Step 1: Delete. Delete. Delete.
We’ve talked about this before...and I’m as guilty as anyone...as you can see! But trust me, if you get into this habit it won’t be such a big job. So take a few minutes, go through all your photos, and delete duplicates and anything that doesn't spark a little joy for ya. Be ruthless and repeat after me: I do not need 18 photos of <insert child's name here> doing that really cute thing.
Step 2: Create your albums.
Most, if not all smartphone galleries organize photos into albums. Take two minutes and create a few albums that make sense for you.
I have 8 in total. You can try: family | screenshots | vacation | videos | other
Step 3: Sort.
Ok, so you’ve deleted all the duds, you have albums, now just get your Marie Kondo on and start sorting! It’s slightly different for every phone, but usually, you just click sort or edit, then start selecting all the photos from one category, then move them into the corresponding album. Voila! A beautifully curated smartphone gallery!
Step 4: Maintain. Maintain. Maintain.
Ok, guys, this is the key. Once you’ve finished, set an alarm on your phone or create an event in Google Calendar for a time you KNOW you’re going to be mindlessly scrolling Facebook. Set it for the same time every week. Maybe it’s right after you put the kids to bed, maybe it’s first thing in the morning. But once a week, set aside 10 minutes to delete and organize your photos. I promise it won't take too much time and you'll feel so much better once it's all organized. And your phone will be faster!
Now that you're organized, you can move on to printing your photos - here's why.