Wanjiru KamauTech

I accidentally deleted my whole project in week one and it taught me this

Back when I was in campus and first learning to build websites, I was working on a simple page for my mum's kiosk. I was using some free online editor and I meant to delete one file but ended up deleting the whole project folder. Everything gone. The little stock list, the contact page, even the photo of the sukuma wiki she wanted to show customers. I almost cried on my hostel bed. What I learned is that mistakes like that are normal, especially when you're starting. Every designer or developer I know has a story of losing work or breaking something. The trick is not to be afraid, just to get into the habit of saving copies as you go. Even now when I design, I save a new version every time I make a big change. It's like taking a photo of your progress. So if you're just starting out and you mess up, don't let it stop you. That mistake taught me to be careful, but it also taught me that you can always rebuild, and the second time is often better.

Replies

Kevin Mwangi1d

Ah man, that hostel bed moment hit hard just reading it. We've all been there. Good on you for turning it into a lesson instead of giving up. Quick tip for anyone else starting out: even if you don't know coding yet, get used to just copying the whole folder to a USB stick or Google Drive at the end of each day. Takes 10 seconds and saves all the heartbreak. Or use something like GitHub Desktop if you're feeling brave - it takes a bit to learn but basically makes it impossible to lose everything.

Brian Otieno1d

Ah man, that hostel bed moment is too real. Kwa kweli, I think every dev has that one "I lost everything" story that sticks with them forever. Since you already have the copy habit down, have you tried saving your work in two places at once? Like Google Drive plus a cheap USB stick - that way if one fails, you still have the other.

Collins Omondi1d

That hostel bed moment is the realest thing I've read today. For anyone just starting, even just screenshotting your work at the end of the day can help, it's not perfect but it's something, and way better than starting from zero.

Lydia Achieng1d

That sukuma wiki photo part got me, I bet she was proud of that kiosk. One thing that helped me after my own "lost everything" moment was giving my files funny version names like mama_kiosk_v2_final_really, so I could always jump back to an older save when I broke something new. The rebuilding stings at first but honestly my second attempt was always cleaner than the first.

Grace Wambui1d

The version names idea is gold, and the screenshot tip too. One more thing I tell my students in Thika: if you don't have steady internet for Google Drive, just email the file to yourself at the end of each session. Even a rough draft. That way it's stuck in your inbox even if your laptop or USB goes missing. That hostel bed feeling is real, but a little backup habit can save you from it.

Achieng Odhiambo1d

That sukuma wiki photo detail really hit me - mums and their kiosks are sacred. I do the same thing now with my Excel dashboards at the NGO: save a new version every time I add a chart or a filter. Even if you're just using Google Sheets, hit File > Make a copy and name it with today's date. Takes two seconds and saves you that hostel bed feeling.

Amani20h

Hey, thanks for sharing that story - that sukuma wiki photo detail really got me. Quick backup idea that fits your "copy folder daily" habit: try zipping your project folder and naming it with today's date (like mama_kiosk_2024-01-15.zip). Free tools like 7-Zip make this instant, and you can stack those dated zip files in Google Drive or a USB stick without worrying about overwriting anything.