 | Well, 2014 is behind us now and it is time to reflect on the past year to see what can be improved and make some commitments to changing some things for 2015. So without further ado, below is a list of some things that I have planned for 2015, and hopefully I won't be pulled off of my path this year. |
1. Clean up cabling - While I don't plan on getting rid of the clutter than makes me an individual, I do have plans to get more organized this year. I ended 2014 by starting a project to clean up wires and cables in my office (I will post about the process later). I worked on it quite a bit on my last free weekend, but my office still looks like a tornado went through it. I am going to finish the cabling project in the next month or so (I found that I still need to buy some shorter cables to get rid of some of the cable piles and a few other things to complete this project). (DONE)
2. Organize office - Get rid of some of the extra cables, papers, and junk that has accumulated in some of my drawers, cabinets, and bins.
3. Repurpose some of my old external hard drives - When I updated my Macs to Mountain Lion, a security update made it impossible to see my old Buffalo Terabyte NAS and the 4 external drives I had attached to it. As a result, I copied those files to drives that were formatted for OSX and kept using the old drives with my Windows machines. I am going to reformat those drives and put them into a more useful positions. A couple will be used to back up my Synology NAS. A couple will just be there for when I need them. I don't currently backup my Windows computers, so I will use one of them for that. (DONE)
4. Move my photos libraries from the network to a thunderbolt hard drive I have attached directly to my iMac - I have found that using a network drive for my Lightroom library was convenient for sharing my library with a MBP, but productivity takes a hit because it takes too long to read and write file changes. I am just going to set up the thunderbolt drive for file sharing and take advantage of the speed without losing the functionality.
5. Catalog my physical CDs - I have audio CDs piled into storage bins in my closet. It takes up a lot of space and it would take forever to get to a specific CD if I needed it (which has happened due to a hard drive loss.). I am going to pull the CDs out of the jewel cases and put them in CD wallets in alphabetical order. This is a huge undertaking since I have at least 1300 CDs (probably over 1500 by now), so it might not happen for several months, but I already have the wallets for when I am ready. (below is some of the CDs that are stacked inside of the boxes):
2. Organize office - Get rid of some of the extra cables, papers, and junk that has accumulated in some of my drawers, cabinets, and bins.
3. Repurpose some of my old external hard drives - When I updated my Macs to Mountain Lion, a security update made it impossible to see my old Buffalo Terabyte NAS and the 4 external drives I had attached to it. As a result, I copied those files to drives that were formatted for OSX and kept using the old drives with my Windows machines. I am going to reformat those drives and put them into a more useful positions. A couple will be used to back up my Synology NAS. A couple will just be there for when I need them. I don't currently backup my Windows computers, so I will use one of them for that. (DONE)
4. Move my photos libraries from the network to a thunderbolt hard drive I have attached directly to my iMac - I have found that using a network drive for my Lightroom library was convenient for sharing my library with a MBP, but productivity takes a hit because it takes too long to read and write file changes. I am just going to set up the thunderbolt drive for file sharing and take advantage of the speed without losing the functionality.
5. Catalog my physical CDs - I have audio CDs piled into storage bins in my closet. It takes up a lot of space and it would take forever to get to a specific CD if I needed it (which has happened due to a hard drive loss.). I am going to pull the CDs out of the jewel cases and put them in CD wallets in alphabetical order. This is a huge undertaking since I have at least 1300 CDs (probably over 1500 by now), so it might not happen for several months, but I already have the wallets for when I am ready. (below is some of the CDs that are stacked inside of the boxes):
6. Clean up Lightroom libraries and adjust my workflow - For years, I had no real way to manage my photos. I would just throw them in a folder and edit them when I had time. I have been going through old photos of my two beloved dogs that passed away in 2014 (4 months apart) to put together books for each of them and found that I had duplicate photos all over the place with no easy way to segregate them from photos of other subjects. It has been quite a pain trying to gather everything. Luckily, one of the books is done (I give really high marks to the Blurb plug in for Lightroom) and I am getting closer to finishing the second book. However, my plan is to make sure my new workflow consists of new folders by date and tags for each subject and place. Also, I am going to work through my older pics to create new catalogs and tag them by subject matter.
