Decluttering Your Hard Copy Photos

0:00 [upbeat music] The Declutter Queen with Avery Kendall. So if you haven't tuned in yet, this is the show where we simplify your space, your habits, and your mindsets so you can focus on what matters most. I'm Avery Kendall, the declutter queen, and today we're diving into one of the most emotional kinds of clutter: photographs. [camera clicking] Now, full disclosure, along my journey in life, I have so many people asking, perhaps begging me to do an episode about photographs, and I get it. It's a tough one.

0:40 So we're gonna dive into that today and hopefully help you if this is something that you're interested in. So from boxes of old prints to endless phone selfies, photo clutter can be one of the hardest things to deal with because it's not just stuff. It's memories, it's moments, it's people we love, and sometimes people we've lost. But here's the truth. When everything is saved, nothing really stands out. Decluttering your photos isn't about erasing your past. It's about honoring it with intention. So I wanna talk about how to thoughtfully declutter your photos, both physical and digital, so your memories can shine instead of overwhelm.

1:32 So before we dive into this practical part of decluttering our photos, I was recently sent a fantastic article from a good friend. It was published in The New York Times, and the title of the article was "The Neuroscience of Decluttering." I'm gonna give a little shout-out to Terri DeMonte for sending it to me. I highly recommend you checking it out. And without recapping the whole article, I just wanted to pull some of the gems out. So the article points to the fact that our brains are sometimes resistant of change, and this can sometimes cause resistance to getting rid of things. Quoting the article briefly, [paper rustling] "One way to make change easier is to switch from the standpoint of possessor to buyer. Instead of asking, 'Do I want to keep this?' ask, 'Would I buy this today?' Modifying the decision-making framework can help decisions be choices rather than losses."

2:39 [paper rustling] The article goes on to say how letting go isn't hard because the objects themselves are objectively so precious, but rather it is hard because the brain sees it as changing who we are and our brains will resist this. But if we were to take a step back and use our imagination and connection to others to see the problem in a new way, we can more purposefully let go of the things that aren't serving us without losing the core of who we are. [upbeat music] Thought this was really interesting food for thought in that our brains might actually help or not help us to declutter. I suggest checking out that article.

3:35 So let's start with why should we declutter our photos? You might wonder, "Why even bother? They're just in a box," or, "They're all on my phone. They're not hurting anyone." But here's what photo clutter actually does. It creates a low-level sense of disorganization, it makes it hard to find the good stuff, and it becomes a burden instead of a joy. So think about it. When you've got thousands or even hundreds of duplicate photos on your phone, you can't really pick out the gems, and the same thing goes for boxes.

4:16 You wanna be able to find what you need, and a lot of those photos are extra and not necessary. Maybe the most important reason why we should declutter our photos is when you pare down your collection, remember you're not throwing away your history. Far from it. You're making space to actually enjoy your history. [upbeat music] So let's start clearing space emotionally and physically. You know me and I like my steps. So let's start with physical photos, the tangible kind, step by step.

4:56 The first thing to do is to start by gathering boxes, albums, envelopes, everything from the pre-digital era I'll call it, and put it out in one area. This will require a space where you can probably have more than one day to work with. Pull out all your photo albums. You know those ones from the Stone Ages where you pull the sheet and there's the picture? Get all those albums, shoe boxes, drugstore envelopes, whatever you got. Bring it all into one space. [camera clicking] And now the second step is to sort quickly. We'll deal with the emotions later. So what do I mean?

5:41 Flip through each photo and sort them into three piles, and yes, this is gonna mean taking them out of those albums. The keep pile. They're clear, meaningful, joyful. You know you want them. Then there's the let go pile. So those would be blurry, duplicates, random scenery that you don't remember, people you don't recognize. Those go- Let go. And then of course, there's that third pile of maybes. You're not sure yet, and that's okay. Here's a little tip. If it's a duplicate or if you have two pictures that are the same, take a minute to look. Keep the best version. You don't need four prints of the same birthday cake from your child's 10th birthday.

