Never lose your photos again, kinda

I just got back from a little weekend birthday motorcycle trip with Jeremy.

My official job as the Passenger Princess is snacks and pictures. 😂

So we get back to the hotel and I’m scrolling through my phone to send him all the pictures I took.

Scroll…

Motorcycle pictures.

Scroll…

Scentsy warmers.

Scroll…

Ezra.

Scroll…

Random screenshots I swore I’d need someday.

Scroll…

A recipe I’ll probably never make.

😂

You get the idea.

Things get buried between dog pictures, work stuff, screenshots, vacation photos and who knows what else.

And don’t even get me started on that lovely little message that pops up…

“Your storage is almost full.”

Seriously.

If I get one more email saying Jeremy’s phone is running out of storage, I might lose my dang mind.

Sooooooo…

I finally got smart.

Well…smart-ish. 😂

Google Photos (or iCloud) to the rescue

If you’re not already using some kind of cloud storage, I can’t recommend it enough.

I’m a Samsung chick, so Google Photos is my favorite.

The nice part is they both do basically the same thing. They automatically back up your pictures so they’re safe even if something happens to your phone.

Then, once you know everything is backed up, you can free up space on your phone by deleting the copies stored on your device.

Google Photos even has a handy little “Free up space on this device” button that does most of the work for you.

Both options are really simple to use, and they’re free to get started. If you’re anything like me and apparently take 7,000 pictures of your dog…you might eventually need more storage. 😂

Trello (My Secret Weapon)

Now…this one might sound a little nerdy. 😂

I originally started using Trello for my businesses, but honestly? You can use it for just about anything.

Think of it like a giant digital filing cabinet.

You create different boards (think of those like drawers), then each board has cards inside it (those are your folders).

I personally use it to organize all kinds of things, including photos I know I’ll want to find again later. You can upload pictures right to a card, add notes, and pull everything up from your phone or computer.

I have a board for work, i have a board for vacation and then each card is a different vacation. I also have a board that is a vision board of ideas for the house, vacation, etc.

Is it an extra step?

Yep.

But if you’re someone who likes things organized (hi…it’s me 🙋‍♀️), it’s worth it.

You can check it out at trello.com if you’re curious.

Facebook (The Hidden Backup)

Okay…this one surprises people.

Yep, I actually use Facebook as a backup too.

I have a private group that only I (and one other person) can see. Then I create albums for different things or just upload pictures as I need them.

It’s especially handy for graphics, blog images, screenshots, and things I know I’ll want to grab later from my phone or computer.

Now…before you run off and make one…

I wouldn’t make Facebook your only backup.

Every once in a while Facebook locks accounts, people get hacked, or weird things happen.

So I always recommend having a second backup too, like Google Photos or iCloud.

Think of Facebook as an extra filing cabinet…not the only one in the house.

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Will these take an extra few minutes?

Yep.

Will Future You thank Present You?

Also yep.

Because nothing is worse than saying,

“I KNOW I took a picture of that…”

…and then spending the next twenty minutes scrolling through 8,000 photos trying to prove you’re not crazy. 😂

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If you have another trick for keeping your photos organized, I’d love to hear it.

Seriously.

I’m always looking for easier ways to do things.

Drop me a message or leave a comment and tell me your favorite system.

You might teach me something.

xoxo Amber G