Decluttering is HARD! (decluttering photos part 2)

[@crazycroney]

Pro organizer here. I have worked on these picture projects for years with clients. My process is to use picture boxes, use dividers by year and categorize them that way. And the trash pics go away immediately. It is much quicker, there is no ambiguity on which category to be put them in and you touch the pictures once. As far as large portraits, those all go in one pile in an archive box. Simple, quick and easy. Later if you want those pictures in an album they are already sorted and ready to go.

[@Intrepiddabbler]

Boxes sounds a lot more manageable than those big bags!

[@paulacrocker9019]

I love your tips and plan to use them!

[@christined2495]

April G that’s exactly how I did my photo declutter…it really was a lifesaver for me

[@dianegriffen2756]

Sometimes the easiest way to get started on a project as monumental as this one might be to use whatever you have access to. If all anyone else had access to was shopping bags, 'in the moment', i'd say roll with it, or else risk the project being delayed until those picture boxes, dividers, or any other thing else, could be obtained.

[@ruthlloyd1163]

I haven’t the foggiest what year tons of our photos are. I slapped all my prints in albums as printed back in the day. But now its all digital.

[@joannafoster3423]

Ugh, photos! Why do we take so many and why is there so much guilt associated with throwing them away?! I recently went through all of ours, the last thing I had to purge in my home. I finally had the decluttering muscle to handle it. I got rid of 75%!!! It hurt, but felt good at the same time. I had to keep reminding myself that I'm throwing away paper, not the person.

[@andreadaum6521]

Dear Erica, I have never commented on any video before. Our mother passed away 5 years ago and both my father and grandmothers passed away last year. So my sister and I are now experienced in letting go of things of loved ones. It took us about 5 attempts to sort out the photos. Many tips have already been given like splitting by category, getting help from third parties, etc. i'm just writing to tell you that someday (for us it was about after a year) you will be able to walk through your brother's photos. Until then, I would put them aside separately and take care of the rest. I am writing this to send you encouragement and to tell you that you are not alone. There is no need to feel guilty. Grief is individual and different for everyone. Feel hugged. Greetings from Switzerland. Andrea

[@tarabogar4076]

❤

[@alexisquinn2784]

The most endearing moment occurred when you were , as a family, looking at photos and you son jumped up on a chair and he and Andy held hands. Love is always a part of your videos, and we viewers are truly fortunate to to be allowed into your life. Thank you Erica and family.

[@glendaw5221]

I used my grandkids as helpers. I told them to pull out any pictures of themselves and their family for one box. They loved it. I now have one shoe box size of “favorites” (to grab if there’s an emergency) and all the others in boxes fit on a top shelf in my closet. Erica, we lost a family member and so I did not purge ANY of him. And I may never do it. Your system is very good for photos and makes total sense. ❤

[@beachlover4413]

Hi, Erica. I moved for the 3rd time in a year and had so many 18 gallon totes of photos and photo albums. While the albums were kind of sorted and in order, the pages lost their stickiness. I have 2 grown kids. I took out all the photos and sorted by categoryish I wish I had seen this first. I ended up with a huge bag of doubles (remember when you got 2 prints when you developed real film?), triples, and pictures of scenery, blurry pictures and pictures of "I don't know what this is". The driving factor was knowing my kids didn't care so much. They wouldn't sit and go through 30 albums after I am gone. So I was kind of ruthless, trying to keep the ones they would laugh orbenjoy but get rid of the ones they would say "what is this about". After I did that, I should have thrown the bag of trash away but I held on to it thinking maybe I should go through it again, Of course, I pulled out more keepers each time. Still I got the huge amount of storage crates down to 2-3. I put the photos in the photo boxes fromMichaels. Prekids, baby 1, and both babies more or less by year. I haven't done anymore and packed those boxes away so I will be looking forward to your next video about what to do with them. But in reality, I know my kids...My daughter is not sentimental. I don't see her looking at them. My son (39) is but I don't see him taking time out of his life to look at the photos. So all the memorabila I keep is really because I can't let go. I want to hold on to the memories. Love your series. You are so good! Don't forget to do a Christmas gift idea for kids of games and books that are worth buying...not the junk they put out. Favorite games and books your kids love. Thanks for doing this series.

