Serving Eastern Pennsylvania, Central and Southern New Jersey, and Delaware
Serving Eastern Pennsylvania, Central and Southern New Jersey, and Delaware
Are you overwhelmed just thinking about organizing your photos? You’re certainly not alone. I have clients, friends and family members who have boxes of old photos and a computer filled with a mishmash of photos. Where to begin? What to keep? Digital vs. physical? Huh???
Try these ideas for organizing them:
Think of your photos in three categories. Whether physical or digital, you can break down your photos into these categories:
Tip: the ones you want to grab should the house be on fire.
Tip: the ones that trigger good memories or are beautiful.
Tip: they don’t make you smile or look similar to the ones that do.
You’ll need to make some basic decisions. This is the hard part but it needs to be done at the outset of the project.
Decision 1: How do you want to preserve the TREASURES?
Do you want to combine the physical and digital photos into concise collections? Consider these as “coffee table books” that you’ll share with family and friends and peruse periodically on your own.
Here are your options:
Decision 2: How do want to save the KEEPERS?
Do you want to leave the physical Keepers as they are or have them digitized? Do you want to dismantle and cull existing photo albums?
Consider these options:
My recommendations:
Decision 3: How will you carve out time to work on the photo project?
This is a big (and fun!) project that takes time. Analyze your calendar and work style and make a commitment. For example, would two Saturday afternoons a month work for you? In the evenings when you’re watching TV? Make appointments with yourself and mark the times in your calendar.
I truly hope you enjoy the process because to me, photos are the BEST memory triggers. Be very selective in what you keep because the next generation does not want to go through your photos – they just want your TREASURES.
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Does your stomach clench just a little bit when you see holiday decorations popping up in stores before Halloween? Is it my imagination or do retailers rush the season just a little bit more each year?
We all react differently to the first signs of the holiday season. Some look forward to gatherings with family and friends, baking cookies and relaxing at home. Others hear a starting gun for a race full of tasks they can only hope to complete in time.
Many things can add to this sense of overwhelm. Seasonal tasks like decorating, writing cards, shopping, baking and hosting – added to a busy work schedule, school activities and volunteer obligations – can cause the need to breathe into a paper bag!
Fear not, my friends. Here are a few things to simplify your holidays.
Shopping without a plan often leads to overspending. Starting early is great, but avoid last-minute sales that entice some to spend even more. Having a list reduces the odds of forgetting co-workers, hostess gifts and, if necessary, a last-minute dash for a new holiday outfit. (In my experience, the less time available to shop, the more I am willing to spend. Desperation = $.) Simply start by creating a plan: total budget = $___, number of people and gifts for each, are you having a party, do you need a new dress?
Take a moment to review the things you treasure most in life. Are they things at all? Toys and sweaters come and go, but experiences become memories. My parents and grandparents were people of modest means but they were creative enough to fool us: house parties with cousins, ice skates with a few homespun lessons, tickets to a show at Radio City and, once, the whole family went to see the Nutcracker! As an adult, it’s still the time spent with the important people in our lives that far outweighs anything bought in a store.
As a recovering perfectionist, realizing the words need to and should only existed in my mind was an epiphany. Therefore, I feel obligated to share this with others. Think of sending cards, baking, hosting parties and so on as a menu. Pick some or all. You don’t need to do everything. (OK, the kids usually appreciate a tree, but the others are optional.) Annual cards can be sent on St. Patrick’s Day if your family celebrates this holiday or on the 4th of July if you celebrate patriotism. If you show your friends and family love throughout the year, there’s no need to make it up at Christmas time, unless it’s your choice.
If you are not familiar with Parkinson’s law, this is a good time of year to learn its original meaning. It’s a simple one: work expands to fill the time available for its completion. Therefore, you can plan a party a la Martha Stewart with place cards, silver service, homemade favors and signature cocktails or, if pressed for time, you can host a potluck dinner. You make the rules.
The most important thing is the reason for the season and the people in your life!
God loves a cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 9:7)
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What happens if you love to shop BUT hate to organize? Or you don’t have the time or energy to deal with what you buy?
All those “great deals” become clutter when you bring things into the home and either don’t have a place to put them right away or haven’t purged things to make room for them. What happens most of the time? The items stay hidden in bags that pile up. Then there’s a problem.
Too much stuff, with no place to put it, leads to clutter and chaos which do not allow the stress-free, organized home you desire.
Before you buy something, ask yourself these questions:
Remember—if a deal seems too good to pass up, but you don’t need the item, you need to put it somewhere if you bring it home. The floor does not count so no bags should be piled up on the floor.
Before buying more things, ask yourself the above questions. You’ll learn over time that the best way to stop clutter is before it enters your home.
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When people contact me asking for organizing assistance, they sometimes indicate they have tried to get organized, but didn’t get the results they wanted. In other words, short term fixes didn’t lead to long-term results. Here are three recommendations to ensure your organizing efforts are long-term fixes:
Let me expand on these three recommendations:
Organizing is an ongoing job and maintenance is the key. Here are my Lucky 13 Tips on how to keep your spaces the way you want them to look:
Clutter Quote: “Order is never observed; it is disorder that attracts attention because it is awkward and intrusive.” Eliphas Levi, French occult author and magician
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What is it about visiting a resort or spa that is so relaxing? Why is it that our moods change dramatically? Soon after arriving we begin to unwind. Our minds no longer jump frenetically from one task to the next. For some, the perfect retreat is hiking in the mountains; others enjoy a week-long yoga experience. For me, the beach is nirvana. Each can be a place that we feel a little more in touch with ourselves. Somehow our minds drift back to center. We begin to refocus on who we are, those dear to us, reestablish our goals, and step back from the pace of the world.
Resorts do their part in creating a beautiful atmosphere which facilitates this metamorphosis in us. If we pay attention, there are things we can do to borrow ideas and create our own, personalized havens.
If adopting some simple principles enables you to incorporate tranquility into your life, wouldn’t it be worth it?
When you return home, does the relief you experienced while away dissipate quickly? Here are some ways to work minimalism and simplicity into your own lifestyle.
There’s no rule stating that retreats are limited to once a year. Take them home with you. Turn your home into your haven. Fill your life just a little bit more – with experiences, not stuff.
It’s not about a full transformation in one day. By making small comforts ordinary, our homes can become our havens and places we crave returning to each evening.
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My aunt’s friend Lee was driving home after having dinner with The Girls. All of a sudden she realized she didn’t have her handbag! She frantically tried to remember what was in it, especially in her wallet, but her mind went blank. Panicked, Lee called the restaurant. It wasn’t there. Although it seemed futile, she drove back to the restaurant. Between when she called and arrived, it had been found! Lee was lucky.
If your wallet were lost or stolen, could you remember all the credit and membership cards, ATM and debit cards, medical insurance, driver’s license and registration cards, and the rest? Of course not. But even if you could, would you know the account numbers and contact info to report them missing? Not unless you have hyperthymesia or are a savant like Raymond Babbitt in Rain Man. And consider the many hours it would take to figure all this out.
To protect yourself, here are 9 tips.
If you think any of these options is too much trouble, ask yourself how much trouble it would be if your wallet were lost or stolen and you didn’t know its contents or the contact info. The payoff is having readily accessible information so you can take immediate action. We don’t intend to create opportunities for theft. But, if it happens, your record will be a vital resource. How thrilled would you be that you took time to protect yourself?
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