Good afternoon, friends.  Its another rainy day, here, in the Land of Little Girls.  Dancing in the rain, included.  That also means I don’t have to go out an water my herbs, right?

Remember that totally awesome redhead I told you about on Monday?  The one I wrote my first guest post for?  Well, Lauren so generously offered to help out during my no-computer time.  Is she wonderful or what?

Today, Lauren will use her crazy writing skills to talk to us about keeping up with a blog during a computer crisis.  And what better topic to write about in a time like this?  Take it away, Lauren!

I have to admit that when I heard about Meghann’s computer situation, I thought, “Yikes. That stinks. Glad it’s not me!”

I then remembered when I thought my motherboard was going out (turns out it was just full of dust…) back in March. We were without a computer for a few days, and everything seemed to come to a halt. I was able to scramble to the library to get my actual work done, but just wasn’t able to keep up with the blog. I was in Meghann’s situation, and could easily be there again.

So what can we do if we find ourselves computer-less? Do we just give up and let our blogs go for a week or two…hop back on later and say, “Hey guys…sorry about that one?”

I say, “No.” I say we prepare ourselves with a plan. Next time our computer dies, slows down, or explodes, we dig up that plan and hit the ground running.

Okay. So, let’s say it’s Monday morning. You blindly mash the ‘on’ button on the coffee pot, rub your eyes a bit, and sit down at your laptop. You try to turn on the computer. Nothing happens. Your heart starts to beat a little bit faster. You suddenly forget about your coffee. You start muttering despicable words that are punctuated by forceful button pushing, key tapping, and your forehead hitting the keyboard. Finally, you come to terms with the realization that your dear computer has taken the final crapper. What do you do next?

Keep calm. Assess your situation.

First order of business: Call your computer people and get that baby taken in. It would be a good idea to have this number written down somewhere other than your computer. The sooner it gets fixed, the sooner you get back online. Next, compile your computing assets. Where can you go to access the internet? The library is the easiest option. If you don’t have a card, remember, they’re free. Bring your ID and proof of your current address, and you’ll quickly be back in the game. The computers might be tyrannosaurus-ancient, and there might be a smelly dude sitting next to you, but the important thing is you’ll be connected. If you live close to a college campus, you might be able to find a computer lab you can access. Finally, don’t forget to ask your friends and family. They’ll most likely be happy to help…and maybe bake you cookies.

Re-evaluate and re-organize.

When I was in college, I had a friend break her leg in dance class…right in the middle of a busy semester. She was convinced it was God telling her to slow down. She used the time to look at her life, simplify, and prioritize (she also used the time to go with me to a Harry Potter movie, which is what I think really helped her get her life back on track), and I think we can apply that theory to the potential loss of our computers.

Stop. Take a breath. Think. What are your main goals right now? What’s working? What’s not? Use this time away from your technology to take a hard look at your successes and struggles. How are you going to change them to better your blogging?

Get Old School with your writing.

Remember…the olden times? Times when people still thought MMMBop was sung by girls? Times when scrunchies were cool and David Hasselhoff frolicked over the waves with a big floatie red-thing strapped to his back? Times when people…used a pen and paper to write? I don’t know about you guys, but my life doesn’t always allow me to go spend a couple hours at the library blogging. If you need to write and you’re stuck at home, get out the pen and paper, for goodness’ sake! Sure, it’s gonna take you a little longer…but that’s okay. We’re turning these circumstances into a lesson in simplification, right? What better way to do that than to get back to the roots of writing? Feeling that pen dragging across the paper will be good for you, I promise.

Although none of these ideas will get your computer back any faster (that’s where bribing your tech-guys with cookies comes in), I hope they’ll be helpful in getting you through this tough time. In these days, when losing your computer is like losing a thumb, a little help in these situations is always appreciated!

Lauren Bonk
http://LaurenBonk.com