Declutter Challenge Week 4: Photos

I think there are basically two types of people when it comes to photos. Those who display pictures in their homes and make photobooks and those who don’t do anything with the pictures they take. No matter what group you fall into you can still participate in this week’s declutter challenge category of photos and home videos. I’ll explain the easy decluttering steps below.

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Step1: Gather

This week I would recommend gathering your items in a slightly different way than normal.

First, go room by room and look at any pictures that are currently being displayed. Ask the questions below and decide.

Next, gather all of your photo albums, photo books, and yearbooks. Again, ask the questions below and decide.

Then collect any loose photos, ask the questions below and decide.

Also, do you have any picture frames not currently in use?

Lastly, look through any home videos, ask the questions below, and decide.

*Optional (but highly recommended!!), declutter the DIGITAL images and videos you have saved. This could take a long time if you have never deleted any digital images before. Think of all the unnecessary and duplicate images you have saved. Try to go through one month (of one year) per night.

Tip: I spend a little time every single month going through the digital photos and videos I have saved from the month before and delete anything I no longer want. This makes finding pictures I like when creating photo books that much faster and easier.

Step 2: Ask Questions

In my opinion, I think quality over quantity is always a good goal when displaying and keeping photos of you and your family. With that in mind, ask these questions when deciding if an image is worth saving;

Do I like this photo?

Is it a duplicate?

How is the image quality?

Will I ever display this photo (in a book or on the wall)?

Does this photo remind me of a good (or important) time in my life?

Which is the better image of the same scene/event?

Would I ever regret getting rid of this?

How do I feel when looking at this photo (or do I have no attachment to it?)?

Step 3: Decide

This week your decision is easy, keep or toss.

But before you get rid of any photos or videos make sure you consider if anyone in your family would be mad or sad if you tossed/deleted it. In this case, you may want to consult your family members about those particular images and videos. Pictures and home videos can be very sentimental items to people.

When in doubt, digitalize the photo or video and get rid of the physical copy!

Bonus Steps: Clean & Organize

This category in particular is a great one to take a step further and actually organize your photos. A lot of people say that they need to do this but never get around to it. This week actually get it done!

Typically, photos are organized chronologically. But you could also choose to organize by person, event, or setting (like vacations).

I like to make one photo book every year. Plus, I’ve made a baby book for each of my kids depicting my pregnancy and their first year of life. I love looking through our wedding photo book on our anniversary.

Are there any photos you want to put in frames and display?

Do any of your frames need an updated photo?

Should some loose photos be digitalized and the physical copy thrown out?

I hope you join me next week for our next category of the Declutter Challenge!

Go back to Declutter Challenge Week 3: Books