6:29 You just need one. The third step is to curate albums or bins. You're going to find a process that works for you. Personally, I love photo boxes. So photo boxes, I buy a bunch of them, and then I sort within the boxes. This way you don't need to have any special treatment of the photos. They just go in. So you might wanna label these boxes. You might wanna do years or events. You figure it out. Trips. You're gonna put the photos you're keeping into boxes, and maybe label them outside. Usually, they'll come with a little labeling tool.

7:14 And then you just have boxes with the photos in that you can store easily. And you know what? Involve your family if they're willing. They sometimes can help to identify people or create a shared memory day. It actually turns this decluttering into storytelling. Remember, as you sort, the let goes, they're in the garbage. You might wanna return to the maybes. Do I need this? Do I not need that? You're gonna get rid of a lot. A friend of mine did this recently and she said, "I can't believe how many duplicates, how many pictures that I didn't need. I was able to really look through."

7:55 She said, "I made a box for my mother, a box for my cousin." So it's a really worthwhile task, and then you're gonna have what you really need. You'll know what's in there, and it's a really wonderful process to go through. [upbeat music] Let's turn to decluttering your digital photos. Onto the beast I call it, the phone. Cloud storage, even maybe a camera roll with 17,000 images. You first wanna start with recent photos. So begin with the last 30 days.

8:43 Delete any accidental shots, any screenshots you don't need. I personally take screenshots of so many things, recipes, instructions. If you don't need it, get rid of it. Obviously, any blurry or duplicate photos, they can go. And photos of things that you no longer need, get rid of them. Easy peasy, you'll get rid of tons. Make simple albums or tags. So for example, you're able to make albums within the photos you're keeping. So make one vacations. Slot all of your vacation photos into there. Kids, certain years maybe you wanna categorize. Favorite moments.

9:31 Maybe you want an album of your pets. Make albums and slot them in just as if these photos were tangible. Even though they're digital, you can still put them in albums. And this will help you at the end of the day enjoy the photos you're keeping rather than endlessly scrolling trying to find what you need. Another step for you to take advantage of is to use technology to help you. Use the favorites tab to highlight the best of the best. Use apps like Google Photos or Apple's Memories to create highlight reels. Have the photos work for you.

10:12 You may even want to, going forward, set aside five minutes a week to delete and organize. We constantly take pictures. We constantly need to go through them. And again, remember the last time you went on that trip with your friend and you took seven pictures of the same thing? I get it. We wanna make sure we at least have one good one, but you can probably get rid of six. So you're gonna... It's gonna take time. You're gonna have to work on it. Do it. It's worth it. And again, what I like to do is make these declutters a habit. Declutter your photos while you're waiting at the doctor's office, maybe while you're on the couch during commercial breaks, or during any other downtime of your day.

10:57 [upbeat music] So preserving and enjoying your memories. Decluttering is just the beginning. Now comes the good part. So from your digital phones, print your favorites. Don't let your favorite beautiful pictures live forever in a cloud. Choose 10 to 20 favorites a year and add them to your photo books. Print them up. You can display them with purpose. Maybe one of those pictures you've been meaning, oh, it's a framer. Now's the time. Get some beautiful frames and show them off. Enjoy them. That's what photos should be.

11:48 You may wanna share with loved ones. Take a few moments from the week. Send old family photos to siblings, cousins, parents. Create a dialogue about them. Create digital albums for grandparents or parents. Spread these memories. They will be so appreciated, I promise you. When anybody sends me an old picture, I'm so grateful, and I do the same to them. I send a picture, and we have a beautiful little moment of a story. It creates connection. So don't have it just sitting in your phone. Share them. And as usual, back the ones up that you wanna keep. Use cloud storage, maybe an external drive.

12:31 You want your nicely curated decluttered collection to last. Remember, decluttering your photos isn't about deleting your history. It's about choosing what you wanna honor, what you wanna remember, and what deserves space in your life. When you clear the noise, you make room for real joy, and you're more likely to look at and share these memories more. I really wish you well on this journey. It sometimes can be difficult, but at the end of the day, you're gonna have a collection of photos to keep.

13:13 You may have some framers on your mantle that you so appreciate having, and you may share a few gems with friends and family. Good luck. [upbeat music] Thanks for listening to The Declutter Queen with Avery Cundall. For more decluttering tips and tricks, go to thedeclutterqueen.ca. Produced and distributed by The Sound Off Media Company.