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When to Hire a Productivity Coach or Professional Organizer: 7 Signs to Get Outside Help

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If you feel like you’re overwhelmed and drowning in “stuff” or you never have time to get anything done, it’s time to hire a Productivity Coach or Professional Organizer.

 

A Professional Organizer and Productivity Coach can help you make a plan for getting organized, avoid time-wasting mistakes, and save you a lot of money in the long run! If attempts to get organized on your own have not led to the desired results, it may be time to get professional advice.

 

I strongly suggest you keep reading if you relate to any of the following areas:

  • Moving or renovating your home
  • Going through a major life change
  • Feeling stuck and unmotivated in life
  • Feeling overwhelmed and stressed by the amount of “stuff
  • Never have the time to get organized in your home or workspace
  • You’re ready to take your organization to the next level

 

Then now is the time to call in an expert!

 

When to Hire a Productivity Coach or Professional Organizer

 

 

Hi, I’m Sherry Borsheim, Founder of Simply Productive! I’ve been a Professional Organizer for over two decades and a Productivity Coach for 18+ years. My expertise is in helping working professionals, business owners, and busy moms calm their chaos at home and get organized at work so they can have more time, freedom, and calm in their lives.

 

 

I have truly seen it all over the years; from mountains of loose papers, 1000s of archive boxes, digital file chaos, to-do lists on notepads for years, homes literally filled to the front door, books piled against walls, overflowing closets, toys and legos scattered all over the house, and so on.

 

It doesn’t matter how much chaos and disorganization is in your space, I’m here to help you in person or virtually. As your Coach and Consultant, I’m on your team working to get you from point A → point B faster than you could do it alone!

 

 

Do’s and Don’ts of Seeking Professional Help

 

If I can tell you one thing it’s this – Do not wait until you NEED TO get it done.

 

The most frequent calls I get from clients are when a crisis hits or an important deadline is fast approaching. That’s when I get the panic text, frantic call, or email desperately searching for help.

 

My goal is to help you get organized before the pressure hits. If you know a life change is going to be approaching soon, be proactive and hire a Productivity Coach or Professional Organizer to get prepared beforehand. Dealing with a big emergency, sudden loss, or strict deadline is already a lot on its own. Throw in the pressure of decluttering or getting organized in a tight timeline and you’ve got a recipe for a stressful burnout!

 

Doing your future-self a favour early on makes these inevitable transitions smoother and a lot less stressful. Plus you’ll save yourself time and money along the way!

 

Procrastinating on the First Step

 

The ultimate goal we’re aiming for at home and in our workspace is to create more joy, peace, and freedom in your life. And you already practice this!

 

When your computer crashes and you need tech support, you call an expert to help solve your problems. If your fridge suddenly stops working, you bring in a technician to diagnose and solve the problem. So why does it take so long to ask for help and hire a Productivity Coach or Professional Organizer when it comes to clutter, disorganization, and digital disorder?

 

Often, people are embarassed, they simply don’t know how to find the right type of expert for the problem they want solved or who to call about it. But they will know the feeling of being stuck, not sure where to start, and growing tired of wasting time looking for things. This is the time to ask for help!

 

 

What is a “Professional Organizer?”

 

Professional Organizers specialize in specific areas of physical and digital organization, as well as productivity.

 

An expert Organizer may specialize in moving + downsizing, ADHD, closet organizing, closet design, performance + productivity, paper management, digital file management, and many other areas.

 

There are also common traits of Professional Organizers. The most important of which is that they are problem solvers, non-judgemental, goal-oriented, and can see through the clutter. They will help the client through the sorting and decision-making process by advising on what to keep and what to let go of.

 

Organizers are experts with a special set of skills and knowledge in both organizing and setting up systems. They are trustworthy, respectful, and there to help create order either in person with you or collaborating virtually. They also have a special skill set to see past the clutter and help to create the desired organized space. Continue reading to learn about the different services you may require when you go to hire a Productivity Coach or Professional Organizer!

