the one big secret to organizing and preserving your photos

The amount of photos we take these days often makes us wish for an "easy button"--a way to organize and preserve your photos easily.  The truth is, there IS one big secret to successfully organize and preserve your photos.

It's you.  It really is.

Here are three tips to make organizing and preserving photos a little easier on you:

1. Keep in mind that {the most meaningful way to preserve photos is in print}.  If you have 1,000 photos on a flash drive somewhere, you'll probably never look at them again.  If photos are preserved with their story (usually in a book of some kind), they're accessible and more likely to be seen and appreciated.  Recalling happy memories increases self-esteem creates connections.  And it has actually been shown to increase happiness in the present!
2. If you have a lot of photos, you will probably have to just choose your favorites for printing and preserving.  And that's okay!  In fact, it's necessary if you don't want to be {stuck under a mountain of photos}.
3. After you take photos, download them to your computer for printing as soon as possible.  I make it part of my routine.  My recommended print options are listed here, and I only recommend heirloom-quality digital photo-storybooks!  

UPDATE 2022:  For permanent, private photo storage that you OWN (you don't rent by paying a monthly fee), I highly recommend Forever Storage.  It's guaranteed for your lifetime plus 100 years, and there's even an app for your phone that you can set up to auto-sync your photos from your phone to your (free) Forever account.  Click those links for more information. 

I would say that these are important things to have in the back of your mind WHILE you take photos, too.  If you know having 400 photos from one vacation is going to overwhelm you, think twice before you take 400 photos.  It's much better to have SOME photos that you will see and love than none at all.

UPDATE 2022:  You might also benefit a lot from my 3-part Photo Organization and Preservation classes.  You can catch the recordings of them right here!

Part 1: Organizing and Decluttering Photos

Part 2: Solutions for Preserving and Storing Photos (and the difference between the two!)

Part 3:  10 Strategies for Consistency

The next thing to do is MAKE TIME to preserve your photos and memories.  

There are some great solutions are listed up at the "don't have time?" tab along the top of this blog, as well as some blog posts with time management tips on how to "prune" your days (I love that word) to make time for important things. 

Another fantastic thing to know about is the opportunities to get together with others in our memory-keeping community online and work together!  Find the latest at "Our Community & Events."  Most of them are free!

This photo yearbook was made with a free template {right here}.

As nice as an "easy button" would be, YOU are the key--the main ingredient--in organizing and preserving your photos.  If you didn't click the "stuck under a mountain of photos" link in the second bullet point, go back and read it.  That article identifies several ways to make organizing and preserving your photos a more manageable task.

And once you get started, it's fun!  Good times can be re-lived!  People you haven't seen in a long time can be seen again!  Photos are truly a gift.  They can create connections and a sense of purpose and belonging.  And what's even better is that the process of preserving photos has a grounding, centering effect while lowering stress.

Just not while photos are left in their digital form.