There are are new ideas being created every day. Many of them are extremely valuable, some not so much.
The idea of using photography as an organizing tool isn't new, but I had a few thoughts about this particular tool in the toolbox, so I am going to share them here.
I have been an off and on photographer for years. I mostly take pictures of kids, pets, and family events. Occasionally I use the camera as a tool for organizing however.
Most of the time it's a "before and after" set of pictures, or maybe a series of shots to show the progress of some project. It usually doesn't go beyond the pre-project "this is how awful it was" and the post-project "this is how nice it is now", and it's usually a room redo where Tim (my ever talented and cooperative husband) has done all the work and I am the main beneficiary.
Professionally, it is a good idea to do "before and afters" for marketing purposes, and I have also taken those to send to clients as a reminder of how much progress they have made.
But here are a few applications that I find helpful, and have used, beyond the usual:
- Remember what you put in storage, in boxes, and in cabinets- You can take pictures as you pack and store anything, at any point in the process. As you pack boxes take pictures of the contents, and carefully number the box where you can see it in the picture. Then when you pack the boxes away, either in the attic or the storage unit, keep a digital album of the pictures, labeled appropriately. You might want to create a folder of picture albums labeled on the desktop so that you can find them in the computer when you need to. When are are ready to retrieve something from storage, go to the folder on the desktop, find the folder of pictures of the boxes that are stored in that space, and find the number of the box that has the item that you need.
- Posting what you are selling- If you keep a photo album of things that you are hoping to sell, be sure that you label it "For Sale" or in a place that you can find easily so that if you need to re-post you can find what you need. As you sell items you can either delete the pictures, or put them in a folder marked "sold" for memory's sake. You can caption the picture with the name of the person that bought it, and how much it sold for.
- Past organizing methods that worked (or not)- If you have found a system that you like, or have perfected a system that now works better, take a series of pictures of the method in use. Take a picture of each step of the process, and caption it with a short explanation. It can be very helpful to see what worked, and why, when you come back to something that you did a while ago. Organizing Christmas ornaments, for example, or the way that you like to store your seasonal clothing. Anything that has a system that isn't used for awhile, but that works, can be documented. You worked hard on that system, don't let it be lost! Also, if you attempt a project and it doesn't work, why would you want to remember that? Well, there may be lots of lessons to be learned from your mistakes. Why didn't it work? What didn't you like about the end result? You may be able to learn a lot from seeing it from a different perspective later, and you might get a laugh out of it as well.
- Reset- How was it, exactly? From resetting a rented room to it's original configuration, to getting things back in place after a DIY project.
- The progression of long projects- Record your steps, as you go, and you will have all kinds of details that you can reference later.
- Working with a VO- A Virtual Organizer works on your project from distance, it makes it easier for them to help when they can see what you are dealing with. A talented VO can even help you learn how to take the most effective pictures.
- Detail project tools and products- Whether painting or putting things into storage, documenting the brands, cost and retail outlets that you bought from can really help in the future. Take a picture of the top of your paint can for instance and caption which room and wall you used it on!
- Using the camera as an objective "eye"- Sometimes it's easier to see how things "really" look when you see them in a photograph. Does that bookshelf really look that cluttered? Why are all the videos scattered all over the TV stand? One of the things that Professional Organizers tell clients is to try to see a room as if you are seeing it for the first time. Sometimes it's surprising what the camera can show you, that you just don't "see" otherwise.
- Keeping things "around" after you have let go. If you are going to have to let go of items that you have treasured or that just help you hang on to a memory, take a picture of the item, preferably with the person that it makes you think of. Many things have such sentimental value that we keep them around for reasons other than their usefulness. That's OK, of course, but when it is time to give the item up because you are downsizing, or perhaps it needs to be sold due to financial need, the feelings attached to it can be very strong. It can help to have photos of the things that we have loved, and maybe the people that are going to take them would like a pictoral record as well. We all have to let go at some point. Pictures can make it easier.
- Keeping History- While we are on the subject, it can be very helpful to family to have pictures of heirlooms and antiques, with a description of the history of the item. Where and who it came from, how it was obtained, who is supposed to inherit it, all can be documented in a digital photo album and shared with family online, making it very easy for history to be kept through the generations.
