If you are anything like us, you’ve probably found yourself overwhelmed by the amount of photos you’ve accumulated on your phone. Just the thought of sorting, printing, and organizing all of them makes you cringe and want to shut down. We want to do something with all of our photos to remember those precious memories, but we just don’t know how. But we’re not doing ourselves any favors by putting the task off. The easiest way to stay on top of your photos is to tackle the project head on, and then keep up with them throughout the year. We’ve come up with three simple steps to help you get started:
- Make a plan. Do you want to hang family photos in your living room, create a photo album as a family keepsake, or back them up on a hard drive to keep them safe? Decide what your end goal is before you start (one of our favorite ways to keep photos is to create one photo book for each year). This goal may change as you go, but it’s a good idea to know what you’re working towards before you start.
- Start small. Don’t attempt to tackle five years worth of photos all at once. Choose a year, a special memory, or a season of life to focus on first. If you’re making family photo albums, make albums for one year or life event at a time. Take it one project at a time, work on them when you have time, and keep going until you’ve sorted through each and every photo.
- Don’t fall behind. Once you’ve caught up on all of your photos, commit to sorting through them at least once a month. Put them in dated folders and store them on a hard drive. That way, when you’re ready to make another album or swap your frames out, they’ll all be organized and waiting for you.
Some of our favorite sources for photo organizing:
Nancy’s Ray’s Photo Organizing Course