Depending on the number of photos you have, sorting them can be quite time consuming. However, scrapping your memories becomes much easier if your photographs are already sorted.
My suggestion is to sort your photos in small chunks of time—say 10 to 20 minutes. Where you begin to sort will depend on how far you’ve come in organizing your photos. So here’s a step-by-step list to get you started.
- 1. Put all your photographs in one spot. Collect them from all the various rooms and boxes, and simply put them in one spot. By having all your photos together, it will be easier to organize.
- 2. Now sort your photos by their decade. Get a photo box for each decade, and sort your photos into their appropriate boxes.
- 3. Create some sort of divider system, using one divider per year, and sort your photos into their respective places. Just do one box at a time. Once the photos are sorted by year, proceed to organize them by event, if relevant.
- 4. Add in any relevant information, like the 5Ws or journalling notes, either on the backs of the photos with a photo safe pen, or on index cards that can be keep alongside the photos.
- 5. As you get your photos back from the developers, make note of any important details and file your photos immediately! It’ll save you a lot of time in the long run. Also remember to file photos that you pulled for scrapping but didn’t end up using.
Once your photos are organized, you’ll need to find a system of storing them that works for YOU. I’ve mentioned a couple methods in a previous article that you might find interesting, including using envelopes or photo albums.
The key is to take 15 minutes a day to organize your photos, and organize them in small steps. The task will seem much less daunting if you approach it using baby-steps. It’s also amazing how much you can get accomplished over a short period of time.