Got a lot of photos? Do you want to be able to enjoy your pictures instead of having to search and search to find your favourites? Does the thought of tackling your photo collection seem so overwhelming that you keep putting it off? Me too!
That's why this month I'm hosting the 31 Day Photo Decluttering Challenge! Each day I'll share tips to help you declutter your photo collection so you can really treasure and enjoy all the best ones. And I'll share my progress as I declutter my photos along with you :)
Today I'm talking about videos (both digital and non-digital videos).
Today's Photo Decluttering Tip - Deal With Videos the Same Way as Pictures
As you've gone through your photo collection this month, you've probably come across lots of videos. The videos taken on your phone or digital camera are likely saved right alongside your digital pictures. You may also have old home movies or video tapes mixed in with your boxes of printed photos. What do you do with all these videos?
1. Declutter any videos you don't want any more. Chances are you took several videos of the same event or occasion, hoping some of them turn out well. Choose the best ones and delete or toss the rest. Here are some other factors for decluttering:
- Is the audio quality poor?
- Is the video shaky?
- Has the video quality deteriorated?
- Is the video shot from too far away to clearly see what you're recording?
- Is the content of the video no longer enjoyable or relevant?
If you answered yes to these questions, you can probably let those videos go.
2. Decide how you want to store your digital videos. Most people keep their digital videos saved right alongside their pictures. It's easy because they come off your phone or camera that way. If you like that system, then you need to make sure you're always saving them the same way as your digital pictures (file names, folder structure, etc.).
Alternatively, some people prefer to have all their videos in a separate folder structure than their pictures. The advantage of that is that you can watch a lot of videos quickly without having to scroll through lots of folders.
Or maybe you want a compromise of both methods. If you save your photos by event (or date of an event) then you can create a new folder with the same name but add "-videos" at the end of the folder name and save your videos of that event or date in the video folder.
It's really up to you! Think about how you will want to search for and view your videos in the future and choose the system that will work best.
3. Convert your non-digital videos to digital. Last year, during the Decluttering Sentimental Items series, I talked about a few ways to digitize your videos. I highly recommend doing this because they are deteriorating over time and you will lose those precious memories. Plus the technology is becoming more dated which makes them harder to enjoy.
Once you've converted your old videos to digital, save them within your folder structure that you decided on in point #2.
Just like with your pictures, you'll enjoy your favourite videos more by having less of them and being able to find them :)
My Photo Decluttering Progress
I went through another month of digital pictures today. There were lots of "burst" pictures this time or very similar shots, so I was able to choose just the best ones to keep and deleted all the rest. I decluttered 308 photos, which was 73% of the photos I went through today.
Your Turn!
Today your task is to declutter some of your videos, if you haven't already been doing that. Decide on how you want to store your video files. And look into options for digitizing your old videos.
Also, I want to hear some stories about how you've done this month! I'd love to share some as we wind down the series. Email me {organizerhilda at gmail dot com} and let me know things like how many pics you've decluttered (or a reasonable guesstimate!), what kinds of pics you deleted, what was easy about this challenge, what was hard about this challenge, when/how you decluttered pics, what you think you'll do differently moving forward, etc. Also feel free to send me pictures if you want... most embarrasing photo you came across this month, etc. I will just use a first name when I share your stories or pictures to protect your privacy. If you'd prefer to remain anonymous, just let me know. I can't wait to hear how you've been doing this month!
Also, I want to hear some stories about how you've done this month! I'd love to share some as we wind down the series. Email me {organizerhilda at gmail dot com} and let me know things like how many pics you've decluttered (or a reasonable guesstimate!), what kinds of pics you deleted, what was easy about this challenge, what was hard about this challenge, when/how you decluttered pics, what you think you'll do differently moving forward, etc. Also feel free to send me pictures if you want... most embarrasing photo you came across this month, etc. I will just use a first name when I share your stories or pictures to protect your privacy. If you'd prefer to remain anonymous, just let me know. I can't wait to hear how you've been doing this month!
If you'd like more decluttering ideas, you can check out my Decluttering/Purging Tips & Ideas board on Pinterest.
How are you doing in the 31 Day Photo Decluttering Challenge so far? How do you think today's tip will help you? What photos are you decluttering today? How do you save and store your videos? Have you digitized your older videos?
Happy decluttering and organizing!
Here are the rest of the posts in this challenge:
