It works. My 10 Minutes Daily Plan really works.
I know it works for other people because they've told me, but to be honest with you, I had never tried it myself because I'm so consistent at saving my photos to the cloud and to my computer (2 digital versions like photo experts recommend) as well as saving them in print (as photo experts also recommend) due to my, well, addiction to digital scrapbooking with Artisan by FOREVER.
When I came up with my 10 Minutes Daily Plan in late 2023, I knew it was a good idea, for all the reasons I mention in the plan, but I didn't realize that it would also work for me!
Here's My Story
My photo preservation habits were only lacking one thing when I met FOREVER in 2021: a trustworthy cloud backup that could serve as a digital legacy (something I could pass down).
I already preserved my photos in scrapbook pages along with the memories that go with them, and I already preserved them on my computer with a backup on an external hard drive because I know computers can crash without warning.
But I will never forget the day that I finished backing up my photos onto the external hard drive and placed it in the basket where it goes. Right next to my computer monitor.
And I realized: If something happens to THIS ROOM (water leak, fire, anything), all my digital photos are gone. GONE.
If something happens to my house (since that's where my scrapbooks are), ALL my photos in any form are gone. COMPLETELY GONE.
It's a much longer story, but let's just say I'm incredibly thankful to have met Forever Cloud Storage through a friend.
Since then, I back up all the photos on my computer to Forever Cloud instead of an external hard drive. Photo experts recommend that the 2 ways you store digital photos (and videos) are onsite (at your house) and offsite (in the cloud). So NOW I can really check that box.
How I Used the 10 Minutes Daily Plan
But what about photos from 1997 and from my parents' wedding and my baby pictures?
From when I was a teenager in the 1980s until about 2007, I only took photos with a film camera. I put them in paper-and-scissors scrapbook pages. They were the only copies of them anywhere in existence. No backup. Except those awful negatives.
So I set out to take my own advice and try my own plan! I chose 7:00-7:10am every day (which I did almost every day). I used my home scanner in my office and got to work scanning these beauties.
What I Learned That I Want You to Know
I was actually a little surprised at what I learned and how much it impacted me. I know how important our photos really are to our hearts and souls. So, this is something I really want you to know:
I had been dragging my feet a little about starting all that scanning because I thought it was such a huge project. Dread kept me from starting.
But it was the most delightful and enjoyable project! I looked forward to it every day. I saw little faces I haven't seen for 20 years (because they're older now), remembered special moments, re-lived and re-loved the memories of my life.
And one day while doing my scanning, I realized that it didn't feel like a big project any more.
Part of that feeling came, I'm sure, from the fact that I was only spending 10 minutes a day on it instead of reserving a whole weekend or something. But I know, too, that part of that feeling came from how much fun I was having. It didn't seem like a big deal because it was so fun.
Just Do It! Please.
Whatever your photo project is, just do it. Please. 🙏 You will be so happy that you did! It will MATTER. It will make a difference.
Get started by following the steps here, or come back next month on the first Friday for a new blog post with a comprehensive tutorial video that will help you with whatever photo project has been patiently waiting for you to make time for it.
Just start with one thing. And see if that project isn't as big as you think!
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