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 sharing two options for tracking your progress in this challenge. There's a free printable tracking sheet as well as a spreadsheet for those who prefer to work digitally.
Today's Photo Decluttering Tip - Track Your Progress
I know the challenge is already a few days old and many of you have already been busy decluttering your photos. But there's still lots of time to track your progress! It's important to do this for several reasons:
- It will motivate you when you see those numbers rising
- It's tangible proof that you're accomplishing something valuable
- If you get discouraged during the month, it will help you keep going when you see how far you've come
- It helps keep you accountable to doing some decluttering every day
- It really demonstrates how a little bit every day adds up over time
I've been encouraging people in the 365 Items in 365 Days challenge to track their decluttering progress for several years now and it's so great to see people celebrating their progress when they share updates of what they've been decluttering. We can get bogged down with how much we have left to declutter, but this really helps you shift your focus to how far you've come.
Using the Free Tracking Sheet for the 31 Day Photo Decluttering Challenge
Here's what the tracking sheet looks like:
You can use these documents any way you want. And if you download the spreadsheet, you can modify it to suit your own needs. But basically it's an easy way to jot down your numbers every day.
Start by noting your starting numbers of printed or digital photos. Hopefully you made a note of them at the beginning of the challenge.
Then every day you can write in how many photos you decluttered in each category. If you haven't kept track of what you've already decluttered, dont' worry... just keep track from this point forward. You'll still see lots of progress!
I included a column for printed photos and a column for digital photos because I know some people are doing both this month. If you're only doing one or the other then just ignore the other column.
If you don't finish decluttering your photos this month, you can print another copy next month or add more rows to the spreadsheet until you're done.
No one is checking these sheets. They are completely just for your own use. But I look forward to hearing about your progress as you use them!
My Photo Decluttering Progress
I took a break from decluttering digital photos and starting tackling my old photo albums. I started with a scrapbook my mom made for me with cards and mementos from the first couple years of my life. There were cards from a baby shower before I was born, birth announcements, cards from family and friends after I was born, and a few 1st and 2nd birthday cards. It was really cute and fun to look back through these pages.
Unfortunately, all these cards were taped into the scrapbook a long time ago and the tape has completely deteriorated. So none of the cards were stuck on the page anymore. It looked more like this :(
I sorted through all of the cards and deleted 43 of them (almost 1/2). Mostly from people I don't know or don't remember. I may declutter a few more but I want to ask my mom about some of them first. I'm going to add the ones I'm keeping to a memory bin from my early childhood.
Unfortunately, all these cards were taped into the scrapbook a long time ago and the tape has completely deteriorated. So none of the cards were stuck on the page anymore. It looked more like this :(
I sorted through all of the cards and deleted 43 of them (almost 1/2). Mostly from people I don't know or don't remember. I may declutter a few more but I want to ask my mom about some of them first. I'm going to add the ones I'm keeping to a memory bin from my early childhood.
This scrapbook and these cards are off to the recycling bin :)
Your Turn!
Today's task is to download whichever version of the tracking sheet you want to use. Fill out as much as you can for the first few days. Keep it someplace easily accessible so you can add to it every day.
For decluttering photos, focus on letting go of photos of people you don't know. Ask family members or friends about the unknown people if you can.
For decluttering photos, focus on letting go of photos of people you don't know. Ask family members or friends about the unknown people if you can.
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?
Happy decluttering and organizing!
Here are the rest of the posts in this challenge:
