brings back an error: Hard drive failure! Reinstall your operating system. That’s all good; you feel OK because the message soothes you into believing in the omniscient power of the Disk Utility to repair the broken parts. It will save your life. You are sure of it. So, you don’t stress.

But what you didn’t plan on is the concept that maybe the hard drive is not repairable, that maybe you have to fix all of this yourself, or that maybe you will lose all of your data. Everyone will be upset with you. The concept is real. You don’t sleep that night.

You wake up at 5:00 a.m. to call AppleCare (even if your account has expired). You beg. You find a way.

cherish Time Machine

Through the day you realize that Time Machine should really have a new name. It should be something that you can make a pillow of and sleep with that night. It is your best friend. If you used it, you can sleep, you realize. But if you didn’t, you know that all of those memories from your past will be gone. The memories of jumping off a cliff in Greece will have to be retold by memory. All the stories you’ve written and never posted publicly because they are too “special” will need to be reconcocted and rewritten. But get this, so will all of the Quickbooks entries. All 8 years worth. Have fun with that. Better you than me.

One word: TimeMachine.

Even if you have to send in your computer to the manufacturer for a week to replace the hard drive, when it returns to you, it will be good as new, and all you have to do is plug in your external hard drive (a.k.a. TimeMachine’s second self). Your life will be back to normal again soon.

You will no longer have to steal (I mean borrow) your teenager’s computer to work during the day at a restaurant nearby the Apple store, waiting anxiously for a new appointment to arise—continuously refreshing your screen to check—or for them to finish their job.

the bright side of chaos

The week you experienced without your computer might be chaos. But, chaos builds which can steer your life in a new direction or bring it to a standstill. When normal structures in life are pulled from you, it’s as if only top priorities will be possible. Do you allow these days to take you over?

There’s another way to look at it. Some issues, when left unsettled—the ones that always have your undivided attention—take care of themselves or magically become unnecessary. Maybe it brings you to ask for help where you normally would not have. You grow trust in a new network of people. You feel less alone in the world, and more supported. Out of mental exhaustion you have no choice but to go take a nap. You are rested.

In the end, everything works out and is fine. When chaos arises, sometimes you get the freedom you never knew you’d have any other way. Chaos is a gift.