 

 

A Productivity Coach + Professional Organizer in One

 

A Professional Organizer and Productivity Coach creates personalized organizing solutions for the client, making sure that they are able to maintain the systems for years to come. When you hire a Productivity Coach or Professional Organizer you will likely only receive help in areas of their individual expertise. By hiring someone with experience in both areas, you get the best of both worlds!

 

It is not sufficient to introduce organization to a space without having a system to keep up with it. This is where the expertise of a Productivity Coach compliments the abilities of an Organizer perfectly!

 

These types of Coaches are accountability partners while you’re going through each phase and truly want the very best for you, your team, and your family. They usually work with clients over many years to help level up, optimize, and maintain the organizing systems as life is not stagnant and things will always keep coming in. We all know how busy life can get!

 

A Productivity Coach works with you either in person or virtually and is an expert in several of these key areas: 

    • Time management
    • Project planning and prioritizing
    • Paper and digital file organizing
    • Calendar and to-do list balancing
    • Email systems and management
    • Systems and processes for businesses
    • Organizing Projects
    • And so much more!

 

Hiring a Professional: 7 Signs to Get Outside Help

 

Let’s take a look at the top 7 reasons that may drive someone to hire a Productivity Coach or Professional Organizer, or a combination of both:

 

  1. Overwhelmed and don’t know where to start.

  • This is the #1 reason people call me!
  • Want a fresh perspective, someone who’s non-judgmental, help to overcome the mountain of clutter and chaos
  • Don’t know where to begin decluttering or organizing
  • Analysis Paralysis
  • Stuck in a cycle of → feel depressed or anxious due to the clutter → want to do something about it → beginning → lost motivation before project completion

 

  1. Don’t know what to keep and what to get rid of.

  • Decision Fatigue (on average, we make over 5000 decisions each day)
  • Lots of sentimental items that are difficult to let go of
  • Quitting within the first 30 minutes from frustration and confusion
  • Don’t know which things you may need later in life
  • Not sure where to donate, recycle, or discard of certain items

 

  1. Life changes, transitions, or deadlines.

  • First baby on the way or adding an additional member to the family/household
  • Taking care of a loved one
  • Health changes or illness
  • A new job, temporarily not working, or retiring
  • Beginning a new school year
  • Teenagers leaving for college, university, or moving out for the first time
  • A loved one passes away
  • Moving and home renovations (believe it or not THERE IS a deadline, and most leave their panic to the last minute)

 

 

→ Ask for help today and minimize the stress in your life! Hire a Productivity Coach or Professional Organizer here.

  1. Shiny Object Syndrome.

  • Buying all the latest trending organizing products with high hopes but lacking action
  • Downloading the latest trending productivity apps but not being consistent with using them
  • Hoping something new will come along to solve their problem but it never does
  • Taking out and enjoying old photos, then realizing they’re spread all over the place and they aren’t sure how to organize them
  • Digital chaos – files and photos spread all over the place physically and digitally (on their phone’s camera roll, Dropbox, Evernote, Reminder apps, Google Drive, Google Photos, Apple Photos) with no system for organizing files and photos

 

  1. Information overload.

  • Way too many important papers to keep track of (but the clearer that gets, the better organized your workspace and home become!)
  • When they’re taking on too much, saying yes to everyone, and their schedule is beyond full, everything important takes 2nd place and piles up fast
  • The limitations of their existing systems have been met and they need to level them up
  • Getting information organized for their Life Change, Transition, or Deadline
  • A change of job
  • Move to a new home or city
  • Medical condition change
  • How to fit everything they own into a smaller home or micro-condo

 

  1. Ready to make a lasting change.

  • Have had enough of the way their life currently is and it’s no longer working for them
  • They are open-minded and ready to embrace new habits and organizing skills
  • Wanting to teach their children these life-changing skills that they will utilize in their adult life
  • Longing for personalized systems that work for them

 

  1. Not having systems in place or routines to follow.

  • Consistently can’t find important things like keys, glasses, wallets, health records, passports
  • Can’t find important digital files
  • Can’t find important business files
  • Email inbox is flooded with 1000s of emails
  • Forgetting and losing track of appointments, events, or important dates

 

 

Organizing is less about perfection and more about reducing stress and increasing efficiency. Hiring an organizer saves you time, money, and improves your quality of life.

