Most people really value their photos. They help us to remember the good moments and the important people in our lives. However, many people feel overwhelmed with organizing the many photos we have! If you are like I was, you probably have photos stored in boxes, in closets, on random phones, or on hard drives in various computers. Accessing this media can be both frustrating and difficult. On the other hand, tackling this mess can feel overwhelming! In this article, I hope to give you some ideas to be successful in getting your photo chaos tamed.
Choose an Organization Tool/System
The first step is to figure out a photo organizational tool or system that works for you. There are a number of tools to choose from, but make sure it accomplishes the tasks you need. For example, does it allow you to do the following?
- Label your photos with Names
- Change the dates on your photos
- Mark your photos with Tags
- Group your photos with items that are related
- Search for photos in a variety of ways
- Add the stories that go with your photos
When you find a tool that will work for you, become familiar with how to use it.
Consolidate
Ideally, your photo organization tool will be in a cloud-based storage account that is:
- Redundantly backed up in multiple locations
- Private but shareable
- Securely encrypted
- Free from data mining
- Easily accessible across multiple devices
When you have chosen where to keep your memories, the next step is to consolidate all of your media in one place. Digitize the physical photos upload them to your chosen account. Upload and autosync your photos and videos that are already in a digital format. Get everything together in a safe, secure, permanent home!
Small Increments and Consistency
Photo organizing can seem like a monumental task. As I mentioned in my last article, there are
ways to accomplish a large goal:
- Break the goal into small increments. For example: choose a particular, month, year, or event to
organize. - Be consistent. Spending only fifteen minutes a day can lead to huge rewards
For more on this topic read last week’s article. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me.