[@leahfischer5264]

I SOOOOOOO need this boost to do this too!Digital brings another area of organizing overwhelm to me too.

[@dreamer6943]

I find it hard too. What I do is I print some digital photos, make a collage of each subject in my scrapbook and label the pics, then delete the digital copy (I never looked at the digital copies). That way I'd know which ones I'd dealt with and which still needed printing. Just mentioning in case it helps you

[@FreeSparrowAMS]

Hi Erica, I’m sorry again for the loss of your brother. I’m moved by your strength in facing this mountain of a project. I am stuck on decluttering birthday cards, I have hundreds of them saved in a box and I can’t seem to let them go - especially the ones from my grandparents who are now gone. Just seeing their handwriting fills me with both love and sadness. Good luck with your project and thanks for sharing with us. ❤❤❤

[@michelesusanne1]

Keep only the most sentimental physical example of their handwriting, then pick some specisl cards/ letters and copy and save them onto the computer. We limit to a shoe box for sentimental papers/cards/letters, this way, someday it will be easy for anyone to go through it and discard what they don't want. Likely it will only be something meaningful to you.

[@kmac2482]

Please, as someone who knows her family will be leaving many, many sentimental items for her when they’re gone, I implore you not to leave this for your kids. Keep one or two that’s your favorite. If everything is special then really nothing is. Hundreds of cards cannot be treasured. They are just sitting in a box.

[@EricaLucasLoves]

Handwriting is a happy sad emotion for me too. ❤

[@Carobmoth]

@Dana Lynne I think that's a great idea for some people, but also think that for some others it might be a tempting excuse that's hard to resist when they actually want to avoid 'trickle down' clutter being passed on for decades to come. I imagine that attitudes on this differ from household to houshold.

[@margaretgray595]

Maybe a memory book? Xx

[@melissamartin5506]

My dad has dementia and gave me a huge tote of all his family's pictures because it's just me and him left. I am very overwhelmed with that project but now I have a good way to start. Thank you!!

[@RadCenter]

Kudos to you for tackling this project! It's one that I've worked on over the years, but then I inherited several caches of family photos from elderly relatives, which I have not yet thoroughly sorted. TIP: I would write each of those categories on a sticky note or index card and lay them out on the table. Then you can just quickly sort the photos into piles behind each sticky note. When you're finished with that day's session, you can then transfer each pile into your pre-marked bags. That way you can sit down while you're sorting and it won't be as tiring.

[@RadCenter]

PS I am currently stuck on a project. I got rid of a storage cabinet in my bathroom intending to replace it with two open shelves, but now I'm having trouble figuring out how to get the screws to anchor in the plaster properly, so I have all of the supplies sitting in my hallway driving me crazy. 😁

[@fianorian]

I love your labelled bags idea for sorting. Having gone through my own photo collection last year I can tell you that when I got to the actual curating stage, I discovered a lot of duplicated pictures, because I had inherited my mother's and grandmother's collections. This brought another layer to my decluttering.

[@EricaLucasLoves]

It’s like an onion!

[@Diniecita]

@@EricaLucasLoves YES. I tried pictures several times. I had 12 printer paper boxes. I have 6 picture storage boxes now. Its better. I need to do more because I still have scrapbooks too. But, the rest of the house is needing another go before we adopt.

[@EricaLucasLoves]

@@Diniecita I haven’t even wrapped my brain around digital photos or ones already in albums. So many layers!

[@megan2176]

Funny, 20 years ago we unwittingly developed tons of bad photos, and now we have tons of beautiful photos hiding on our phones, never to be developed! 🤔😂

[@DipityS]

You have some people in your viewership with some powerful wisdom to impart. Such obvious steps to break down an emotional and daunting task even without the recent loss in your family - but with that added burden a task very much in danger of being avoided if those people hadn't spoken up and given quality advise of how to approach this whole Mt Everest of photos. Thank you so much for sharing your journey - which you are approaching with such grace 😊

[@christineshultz7615]

I can imagine how more fun it was to sort photos as a family and share memories as you went.

[@kathymcdaniel6685]

Absolutely love that you started with prayer! Wise woman!

[@EricaLucasLoves]

I felt like I had too.

[@heatherarmstrong261]

I love the way you are going about this. Photos are the one area I really haven't decluttered in my life, and after watching you, now I feel like I have a plan.

[@chrisdavis1754]

I have to do this now. My grandfather died in January from long Covid and my grandmother, who was "my person," died on Thanksgiving in 2019. Both had lived with me. My sibling have been waiting patiently for me to divide up and copy the family photos. Need to do it by the holidays. Thank you for articulating how hard this is and showing me a path forward.

[@EricaLucasLoves]

I am so sorry for your loss.

[@Diniecita]

Shutterfly books might be great holiday gifts this year.

[@PenniesAndSalt]

Pictures are really hard for me… Especially with loved ones in them. 💜💜💜

[@jenniferwright1839]

What fantastic timing of this video! A couple of days ago I pulled out a box of photos my dad mailed to me (a year ago) and as I briefly looked inside I was overcome by anxious thoughts about all the decisions I’d have to make. Random photos of him, my grandparents, my daughter, me as a kid all shuffled together. Not to mention the other boxes here there and everywhere I have tucked away with photos. I have been working on digital photos and thought I would just put these back in the closet but your video is encouraging. All I have to do right now is sort.

[@faithdenis6746]

Thanks for the tip on the “win”. Paperwork/filing is my issue. The “win” ? it’s all in two places in boxes and NOT spread all over the house.

[@EricaLucasLoves]

That IS a win!!

[@valerie718]

Love your idea of using bags to sort pictures grouped by years. Super helpful. Thank you!

[@lindaallen4045]

I decluttered my pictures two years ago after I retired, like I had a lot of time to do this! I decided to gift each of my three grown children AND my ex husband an album for Christmas that year. Believe me it was a work in progress…I had been married for 28 years so I had tons of pictures but I got it done. I just whittled away and because I had the goal of finishing before Christmas it propelled me into action. It wasn’t fun at all but it was a goal to accomplish and I felt SO GOOD when I finished. You can do this Erica! 💪🏻

[@rustysz1064]

You are so brave 👏 Despite living a minimalist life off & on for the last 25 years or so, I would be *totally* intimidated by 6 large totes of pictures that needed sorting/decluttering. Go you!!

[@kristinakalas8100]

It was so good for my heart to see you working on your photos again. I like that you did it upstairs & not in the basement. It was wonderful that you felt supported by all of us viewers & our comments. I liked that you prayed before you began & later, your family helped. By the way, I had a random "seals on the beach" photo too! LOL. Confession time-I was going to fast forward the promotion until I saw Andy. LOL. He's just so endearing!

[@EricaLucasLoves]

Ha glad you watched Andy ❤

[@KnineFeline]

Wanted to say thank you for your channel and videos. I remembered watching some of your videos from 2019 and reconnected a few weeks ago. I've been binging your content ever since. You've been a huge inspiration for my declutter of papers, electronic documents and documents from painful historical experiences. As I kept going through the documents and evidence, I had to keep reminding myself that hanging on to the "stuff" was unnecessary as the statute of limitations had ended. It was bittersweet, and I feel better for letting go of these items and papers. Even though I didn't specifically remember or quite know the pain was there, it was a burden that I unknowingly moved with for many years. What a relief it was to shred it all!! So a big thank you! I too find it hard to go through the tough emotional "stuff" and I'll definitely be utilizing the process you outlined in this video. :)

[@wendyhummel9600]

I’m so glad you are doing this. You can’t even enjoy the photos when they are just in big piles. I stared by sorting like you and then after a time of storing the photos,a I was able to scan them all. I also have a digital frame now that I can download photos to. A new photo pops up every 10 seconds. Since scanning all the photos, It’s also been easy for me to download photos to Shutterfly to make albums digitally. I make the 8 x 8 size. Shutterfly offers free books or free shipping or free extra pages throughout the years. I used to make scrapbooks and I have found that digital photo books actually cost less because I don’t have to buy a book, paper and stickers, etc. Our whole family has enjoyed the small photo books. I have them from my kids’ childhood, my childhood, family group photos, yearly grandchildren books, etc. keep up the good work!

[@SharonKBM]

Yay you for starting this project, especially during this time of deep grief for you. I'm amazed that you were able to sort so many pictures already. Hopefully your prayer before starting helped you feel the strength to begin. It was heart-warming to see your entire family working on it with you. I saw lots of smiles as you were all looking cards and pictures. I am currently stuck on going through cards and letters from my mother. She passed away almost eight years ago and I still can't look at them without dissolving into tears. I have them sorted into decorative boxes and that is good enough for now. Thank you for the advice in this video. I will use it when I feel strong enough to look through them again.

[@diannephillips2689]

Bless you! I have done this; the process is tough, emotional, and overwhelming. Now my husband and I are scanning those we chose to keep and trashing the originals (feels good). My mom took care of "her" side of the family with one album of historical photos arranged like a family tree/genealogy. We have referred to this album, which she lovingly created, hundreds of times in the years since she completed the album (some original photos, some copies). Looking forward to watching your progress on those last boxes in your basement

[@sueallen558]

It’s funny watching this made me anxious thinking of how hard pictures are to go through. For me, it’s pictures and kids art projects, writings etc. There has been more than one occasion I have opened a bin and then promptly closed it. Good job getting started!

[@breg9476]

Stuck on decluttering and organizing photos. Whew. So many decisions, you're right! Watching tons of decluttering photo videos and being careful because once those memories are gone, they're gone. I can't go to the store and replace them. It has to be a slow process

[@josephdaly2015]

🙋‍♀️ Erica, take a bow 🙇‍♀️ for tackling this tough job. Delighted you got family to help. Be very gentle, kind and proud of yourself during this process. The days you find it too hard, leave it for the next day or day after that. Don’t think of it as failure either because it’s far from it. Stay safe and healthy. Mary, Joes wife 🙇‍♀️👏🙏👍💪💐🐕‍🦺

[@EricaLucasLoves]

Thanks Mary! Your comments always lift me up.

[@LoubinaA]

Definitely celebrate this moment truly well done for persevering! Sometimes the hardest part is persevering. We all feel your pain and loss ❣️

[@The_Joy_Finder]

Aw, this one is so tender for you. Please be gentle and patient with this category. 💛 Remember this is round one and this one is a marathon, not a sprint.

[@keyisme1356]

Good job getting started! I like the idea of using paper grocery bags to sort. I noticed in a different video that you also used those bags for your donations. I need to do that too. I have to sort my donation pile based on where they need to go. I've started organizing my kids stuff into 3 prong folders, because it's cheap and easy. I have sheet protectors for artwork and school projects. Then add photo pages for pictures to disperse throughout. (I use the heavy duty plastic folders. They fit ~25 pages.) Usually 1 folder per year, per child. Then I put them in order, in a filing box. I like the filing boxes hobby lobby sells. You asked what projects we've been stuck on. I've been stuck several times. I got stuck on photos when I got severe anxiety and postpartum depression. I couldn't make any decisions for over a year. I got stuck on the kitchen decluttering on my 3rd go around. That was infuriating. I got stuck on office decluttering when I realized I had a massive clutter avalanche on my hands. I finally solved the office avalanche last week! I'm glad your family is helping you with this one. They're sweethearts.

[@zenlife1200]

Going through photos is a huge job. I found the physical photos and slides were easier to go through than the newer digital ones, partly because there were fewer of them and they were all in albums. My digital photo storage was a complete mess though. I'd had photos stored on old computers that had died and we'd just copied them all into a new drive and then somehow I ended up with gigs worth of duplicate photos hidden inside folders marked old computer. It was a huge mess and so confusing to sort through. If anyone else ever has that sort of mess to clean up, I highly recommend hooking up a second monitor. Much easier to keep track of what you're doing when you can separate your folders onto different screens.

