Backups: set them up once
How to make your data survive failure and loss: three copies, automation, an off-site copy, passwords and codes, and a real restore test.

[ ] List what you cannot afford to lose
    Photos, documents, work files, conversations, passwords, family archives. Without a list, a backup covers the wrong things.
[ ] Check what is actually being backed up right now
    Open the settings and look at the date of the last successful backup. It is often six months old.
[ ] Set up automatic backups for the phone
    Photos, contacts, messages, settings. Check it happens during normal use rather than only when you press a button.
[ ] Set up a computer backup to an external drive
    Automatically and on a schedule. Manual copying \u201cwhen I remember\u201d survives about a month for everyone.
[ ] Keep one copy outside the home
    Cloud storage or a drive at a relative's. Two copies in one flat are one copy as far as fire and theft go.
[ ] Understand the difference between syncing and backup
    A file deleted by mistake vanishes from every synced place at once. You need version history or a separate backup.
[ ] Store passwords and backup codes separately
    Two-factor codes living only on one phone are the most common way people lose access to everything at once.
[ ] Scan the important documents
    Passports, contracts, diplomas, papers for property and devices. A copy in a secure place helps when an original is lost.
[ ] Rescue family archives and old media
    Film, discs, old phones, tapes. Media degrade, and in ten years it will be beyond recovery.
[ ] Check you have space in the cloud and on the drive
    Backups stop quietly when storage runs out. Set up an alert or check manually every few months.
[ ] Restore one file and open it
    The real test. A backup you have never restored from is a hope, not a reserve.
[ ] Protect backups that hold personal data
    A drive with documents and photos deserves encryption, especially if it travels with you or lives elsewhere.
[ ] Separate work data from personal data
    Work usually has its own storage rules. Keep them apart, or leaving means untangling one pile into two.
[ ] Set a reminder to check the backups
    Every three to six months: last backup date, free space, a test restore. Five minutes against losing everything.

Checklist from Unload: https://unloads.me/c/data-backup