 

Are you thinking you want to hire a Productivity Coach or Professional Organizer, but feeling like you need to clean up before you call? Then you need to know this – the help you choose to hire actually BENEFITS from seeing the mess as it naturally is! This is because it helps to see what’s working and what’s not working.

 

Reach out to an Organizer or Productivity Coach with your concerns! They can answer any questions you may have and help you calm the worry in your mind about what to expect.

 

Remember, an organized way of living brings peace and calm to your home, office, and life… so as soon as you make that first call, you’re on the right track!

 

 

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FAQ

 

Q: Does clutter really cost me time, money, and space?

 

A: Have you tried getting organized before? Maybe you’ve read a how-to book or bought a bunch of organizing products to get started, only to realize that they didn’t fit or work like you thought they would? There’s a reason so many desire to be organized and reduce the clutter in our lives. Consider the emotional cost clutter weighs on you. Financial costs like late fees, buying mistakes, purchasing unnecessary duplicates, misplacing bills, missing important deadlines, monthly storage locker fees, and so on. When you hire a Productivity Coach or Professional Organizer expert, it’s worth the additional cost as they will get the job done faster than you can do it on your own!

 

 

Q: What is a Professional Organizer’s process?

 

A: Each Organizer will have their own way of doing things in their unique organizing process. Are you looking to solve a particular problem or have concerns about working on a certain space? Your best chance to find a Professional Organizer with the skills you need is to talk with a few different providers and ask about their process.

 

Typically there’s an assessment either done over the phone or in person. Then, an Organizer or Coach shares the next steps, available packages, and an estimated timeline with you before scheduling dates to get started.

 

 

Q: What are the fees of a Professional Organizer?

 

A: Organizers charge for their services either by the hour or on a project-by-project basis. For in-person organization services, they typically have a minimum on-site session of 3 to 4 hours. Professional Organizers may offer a free initial consultation by phone or charge for an initial on-site assessment. To be sure you receive exactly what you are looking for, make sure to ask what’s included in the cost of their service.

 

Some things to consider regarding the costs of these services are:

  • Will they be working with a team?
  • Do they charge for deskwork at their office?
  • Will they provide product sourcing and pickup services?
  • Do they deal with your consignment and donation items?
  • Will they dispose of any unwanted items or arrange a removal service for you?
  • Do they have a travel fee?
  • Do they purchase products on your behalf?

 

 

Q: What hours do Professional Organizers work?

 

A: Depending on the Professional Organizer in question, most typically work weekdays, some weekends, during the day, and/or evenings. If you work during the day, an Organizer can spend an hour with you making decisions and planning the project, then they will deal with the sorted piles while you are out picking up kids from school, doing errands, or have a meeting to be at. Just know that when you hire a Productivity Coach or Professional Organizer, they should be more than willing to work around your available times!

 

 

Q: What are “On-site Organizing Services?”

 

A: On-site organizing services involve a Professional Organizer coming into your physical home or office to help declutter and optimize your space. These experts work closely with you to develop personalized plans that streamline spaces based on your needs, create easy-to-maintain storage solutions, and enhance the overall serenity of your home or office. Their aim is to transform your chaotic areas into tidy, functional spaces. This makes it easier for you to find what you need and manage your time better. Hiring a Professional Organizer for on-site service is ideal for those facing clutter or time management challenges as it helps you bring your organizing vision to life effectively and reduces your stress.

 

 

Q: What are “Virtual Organizing Services?”

 

A: Experienced Professional Organizers and Productivity Coaches are able to help you create organizing plans of action virtually as well. This service is perfect if you want to implement the plan of action on your own and just need help with a strategy and planning the next action steps. Also, if you live in a remote area, have time constraints, or are looking to work with someone specific who is not otherwise available in your area.

