Listen Below For The Entire Episode On The Systemize Your Life Podcast

Managing Family Photos

Let’s dive in by talking about family photos. When I first started this system, I used my personal Instagram account, which was private, to share endless photos of my kids. I would tag them each year with a unique hashtag, and at the end of the year, I’d print those photos using a service called Chatbooks (chatbooks.com). It’s super simple: link your Instagram, select a hashtag, and they’ll print all the tagged photos into a book for just $12. We’ve created so many books documenting each year and every family trip—it’s truly amazing.

Now that I’ve transitioned to a public account for my business, I no longer post as many personal photos. So, instead, I create folders on my phone for specific events like birthdays and vacations. When I take a lot of pictures, I favorite the ones I want to keep and add them to the folder. At the end of the year, I print the photos in the same way as before. It’s a super easy hack that helps me keep up with the thousands of pictures we take.

I also make time to clean up duplicates and sort through photos regularly, especially when I delete social media apps from my phone. It’s such a satisfying task, and we keep the photo books in a cute basket at home so my kids can flip through them anytime. Since moving I’m currently a year or 2 behind on printing books, but I plan to catch up soon by setting aside a “photo book day” to get it all done!

Get started with your own Chatbooks account: chatbooks.com

Keeping Up With Kids’ Artwork

When it comes to artwork, I keep it simple. The kids get to decide if they want to keep their school art or toss it. If they want to keep it, they place it in a basket. Our fridge isn’t magnetic anymore, but when it was, they could display their favorites there. When the basket fills up, they sort through it again and choose what they still cherish. Then, I punch holes in their favorites and store them in a three-ring binder.

For larger or odd-shaped items, you can use plastic sleeves or keepsake envelopes. There are so many creative storage options out there! My mom gifted me a binder of my childhood artwork a while back, which inspired this idea. We use large binders that can hold multiple years’ worth of art, especially during the elementary school years when art projects are abundant.

How To Organize Keepsakes

Finally, let’s talk about keepsakes. I’m not a very sentimental person, but I’ve learned how to preserve what’s truly special without holding on to everything. We use photo boxes from craft stores or Amazon, and each child has their own. When the box gets full, we sit down and sort through it together, deciding which items to keep. This process helps teach the kids healthy decision-making about what to hold onto and what to let go.

I use the same system for my own keepsakes—special cards or mementos go into a small photo box that I revisit periodically. It’s a simple, manageable way to keep meaningful items without getting overwhelmed by clutter.