In a previous post, I shared my approach to dealing with new photographs. But it’s just the tip of the iceberg, isn’t it? Think of all the photos you’ve accumulated over the years. Some are hiding in your closets and drawers, bags and pockets, in between paper, memorabilia, or clothes. Some may be partially sorted into photo albums that have never been completed. I’m sure you’d love to have all your photos nicely sorted in photo albums, arranged in scrapbooks, or beautifully framed. But just the thought of the task ahead paralyses you. This is what I suggest to get you moving in the right direction.
A good-enough approach to photos sorting
Phase 1: Photos sorting
- Gather photographs from all around your home in one location, ideally where you’ll have space to spread them out.
- Sort your photos in broad categories e.g. by year (or periods if you struggle to remember the exact year), by life stage (as a child, teenager, student, spouse, parent, etc.), by event (trips, celebrations, etc.), by person, etc. If there are pictures that you don’t want to keep, get rid of them right away, but don’t spend time at this stage agonising over whether you should keep them or not. If you’re concerned that humidity will damage your prints, put them in transparent sleeves with sachets of silica.
- Gather shoe boxes and assign a category to a box. If you combine several categories together, make sure to use dividers in between so that they don’t end up all mixed up. Also, make sure to leave some room in each box in case you come across additional photos so that you can easily add them onto the relevant box.
- Label your boxes.
You may want to stop at this stage – until the kids have left home or you’ve retired, or even for good, there’s nothing wrong about this. Having all your photos stored in one single location and broadly sorted is already a big step compared to having them scattered all over the place.
Phase 2: Photos organising
If you can spare a bit more time and no longer feel overwhelmed by the extent of the work to be done, consider the following options:
Put your photos into photo albums or create scrapbooks. For that, tackle one category or box at a time. Start by purging: eliminate the duplicates, the ones that are blurred, out of focus, unflattering, etc. to keep only the best ones. Invest in identical photo albums for all your photos so that they’ll look better on your shelves.
Frame your best pictures. Or do a photo collage – check Pinterest for amazing ideas. Arrange them around a theme and try various combinations before buying the frames and putting them on the wall.
Digitise them. If you prefer to keep your photos in a digital format to save some space or because you’re worried they’ll get damaged over time, scan them. Either invest in a scanner to get the best quality, download an app on your phone such as CamScanner by Insig, or outsource the work to a third party.
You don’t have to tackle everything in one go, in fact, you should rather work gradually but regularly on this – whether it’s 15 minutes per day, 1 hour during the weekend or 2 half-days during your holiday. As usual, I’d advise you to book the time in your diary if you want to make it happen.
What about the digital pictures?
I’ve focused above on print pictures, but the approach is similar for your backlog of digital pictures. Consolidate your digital photos from your various devices into a Photos folder. Then create sub-folders for your categories and assign your photos to the right sub-folder. Come up with a naming convention e.g. yearmonth_event (201602_Housewarming party) for the sub-folders and photos so that it’s easy to find them. Save them in a smaller size or buy an external disk to free up some space on your computer. Don’t forget to back up your Photos folder. Then if you wish, print some to be framed or put into photo albums.
It’s really a question of letting go of your all-or-nothing mindset when it comes to dealing with photo backlog. Finding the right balance between a satisfactory outcome and the time you are prepared to put in for this task will ensure that the task stays a pleasure not a chore. Need help to kick start the journey? Reach out now!
See related publications:
- How to organise kids’ schoolwork
- A books’ lover cum professional organiser books’ decluttering approach
- How To Restore Order Into Your Overflowing Inbox
Thanks Nathalie.. I’m mentioned in here about 1/2 way down !!! I’m now an empty nester.. I have the time but not the inclination – yet! So far I have the prints nicely boxed w dividers the years from baby to about 10yo when digital took over! I stress about these becoming ruined due to mould. I have purchased, ( still boxed,) An expensive scanner….BUT I also have the favs framed and in albums .. I Need to collate !! Would love any tips to go forward .. apart from just start ! Do I actually need to dismantle the framed ones? I’ve been procrastinating for ( yrs now !
Hi Lynne,
Thanks for sharing your situation here. And well done what you’ve achieved so far!
At this stage, I think the next question to ask yourself is what it is that you are trying to achieve – do you just want to preserve your photos or have them in a format – whether frames, photo albums or books, or digital photo albums – that you can enjoy on your own or with your loved ones?
Once you have more clarity on your goals, ask yourself how you want to organise / display your photos: by theme, by person, by year etc. It’ll help you plan the execution of this project – and also decide whether to dismantle your framed ones or not.
If the execution is too daunting, break it down into small steps and reward yourself once you’ve achieved an intermediate target.
If you have a lot of pictures to digitise, maybe outsource the task? There must be professionals in your area that provide this type of service, or engage the help of a student, teenager amongst your relatives to do it in exchange of a small fee or gift 🙂
Good luck and keep me posted on how you progress!