Simplifying For Summer

I'm not sure how many of you are aware of this, but I have a 45+ minute commute to work every morning. It's not ideal, but I've learned to embrace it the most I can over the past year and 9 months I've been driving 25 miles each way to and from work. I usually spend my time thinking. Now sometimes this is good and sometimes it's bad, and most of the time I get a little stressed about something. Well this morning was no different. Over the weekend I began to realize how much my "technology" is spread out. You might wonder what my "technology" is, and I'm getting to that now. When I was on my computer this weekend, I realized that I use 3 computers regularly...3!

1. My work computer, which inevitably gets it's fair share of personal use and has personal files and pictures saved on it.
2. My ibook, which has mostly items from college and the year after, but also has been getting used a bit at home since computer #3 is waiting for a new hard drive.
3. "Our laptop" which is an old computer Chris reformatted and we mostly use as our Internet computer at home but also use it for music, photos, etc.

To be honest, the whole thing was pretty stressful. I realized that I had photos stored on all three computers, that each computer has different files, all of which I need, and that it's more difficult for me to locate items when I need them.

My stress level lowered after I got into work this morning and was doing my normal Internet routine. When I came across a notice on one of my favorite sites, I realized that the answer to some of my problems might finally have been solved. Shutterfly, which I have started using since Flickr started charging, has started a new things called Share, which allows you to upload your photos, put them on one website, write about them, and order them. I know that this sounds just like a blog, and it is, to some degree, but it also allows others to print your photos with professional quality and can be controlled for privacy.

If you are feeling anything like me and want to take the summer to do some nice indoor cleaning, I suggest finding a site similar and trying to harness your "technology" into one place. If you have out of town family and friends, this is also a great way to stay in touch. Also, don't forget to back up any and all files on your computer every few weeks or so in order to prevent a disaster. External hard drives are great for this, and they are easy to hook up to any computer. If you spend just a few hours out of the heat and organize your technical files, you will be so much happier the next time you have to find THAT photo!