How to Organize Photos

One of the phrases I often hear from people is "I really need to figure out how to organize photos...I have SO many photos that I've been meaning to organize for YEARS!"

And they're seriously stressed about it.

Let's get rid of that stress right now. Sound good?

Repeat after me: "Photos are not sacred."

Go ahead, it's really OK to say it. "Photos are not sacred."

You are not creating the National Archives. You CAN throw some of your photos away if you don't like them, and you can (gasp!) save them without putting them in photo albums or creating fancy scrapbooks if you want to.

I happen to love beautiful albums...but not at the cost of your peace of mind.

You can store them very simply. Or you can be elaborate. Just don’t be stressed about it.

They’re just photos.

Enjoy them, let them make you happy, and have fun with them. And let's look at how to organize photos in a way that really works for you.

First of all, keep only the photos that you really love, with people you enjoy and memories that make you smile.

Get rid of photos:

• that are blurry, have people with red eyes, or with half the person cut off
• that remind you of unhappy times or unhappy relationships
• that you can’t remember the people, the place, etc.
• too many of a similar shot (keep the best, toss the rest)
• where you don’t like how you look
• that make you feel bad or upset or fat or whatever

It’s also much better to learn how to organize photos very simply (and actually DO it) than not at all.

Here's how to organize photos the easy way:

1. Round up your photos in one place. You’ve probably got them stashed in drawers, some in albums, some in the basement…get them all in one place so you can see what you’ve got.
2. Sort them: Sort by category (whatever makes sense to you – keep this simple). Toss as many as you can as you go, sorting by person, year, event, or location. For speedy sorting, sort into piles, large envelopes, a plastic bin or recipe box with tabs that you can label, or in manila folders.

3. Choose a system to EASILY store and protect your photos. Now that you can see what you’ve got, you can decide what organizers you’ll need.
   
   Choose a VERY simple way to keep your photos. The easiest, fastest way to sort, store, and keep up with your photos is to use photo storage boxes (they’re like mini-filing cabinets for your photos). You use tabs to label each category. You can get them at places you would buy scrapbooking supplies, craft supplies, etc. Look for photo storage boxes that are acid-free.
   
   I would suggest doing this with all of your photos. It’s also a good idea to label the photos with the date, name, event, and/or location.
4. Now celebrate, because you've organized your photos!
5. Then, LATER, if you decide you want to create scrapbooks or albums at your leisure, feel free. Give yourself a break if you think you should be making scrapbook albums but don't have the time just now. Organize and protect your photos first, and give yourself permission to save the option to create scrapbooks later (if ever).
6. Maintain your new system. Whenever you process a new roll of film, get in the habit of labeling and storing photos in your photo box right away.  

(Click here to learn how to organize digital photos.)

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