Organizing a lifetime (or two or three lifetimes) of family photos can seem daunting. With the right plan, it's easy!
For the tech-savvy photo organizer, the answer is simple. Scan all your photos to make them available digitally! Let go of the photos, keep the digital device. There are even digitizing services available to help with this!
What if you're not tech savvy? You still have a lot of photos and want to simplify your collection. Follow these steps!
Gather all your photos in one place.
Liberate your photos from frames if you don't plan to keep displaying them. Donate the frames.
Remove photos from albums, if you never look at your albums. Recycle the albums.
Look at EVERY photo.
Discard out-of-focus shots or those that aren't worth keeping. Photos of scenery without people can usually go into the discard pile.
Identify the person | people in each of the remaining photos. Write names | dates | occasions on the back of each photo in pencil. Don't know who's in the photo and can't find out? Let it go - or pass it to another family member.
Sort through family photos and become the "family historian!" That means you can decide to keep "goofy" pictures of others while keeping the most fabulous photos of yourself. Since you are doing the work you get to choose how you want future generations to remember everyone.
Divide the remaining photos into piles to keep and share with family and friends.
Place photos to be shared in separate containers.
Bring these photos to your next family gathering and share the memories!
Congratulations! You have sorted and downsized your photo collection and are on your way to creating more wonderful memories!
As Senior Move Managers, we're full of great advice for organizing all the things you've collected over your lifetime. We'd love to help! Let's chat!
About the Author
Kristyn Drury is the Co-Founder of Real T Simplistic, an Associate Broker, a Certified Senior Move Manager, and a Seniors Real Estate Specialist. Kristyn loves working with senior clients and their families to help them transition and meet their relocation goals.
Nicole Hyman is the Co-Founder of Real T Simplistic, a Realtor, a NASMM Certified Senior Move Manager, and a Seniors Real Estate Specialist. Nicole enjoys working closely with seniors and their families to create a stress-free transition whether moving, downsizing or just decluttering.
Real T Simplistic Senior Move Managers is a team of experts helping seniors and their families to make "Thoughtful Moves." because moving a lifetime is always more than just a move. Real T assists with every aspect of senior transitions, from decluttering and rearranging to age in place, to downsizing or relocating to a smaller home or assisted living community. Real T prepares a personal moving plan for each client, their home and their possessions. Real T is also uniquely able to help with selling the family home, and buying or leasing a new place -- taking care of marketing the home, locating the best new home and all of the paperwork details in between. Relax. You're in the right place. We've got this.
