TIPS

Your children don’t need your clutter, but they really do want your story. It's part of their story too. Editing your photos (printed and digital) allows you to tell the essence of your narrative; thereby, reducing an overwhelming number of photos into a manageable and enjoyable collection. Keep the best quality photos and let go of the rest. If you get discouraged, remind yourself that you want … [Read more...]

Organizing and pruning your memories can be a memory-flooding process; so, prepare for a potentially emotional experience. You might be overcome by a flood of different feelings, and that's okay. It's part of the process. Set aside a time when you will not be distracted or feel pressured. Shawn Achor, author of The Happiness Advantage, has this nugget of advice that I love: ”Access a … [Read more...]

Eventually, you'll have your photos culled down to the best-of-the-best and you'll be ready to organize them into a cohesive story. I love puzzles and often imagine piles of disorganized family photos as a jumble of jigsaw puzzle pieces. The goal is to find the pieces that fit together and the order that tells your story. It can be a wonderful experience if you focus on the story rather than the … [Read more...]

Avoid burning out while you embark on your new photo organizing habit by starting with sprints, not marathons. Schedule more frequent organizing sessions and keep them short, perhaps 20 or 30 minutes. This will help you stay focused and get in the photo organizing habit. In the beginning, you'll be culling your photos rather than organizing, so short, frequent sessions will work well. You'll build … [Read more...]

Marie Kondo's famous organizing system, the KonMari Method, started with her bestselling book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. Many of her principles can be applied to photo organizing. (In fact, she discusses photo organizing in her work.) Here are two of my favorites from Marie: 1.) Ask yourself: "Does this spark joy?" If it does, keep it. If it doesn't, dispose of it. 2.) Tidy in the … [Read more...]

Benjamin Franklin famously wrote, "For every minute spent in organizing, an hour is earned." Sign me up for extra hours in the day! That sounds almost like time traveling. Start the new year with a renewed determination to get your photos organized. Mark scheduling sessions on your calendar and stick to them. While you are earning those hours with a more efficient, accessible photo collection, … [Read more...]