How To Optimize Your Phone’s Photo Storage
Do you know anyone who has all of the photos on their phone under control? Yeah, me neither. It’s a mess of screenshots, duplicates, bad pictures, and good ones. Not to mention videos—some that capture the absolute best moments and some accidents that were supposed to be a picture…plus everything in between. It feels like a never-ending struggle to find the captured moments that I love AND stay within my phone’s photo storage limits. So I’ve set out on a mission to figure out the best way to organize photos on the phone.
To Delete…
Organizing always starts with decluttering. In order to live within your limits and find the things you need, you have to get rid of the things you don’t need. So my first response to the photo problem is to delete. Delete all of those photos that don’t matter, so that you (1) don’t exceed the storage on your device, and (2) can easily find the photos that do matter.
I have seen nothing but wonderful reviews for the GetSorted app, which sets up a system for you to declutter small batches of photos every day. I always, always recommend starting small, so I love the concept of this approach! If you have an Apple device and you store your photos locally in the Apple Photos app, then this could be a great option for you.
…Or Not To Delete…
But. Here’s the thing. Do we even have to delete photos anymore? Not necessarily. As I said above, decluttering is needed for living within your limits and finding the things that you need.
How To Live Within Your Photo Storage Limits
You might want to consider extending your photo storage limits to beyond the phone. I use Google Photos for my photo storage, and they offer reasonable pricing through their Google One storage plans. Yes, there is a cost, but the cost of storage in the cloud is pretty reasonable.
How To Find The Photos That You Need
Similarly, technology nowadays has advanced enough to help with the issue of finding what you need. Most photo services have facial recognition, which allows you to search for certain people or combinations of people. On Google Photos, you can type just about anything in the search bar and it will pull up the pictures and videos of that content. It’s also very easy to scroll by date, create folders, add captions, and more.
…That Is The Question
So is it worth it? Let’s compare the options:
To Delete = 5-15 minutes per day, or 5 hours per month
Not To Delete = $2 or $3 per month
For me, it is worth it to buy the Google One storage plan and not have to worry about constantly deleting my photos. I am willing to pay $3 to save 5 hours of time. Your time to delete photos and your photo storage requirements might be different, so think through the options and make the right decision for your.
Technology & Organization
Technology is advancing all of the time, and it’s easier than ever to find what you need without actively organizing it. I’m still a fan of using folders and deleting items when it makes sense, but more and more I am realizing that this is simply not an area where I need to spend my time and energy.
My biggest recommendation is this: If you take a photo or video that is important to you for a specific reason, add something to that photo. Mark it as a favorite, add it to a folder, add a caption or a tag, etc. That will make it easier to find when it comes time to search for it. But beyond that, you might be fine to leave your photo albums a little unchecked.
So how should you optimize your phone’s photo storage? My conclusion might surprise you: you shouldn’t. Let the technology help you, and free yourself up to focus on other things that are more important to you.
