Useful things,
kept simple.

A useful README answers three questions: what does this project do, how do you run it, and what should you check when something goes wrong?

Start with the shortest working command. Put configuration examples beside it, with secrets replaced by obvious placeholders. If a step depends on a particular version, say which one.

The best test is to leave the project alone for a while, then follow your own instructions. Anything you have to remember belongs in the file.

Keep the backup routine smaller than the problem it is supposed to solve. Start with the files you cannot recreate, store a copy away from the original, and write down the restore steps.

Configuration often matters as much as data. Permissions, service definitions, and the version of a tool can be the difference between a saved folder and a working system.

Try restoring to a separate location before you need to. A quiet afternoon is a better time to discover a missing file than the middle of an outage.

A calendar can hold meetings and deadlines. It is less good at holding the pause between them: a walk, a book, or a conversation that takes longer than expected.

Leaving a little space is not the same as having no plan. It makes the plan easier to live with when the day changes.

One unclaimed stretch of time is a reasonable place to start.