 

Virtual organizing works best when you are motivated to deal with the sorting process yourself and just want expert guidance and accountability on setting up your own organizing systems. They can also help you source products which will save you a lot of your own time and money! Working with a Professional Organizer or Productivity Coach can help you virtually create personalized organizing systems that will work for you, your family, your business, and your team.

 

 

Summary

 

If you find yourself drowning in household clutter, overwhelmed by digital disorganization, or constantly battling against the clock at work, it’s time to reach out for help. There is no shame on either end when you hire a Productivity Coach or Professional Organizer!

 

Bringing in a Professional Organizer or Productivity Coach can be the key to regaining control of your life. They’ll offer you valuable assistance in creating a plan for getting organized, guide you to avoid costly mistakes, and manage your time for more peace of mind.

 

If you relate to any of the scenarios we’ve discussed – from major life changes to the never-ending battle with “stuff” – now is the perfect moment to take that important step! Remember, seeking professional guidance is a proactive choice to improve your life. Don’t wait until a crisis strikes; support your future-self today and invest in your own well-being. As soon as you make that call, you’re on the path to a more organized and stress-free life!

 

 

 

 

 

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Organize + Level Up Your iPhone for Better Productivity

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It’s true a lot of people find their devices distracting, but what they don’t know is, that when you organize your iPhone for better productivity, the distractions seem to fade away!

 

Have you ever stopped to think about how the clutter on your phone might be adding more stress to your life? The clutter and constant notifications on your phone are like hidden stressors, and they weigh on you in more ways than you realize.  But we don’t want stress here! We want to  eliminate the stress, especially from our phones.

 

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Let’s first acknowledge that our phones play a crucial role in our lives. From managing business tasks to staying connected with employees, they’ve become indispensable.

 

One thing I do to prevent a problem from even budding is I tell myself, “I want to use my phone as support in making life easier.” By setting this intention, I can more easily avoid it becoming a vortex of distraction.  I use my phone to literally run 80% of my business (because I’m out and about so often), so I’ve set it up to still be able to support me when I’m not at home.

 

Below, I delve into how you can effectively organize your iPhone for better productivity. This aids in making it a stress-free tool that can both enhance your productivity and simplify your life!

 

 I highly recommend that you grab your phone while reading this so we can organize your iPhone for better productivity together!

 

Organize + Level Up Your iPhone for Better Productivity

 

Subscription Cleanup

The first thing you can do to organize your iPhone for better productivity is to start reviewing the apps on your phone and checking for any running subscriptions you have. Open your phone’s settings, click on your name, and consider whether you truly need them all. Unsubscribe from unnecessary subscriptions.

 

You can also check in here when your subscriptions are renewing. If you’d like to keep them until the end of the term, set a reminder in your calendar to come back and cancel them before that date. By doing this, you not only save money but also free up space on your device. Let’s start deleting!

 

 

Free Up Storage

Next, navigate to your phone’s settings. Go to “General” and select “iPhone Storage.” You’ll see a breakdown of how your space is being used and it will even recommend what you should delete!

 

Now, you probably have a lot of apps and videos eating at most of it. I know for me, I’m always having to delete those! To free up some space, identify which non-essential files consume the most storage and delete or offload them. Make sure to uninstall any apps that you’re not using, too.

 

If you want to go a step further while you organize your iPhone for better productivity, you could also move some apps to your library so they’re not cluttered on your home screen. Here’s how you would do that: while on your home screen, when it says edit/remove app, you click that. It will ask if you’d like to delete the app or remove it from the home screen. Since we still want to keep it, we’ll choose the latter. And poof! All gone.

Additionally, don’t forget to back up your photos to a cloud service like Google Photos or iCloud. I’ve set up my phone so my photos automatically back up to Google Photos. When I go into Google Photos, I can see at the top that it’s backing up. 

 

Once it takes them from my phone and puts them up in Google’s cloud, I go into my laptop to make sure that they’re all there. Then I go to my storage in settings and hit empty, delete from this phone. It’ll permanently delete all of them and you won’t be able to recover them. This is why I use my laptop to always double-check that my photos have synced up to Google Photos before removing them!

