A Resolution for the {not} Obsessively Organized

I say in my bio that I have an obsessive need to organize. Some things in my life are organized with great detail, others well - not so much.

A recent example

I was on the family Zoom call (a weekly occurrence since March 2020) when the question of the flavor of Crumbl cookies of the week came up.

It went something like this:

L: We had that flavor (Blueberry Muffin) when we were together (March 2022).

Me: Hold, please (frantic clicking)

D: How do you remember that?

Me: Yes, we did! Good memory along with - Hazelnut Sea Salt, Snickerdoodle & Birthday Cake featuring Oreo

D: How did you figure that out?

Me: Easy, I have this photo of the Crumbl cookie menu L wrote out in an album called Food & Drink, nested in an album called 2022.03.01 Texas Trip, nested in an album called 2022, nested in an album called 2020-2029, which is in an album called Best of the Years. (I’m a big fan of the nested album feature in FOREVER)

D: Of course, you do (eye roll).

The list of Crumbl Cookie options

Why Organize Photos?

Obsessively organized – at least the photos for 2022 and part of 2023. You should see the organization of the photos from the trip to Florida. It is very impressive and there is a food and drink album for each day! But the photos from 2011-2019 – I have only managed to put in an album with the year (which isn’t hard with a filter on year and select all).

You may think that is overly organized. Why organize your photos at all? It’s not like the issue of what flavor cookie you ate in 2022 is critical. Nope, you are right, (knowing something your older sister doesn’t is always a point of pride) but being able to find a particular photo when you want it is.

We carry our phones everywhere and by extension our photos. Have you ever been in a conversation where a person will pull out their phone and say, ‘Let me show you’ and then scroll through years of photos – good, bad, and otherwise – and maybe, MAYBE, find the photo they are looking for? Wouldn’t have been great if they could have just opened FOREVER and tapped on a few albums to find what they were looking for.

Our photos are important to us, it is why we take them, it is why we save them. Why not organize them in such a way that you can easily find them again? Why not create a curated collection of your photos? A collection not just for yourself but one that you could share with your family and friends. Not on Facebook (where you are giving up ownership and actual photo size) but on a private secure site.

Organizing Resolution

One of my resolutions is to get all my photos organized. All my photos are in my FOREVER account. I am trying to get them PHOTO FIT by spending 15 minutes 3 times a week – deleting old ones, organizing them into albums, and putting the stories with them.  Just 45 minutes a week works out to almost 40 hours a year. That’s a lot of time but broken into doable chunks. You can still join me – the information will be posted here each week. Or join me twice a month on Monday nights to check in and do all your organizing then.

You will feel great with your photos organized and in a shareable format for your family and friends.

It may even help you know more than your siblings.