Keys to Photo Organizing Success

Happy New Year! I love the freshness of a new year and all the potential it holds. This quote by Lao Tzu is one of my favorites. When I think of his words in terms of organizing the thousands of photos on our iPhones, iPads and computers, I think of the question I often get asked by individuals who are overwhelmed by their messy photo libraries, “how do I begin?”

Begin by taking a little time to write down your why — why would you like to organize your photos? Why is it important? What will it mean to you, your family and your friends in a year? In five years? In 20 years?

Then write down your goals. Having goals motivate you to take action and make progress on your photo organizing project.

Also, write down what you wish to learn about your photos as you organize your collection. Are there stories associated with certain photos that you’d like to capture? Are there family members in digitized images that need to be identified? Write down anything and everything that will inspire and motivate you to keep organizing consistently.

Finally, set an overall deadline for completing your project as well as multiple mini deadlines for incremental progress. Schedule these deadlines on your calendar. Then schedule regular appointments for working on your project, even if it’s 30 minutes a week. Every step counts.

All good wishes to you! May you experience an extraordinarily delightful year.