 

 

Tame Notifications

Overwhelming notifications cause disruptions to your focus and increase stress levels! To combat this while you organize your iPhone for better productivity, go to the “Notifications” section in your phone’s settings and fine-tune your preferences.

 

I like to use a Scheduled Summary to stay on top of my notifications. This means that I just get a summary of everything at a pre-scheduled time, instead of everything all at once. For minimizing distractions during the day, I love this method!

 

You can also scroll through all of your apps and edit their notifications individually. Then you won’t get any of those stress-inducing red bubbles reminding you that you have 20 text messages and 432 emails that you haven’t read! And for some less-necessary apps, it may be better to actually disable badges entirely to avoid the constant reminder of pending notifications.

 

Customize Your Home Screen

 Now up to organize your iPhone for better productivity is the home screen. Your home screen should support your specific daily needs and goals. Organize your apps in a way that makes sense to you, based on how your brain works. For example, if you’re someone who likes to color code your apps, then go ahead with that!

 

Utilize folders to group similar apps together, create shortcuts for quick access to what you use most often, and make custom widgets to display important information at a glance. I use a combination of all of these, and I love the widgets on my home screen. To make them you swipe way over to the right and hit the plus sign. There are preset ones in there or you can customize them yourself.

 

I recently set up a widget for my decluttering and chores of the week! I brainstormed my weekly tasks thinking, “Okay, I need to take our recycling to the depot… I also need to declutter my kitchen counters and do my Sunday reset… And sometime this week I’d like to go through my books to free up some space… I’m also in the midst of decluttering my phone…” When I’m done, I schedule it to send me notifications on a particular day and select the time.

The other thing I really like is shortcuts. One of mine is Focus Time. When I’m doing some work and really want to get focused,  I set that timer for 50 minutes and it’ll play my focus music. Then it’ll remind me to get up and have a drink of water to stretch. We all know that if you just keep on going and going all day long, your attention actually decreases! So you want to make sure that you’re taking regular breaks while working. And when you organize your iPhone for better productivity, you’re helping just that 🙂

 

I also have a shortcut that goes to my weekly filming tasks. In one click it takes me to Asana where the tasks reside and I can just scroll to my “Youtube to Record” section and everything is here for me. It’s all at my fingertips! Whereas before, it would take some navigating around with five clicks or even more to find it. The message here is – make your home screen a reflection of how your brain works and use it to streamline your daily tasks!

 

 

My Favorite Apps!

 

First Page

The first page is for productivity, things that I want to have front and center every time I open my phone. I used to have social media here in a group, but I found it was too tempting to open them. Keeping these time-sucking apps harder to reach really helps support me in staying focused on what I want to accomplish during the week! When you organize your iPhone for better productivity, keep this strategy in mind for apps you’re susceptible to over-using.

 

 

  • Fuel For Fat Loss with Simone Lovell – All of her recipes, each day’s workout, weekly meal plans, track water intake
  • Reader Forwards newsletters to the app to unclog inbox, can read them at my leisure, not getting distracted on the internet/social media since I can read right inside one app
  • LastPass Store all of my passwords, access from all devices, secure storage, safely share logins with my team
  • Google Drive + Google Photos Use for my business, store + share content with team, keep client files and photos, access from all devices, automatically backs up, keep course materials in one location
  • Google Keep Great note-taking app, packing checklists, current project checklists, grocery lists, Costco list, can add fun little emojis, keep track of errands, easily share lists with others, it works perfectly for my needs
  • WhatsApp Free international messaging/calling/video-calling, can create groups + communities, use for team communication
  • Asana Project management, keeps track of daily/weekly/monthly/yearly tasks, both personal + business, connect with team, stay on top of project phases, organize launches, store my to-do’s for clients

 

Second Page

The second page on my phone is for business. I’ve created some groups for finance, filming, shopping, video, and all my social media. I also do a lot of shopping (sourcing products for organizing projects) so I also keep shopping and shopping-related apps quite accessible. Think about which useful apps you use most often next to your every-day ones and while you organize your iPhone for better productivity, place them on this page.