7. Take more photos - My favorite subjects to shoot were the 2 pups I mentioned above and when they went away, I completely lost my zeal for photography. However, it is a new year and I want to get back into photography. When I wrote the "happy photographer" post, I never thought I would take so much time off from taking photos. My goal is to spend at least an hour a week taking photos and to post a new photo on nearly a daily basis, which is how I started in photography several years ago.
8. Learning and practice - While taking more photos is great for getting better at photography, I also need to take more time to learn all of the features of my camera and to utilize them more often. I take most of my photos in Aperture mode, which is great, but I want to get more creative with double exposures, HDR, etc. Also, there is a world of information out there, so I need to make more time for learning and then, more importantly, putting what I learned into practice.
9. Video - This year I want to start utilizing video in my posts and maybe start adding to my very sparse YouTube channel. I noticed that I personally prefer video for learning about new subjects. I have mentioned Kelbyone and Lynda.com in the past, but even when I just want to learn about a new product, I usually turn to Youtube for reviews or demonstrations. When I started the "uofmtiger.com" website several years ago it was because I was sponging off of others (not that there is a problem with that) and felt like it was a way to give back. Also, I was reading a lot of incorrect information about products on certain forums and it gave me a platform for setting the record straight about those products from my perspective. I am finding that I am turning more often to video these days, so I feel that video is simply a way to add back to the community in a more complete way. I will still continue to compliment the videos with writing, since it is easier to use for reference material, but I just want the site to be more complete despite my reservations about learning something completely new and putting more of myself out on the web. (DONE)
10. Use and appreciate the tech I own - this is similar to #8 above, but I am also referring to using more features on my iPhone, for example, to help with organization and sticking to routines. In other words, utilizing Weight Watchers app, Health, MyFitnessPal, etc.. I saw a recent video showing how to take 360 Panoramas with an iPhone, for example, and I would like to try it out. If you read this site very often, you know I like new tech, but there is something to be said for using and appreciating fully the stuff you already have. In the past, I would buy a new lens or something, use it a month and then start looking for something new. I need to take more time to fully appreciate the things I own versus focusing on the stuff I don't own.
As you can see, I have a lot to do this year, but in a way, it will make future years that much more productive and fulfilling.
8. Learning and practice - While taking more photos is great for getting better at photography, I also need to take more time to learn all of the features of my camera and to utilize them more often. I take most of my photos in Aperture mode, which is great, but I want to get more creative with double exposures, HDR, etc. Also, there is a world of information out there, so I need to make more time for learning and then, more importantly, putting what I learned into practice.
9. Video - This year I want to start utilizing video in my posts and maybe start adding to my very sparse YouTube channel. I noticed that I personally prefer video for learning about new subjects. I have mentioned Kelbyone and Lynda.com in the past, but even when I just want to learn about a new product, I usually turn to Youtube for reviews or demonstrations. When I started the "uofmtiger.com" website several years ago it was because I was sponging off of others (not that there is a problem with that) and felt like it was a way to give back. Also, I was reading a lot of incorrect information about products on certain forums and it gave me a platform for setting the record straight about those products from my perspective. I am finding that I am turning more often to video these days, so I feel that video is simply a way to add back to the community in a more complete way. I will still continue to compliment the videos with writing, since it is easier to use for reference material, but I just want the site to be more complete despite my reservations about learning something completely new and putting more of myself out on the web. (DONE)
10. Use and appreciate the tech I own - this is similar to #8 above, but I am also referring to using more features on my iPhone, for example, to help with organization and sticking to routines. In other words, utilizing Weight Watchers app, Health, MyFitnessPal, etc.. I saw a recent video showing how to take 360 Panoramas with an iPhone, for example, and I would like to try it out. If you read this site very often, you know I like new tech, but there is something to be said for using and appreciating fully the stuff you already have. In the past, I would buy a new lens or something, use it a month and then start looking for something new. I need to take more time to fully appreciate the things I own versus focusing on the stuff I don't own.
As you can see, I have a lot to do this year, but in a way, it will make future years that much more productive and fulfilling.
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