Do you keep putting off organizing your photos? You’re not alone (been thereee!). Most of us wait for the right weekend, the right mood, or enough time to finally deal with our overflowing iPhone camera rolls or closets full of albums. But here’s the thing: photo organizing isn’t a big project you finish once. It works best as a habit you come back to again and again.

The reason your photos never stay organized isn’t that you’re doing it wrong. It’s because you’ve been treating it like a one-time task instead of a habit. So if your camera roll grows faster than your motivation to organize it, keep reading to see how this shift makes all the difference.

Why I Struggled to Organize My iPhone Photos and Prints (and How I Keep Them Under Control)

Even as a photographer and lifelong memory keeper, I’ve felt totally overwhelmed by my photos. After I had my daughter, my camera roll quickly grew to 15,000+ photos and videos. I’m still slowly working through digitized files of my family’s old prints, and I love ordering prints for my daughter, too. Digital files and loose photos are always piling up.

Along the way, I realized I needed something sustainable. Not a weekend-long marathon (impossible anyway), but a way to continuously stay on top of my photos. So I finally dug in and figured out a system that works. But here’s the thing: the system itself isn’t the secret. It’s this: photo organizing isn’t something you “finish.” It’s something you revisit often, so you can actually enjoy your photos and share them.

If you’re trying to organize thousands of photos on your iPhone (like me!), it’s easy to feel like you’re already too far behind. But the goal isn’t to tidy everything perfectly. It’s about making small, realistic decisions that clear the backlog and give you breathing room.

Why a Simple Photo Reset Works + What It Looks Like

I think about photo organization the same way I approach tasks like cleaning the house or managing my inbox. The work is never truly “done.” (As much as I wish I could check “do laundry” off my list forever, it’s never going to happen!).

Your camera roll will keep growing, and if you print photos, those will stack up too. What you need isn’t a one-and-done project, but a simple reset you can return to.

Here’s what a photo organizing habit looks like in practice:

• You return to it regularly (monthly works great for most people)
• You put it in your calendar or set a reminder. Eventually, it becomes second nature
• You set a small amount of time (10-15 minutes is plenty to start)
• There’s no pressure to finish everything. A simple goal like organizing one folder, album, or month of photos is more than enough.

That’s it. Short, doable, and repeatable.

Because this shift has helped me so much, I created a free guide called the Simple Photo Reset. It’s the exact reset I use whenever my photos start to feel overwhelming. This isn’t another thing to complete or a system to set up perfectly. It’s a simple framework that supports the habit (no special tools or subscriptions required!). Plus, it works for both digital and printed photos.

Download the Simple Photo Reset and start organizing your photos in just a few minutes!

What’s Inside

In the Simple Photo Reset, I show you exactly how to tackle your photos (iPhone and prints!) in a way that actually sticks. You’ll get a simple system you can repeat anytime, plus my favorite tips to make organizing easier. You’ll also see how to:

• Sort your iPhone photos into albums and folders without overthinking it
• Keep everything backed up and stored correctly
• Clear out duplicates, screenshots, and blurry shots without feeling guilty
• Actually, I enjoy your photos again by sharing, displaying, and scrolling through less-cluttered albums

The Simple Photo Reset is your “get unstuck” guide for how to organize your iPhone photos and prints (no perfect setup required). Download it here!

How to Organize Your iPhone Photos and Prints So It Actually Works for Your Life

Photo organizing isn’t one-and-done. It’s something that fits into real life, a small habit you return to when things start to feel messy or like too much. The goal isn’t perfection or being “caught up.” It’s progress you can feel good about. And the best part? You can come back to this reset anytime you need a fresh start.

I want to hear from you! Comment below with your biggest questions about photo organization, and I’ll answer them soon in new posts.