 

  • Amazon Client product sourcing, personal shopping, client errands, finding specific items on demand
  • Google Maps For getting to client homes, figuring out quickest routes, general navigation
  • ReadWise Compatible with Reader/Pocket/Instapaper, connects with Kindle, when I’m on my Kindle I can highlight information and store it all here to repurpose
  • Kindle Have created a shortcut for this, my current reading (Deep Work by Cal Newport), whatever book I want to read I can have right at my fingertips
  • Clockify Use with my on-site organizing + remote teams, track client hours, I’m able to download those for my invoicing, saves me a lot of time
  • StoCard Keeps points cards in one place, literally just scan your code from the app, uses a barcode system, less weight in my wallet!
  • Reminders Tasks, errands, things I need to remember, ideas
  • Sortly Use this for my business, all of my products are inventoried here, it’s a paid app, I can simply scan a barcode when I’m on-site to move it out of my inventory or put it into a client folder, can download a client’s product list for my invoicing (it has the prices, totals it all up, and puts it in a CSV file), it’ll tell me when I’m low on a product
  • Gmail Email communications, business + personal use, newsletters, client correspondence, purchase tracking
  • Google Chrome Secure internet browser, transfers my bookmarks to any device I’m logged in to, has my settings saved, has my shipping information saved for purchases
  • Messages SMS communications, business + personal use, text subscriptions, appointment confirmations + updates, client correspondence, business team communications

 

Third Page

 My third screen is more personal. I love to see old photos pop up as highlights from three, five, seven years ago. It’s just kind of nice 🙂 I’ll flip through those to enjoy the spotlights  and sometimes Google Photos even creates these great little videos for me! For this page, organize your iPhone for better productivity by keeping the apps you enjoy using and that are useful here. This page is mainly groups, which I’ll list below.

 

 

  • Group: Books – Different book apps, different features
  • Group: Fitness + Wellness – All of my medical apps, health apps, step counter, water tracker
  • Group: Entertainment
  • Group: Music
  • Group: Travel – Anything to do with travel, a few weather apps
  • Group: Apps for Label Makers – I have the Cube + the Brother Cube, it sends from my phone to my little cube label printers
  • Google Photo Scan Digitizes physical paperwork or art, takes four scans of kids artwork and it will compress them together into one clear scan, takes photos of kids pottery projects, scan in and get rid of miscellaneous papers that you’ve had for 10/15/20 years, create a photo book
  • Growth Day I love it and that’s IT! 🧡
  • Shortcuts Creates your shortcuts, you can change the name, choose the scripting, change the color, tell it what the next action is + what it’s automating for you, there are some preset shortcuts, you can also take a preset and customize it the way you want, all sorts of fun things!

 

 

These super-smart devices have the potential to be powerful allies. When you organize your iPhone for better productivity, you transform it into a seamless extension of yourself. This helps you to achieve your goals and stay organized!

 

As you can see, I keep my phone very lean and clean, I strictly use it as a tool to help my day go by a whole lot smoother. It also helps me be more productive and minimizes distractions. It has just been an absolute game-changer for me since I added these groups and created shortcuts. Explore these apps and see how they can simplify your life too!

 

Let me know in the comments below  which productivity app is your favorite, and what widgets or shortcuts you’ve created that really make a difference in your life!

 

 

 

 

 

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7 Important Questions to Ask When Decluttering Your Digital Photos

By Blog, Digital Minimalism, Digital Organizing, Quick Organizing Tips No Comments

In today’s age of technology, decluttering your digital photos is more pressing than ever!

 

We could just rely on cloud storage, external hard drives, and all our old phones and laptops to store these photos. But when you’ve got 5 dinosaur phones and no chargers to fit them, maxed-out hard drives, and really old laptops, and are paying a ton in cloud storage fees, are you in control of your photos? Or does it seem the other way around?

 

Our lives are now beautifully documented through digital photos. From capturing family vacation highlights to preserving holiday moments with loved ones, our digital photo albums have become more like time capsules.

 

However, as these libraries grow, so does the challenge of managing and organizing our photo collections.

