Getting Digital Photos Organized

Raise your hand if you have a bajillion family digital photos sitting on a computer or in your phone. I have a computer full of digital photos, cloud services full of photos, a phone full of photos, memory cards full of photos, and drawers full of photos.

I’m a photo hoarder.

I love photography and try to capture as many moments as possible whether it’s with my phone or with my camera. So, naturally, as a hoarder, I don’t want to delete or get rid of any photos because I never want to lose those memories.

When it comes to other aspects of my life, I’m all about purging. I go through my closets all the time and donate clothes, shoes, etc. I absolutely hate clutter throughout the home. Our counter tops only have a few items on them, our decor is simple and rustic, and our closets are organized. But, I have a problem with photos. I just can’t get rid of them so I need to find a solution.

Thankfully, in a few weeks my absolutely generous boss is giving me a month long paid sabbatical so that I can take a bit of a break, get a fresh perspective, and hit the ground running when I get back to work in January.

As I prepare to be out of the office for a month and get my team ready to cover in my absence (read: pulling long hours to get everything in place and organized), I can’t help but look forward to spending time gathering my thoughts, getting some me time, relaxing, spending time with family, and enjoying the holiday season.

I also can’t help but think about ways to fill my time. My husband asked, “What are you going to do when you’re not working?” He knows that I’m a bit of a workaholic and I can’t sit still or not have a million things on my plate at any given time. I thrive with a to do list.

So, naturally, I’m creating a to do list of items that I’ve been wanting to accomplish for a few years now.

Winter Photography To Do List

When it comes to photography, here are the items that are making it onto my sabbatical to do list:

Organize my photos both physically and electronically
Print some of my favorite photos to display throughout the home
Create a “Year One” photo book of my son
Create a “Year Two” photo book of my son (he’s turning two on Christmas Eve … eek!)
Put plans into place to easily create a “Year Three” photo book
Establish a photo organization system that can be easily maintained