Learning moment, I guess

So remember the pictures I posted a couple of days ago? How I always write everything down and how it got way too messy? Well, to prevent that, I started writing everything down in Word straight away. I set up a file to help me make the most clear presentation of all of my sources, including the link, source, author, date and important bits that I wanted to use. With editing video on number one, making a list of all my sources is probably my second most hated journalistic obligation, but I sat down day after day and got it done. No more messy notebooks for me!

The one small detail I hadn’t completely thought through is the other document I had left open in Word, an older version of my sources. No big deal, Word leaves it open for like a few weeks before it actually closes the file on it’s own. I had forgotten all about it until last night, when Word asked me to save it before shutting down my laptop. I hit save, put my laptop away and went to bed, not thinking about it for another second. This morning I got up thinking I’d actually be productive today and that I’d start writing out my first try on the final essay. I opened up my source list and, yup, you got that right, everything was gone.

So after assessing the damage, it seems like I’ve lost about 3-4 weeks of research. I can find some of the websites I used back in my browsing history, but thanks to paywalls, I’ve been working in incognito-mode a lot. I was actually saying in the last meeting with Jos, Annelies, Sabien and I that it really felt like I was working so much more effectively now, that doing this cost so much time but that it would be worth it in the end and that I was glad I was doing it this way. Now, I wish I had stuck to those messy notebooks, because at least paper is permanent. I was supposed to start writing my first take on the final essay today, but instead I’m back to square one. I guess this is a learning moment, right? I almost forgot how much fun learning is. I’m really enjoying myself. It’s great. Would recommend. Just… Great.