 

So as you’re beginning this project, make it a habit to start by working a little bit on them each day. Ask yourself these 7 important questions to decide which digital photos should stay or go!

 

 

7 Important Questions to Ask When Decluttering Your Digital Photos

 

 

  1. Is This Photo Meaningful?

The first question you should ask when you start decluttering your digital photos is, “Is this photo meaningful?

 

This basic question alone can make a significant difference in the bulk of your photo library. Just like in a physical closet, digital clutter accumulates over time and often without us noticing until it’s really full.

 

As you are decluttering your digital photos, be honest with yourself and let the “just in case” stories go. If the photo doesn’t hold any special significance to you, then it’s just taking up space on your phone or in cloud storage and it’s time to delete it.

 

 

  1. Will I Ever Use or Share This Digital Photo?

Decluttering your digital photos is not easy to do, especially when you think you might use or share them someday. However, “someday” rarely ever comes, so it’s important to assess if these intentions are realistic.

Think about how likely it is that you’ll actually use or share a particular photo. If you’ve had it stored away for years without thinking about it, it’s not likely you will need it any time soon.

 

Focus on only keeping the photos that you genuinely plan to use or share in the future!  I often say, “Keep the best of the best!

  1. Does This Photo Contribute to My Story?

Your digital photo collection tells a story of your life, loved ones, and memories. Since each photo contributes to this timeline in some way, you’ll need to evaluate whether a photo adds value to your overall story.

 

Think about whether the photo makes sense to be in your collection and if it enhances your memory of that particular experience. If it doesn’t add value to your memory or experience, it’s probably better to remove it.

 

  1. Is This a Good Quality Photo?

Quality matters when it comes to digital photos! As you go through your collection, pay attention to the overall photo.

 

Are there blurry parts? Is the photo flattering to the subject? Is anyone cut out of the frame? Is the lighting bad? Are there duplicates with minor-to-no variation?

Snaps with significant quality issues should be deleted. After all, what could you do with them? Keeping only high-quality photos will help you maintain a more organized and polished-looking digital photo library.

 

  1. Does This Digital Photo Have Duplicates?

The main culprit of digital clutter is often multiple photos of the same subject. These photos often occupy valuable storage space without adding much unique value.

 

Search for duplicate or near-identical images within your collection. Pick your favorite version and delete the extras.

  1. Does This Photo Hold Strong Sentiments?

We often use our digital photos as a way to capture emotional moments. While some may hold sentimental value, others might bring back negative emotions and memories.

 

As you are decluttering your digital photos, evaluate whether they provoke positive or negative emotions. It’s okay to let go of photos that bring negativity or discomfort. Your future self may even thank you for not having to see them again.

 

Focus on preserving photos that make you feel happy, inspired, or nostalgic for a great time!

 

 

  1. Does This Photo Bring Me Joy?

Ultimately, the most important question to ask is whether or not a photo brings you joy. Just like with physical items in your home, your digital photos should make you feel positive, uplifting emotions!

 

Go through your collection one last time and assess each photo’s impact on your mood. Keep the ones that bring a smile to your face and help you reminisce precious moments. If you’re indifferent to any, think about whether they’re important enough to keep or if you could be okay with letting them go. Then let go of the rest that don’t make you feel your best and enjoy a clutter-free, happy digital photo library!

 

When you’re decluttering your digital photos frequently, you’ll be able to easily find and enjoy your favourite memories.

When you curate your digital photo collection, you’re not just creating a tidier virtual space; you’re crafting a visual representation of your life that’s easy to revisit and share! The moments you love most are now at your fingertips, ready to enjoy whenever you please.

 

Your memories are meant to be celebrated, and an organized digital photo collection ensures you can do just that. Let go of the burden of unnecessary photo clutter today and make your digital albums a place you actually enjoy scrolling through!

 

Looking to improve your digital organization in other areas, too? Check out our new Digital Declutter Training!

Visit Training →

 

When will you schedule your next digital decluttering session? Comment below!

 

 

 

 

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Don’t know where to start decluttering?

 

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