[@joyindrelie6715]

As always, thank you thank you thank you for sharing your journey with us! It is just so helpful to see other people just doing the hard things and sharing how they're doing it and what they're learning along the way. It's also nice that you've inspired a community for sharing ideas, I've learned from the comments here, too!

[@judyellen4412]

Photographs are one of the most daunting projects of all. I think you are doing the hardest part…getting started. I am sure a lot of people will do their photos because of you. You are very motivating. I started mine in the spring so I have done the first sort and gotten rid of obvious trash and put them in basic categories. Maybe this winter I will fine tune it a bit more. Every little bit helps.

[@LynnStAubin-od5qe]

LOVE THIS! I used KonMari four years ago to kickstart my decluttering. Flew through clothes, books and paper. Then bogged down. I found you and a few others on KZbin that have furthered my declutter efforts to where I literally have photos left. Didn’t know where to begin. Thank you. I’m out of town this weekend, but Monday morning, I’m starting.

[@jennylhenry78]

Photos require all three things to be done simultaneously. While sorting you are also decluttering. Obvious trash pictures are trash so you've sorted them into a declutter pile. Same thing with duplicates. Your organization becomes the piles you sorted. Then you just have to decide how you want to store your photos. I had my own photos and some my husband brought to our union. I had also both my mother's and her mother's photos (they had both passed before I ever met my husband). I had been sorting and decluttering for years off and on. I am now happy to say I am almost done! I decided to get photo boxes and instead of using the little tabbed cardstock dividers they come with, I purchased 4x6 plastic photo boxes that can hold up to 100 photos each. I believe I have about 20. And I probably need 8 more. I sorted into the categories that made sense for me and keep them inside the plastic boxes and then inside a photo box (or 5!). I had or made albums for specific things. I had or made a couple of photobooks. (Each depended on specifics that worked for me and that event.) I also bought an old plastic and sticky style photo album for all the 8x10s I had. Lastly, any photos that were bigger than 4x6 or any 8x10s I just didn't want to keep that large I spent time scanning. I've uploaded to Shutterfly and will be having those printed 4x6 size to put into the plastic boxes. The only project within this that I have to do is have some photos printed from slides (my parents wedding) and we have a lot of CDs of different events that just need to be transferred to our external hard drive. It's a lot of work and a lot of hours but just keep going when you e got the time to do so. Mind you that I have 4 children and homeschool too and so I get how hard it is. I actually chose to take 2 weeks off and work ever moment I could on this project because I was SO done having frames and 3 bins of photos sitting in the corner of my living room. 😅

[@thelittlemaldos1389]

🤚🏼I have a box of kids artwork, photographs from my moms house (she passed away 15 years ago and I have all her albums and packs of photos) i started to organize during the summer and I froze….the tubs are still in the dining area. I like those bags!!! I love the idea of help 😭!!!

[@Carobmoth]

Excellent start! I congratulate you so much on your emotional victory over what to do with the hard stuff. After the sorting, you will be able to choose which bag/category to declutter, a fun and simple category, or a difficult one. With the sorting over, I'm guessing that you will feel a sense of acheivement and a lessening of a burden. Once the bags are all decluttered, you can organize at your leisure. I like the suggestions that many others have posted for picture organizers or boxes. What you have left at the end will dictate what sort of long term containers or albums will be needed. Well done.

[@andreadotson7853]

Photos are what I'm stuck on also. Good for you for trying to tackle it again. I am old enough that I've been through 3 different types of technology for photos. printed, photo albums, and USB/files/external hard drive. It's hard to decide to keep it all separate, or try to integrate them together. Love the idea to do a bin at a time :)

[@elleg2851]

Love that u showed which ones u r putting in trash, I needed to see that - I have just unpacked from storage into new house and almost every box was labeled pics! My husband put them in bins so I have a win!!! Thanku for these Decluttering photo videos. I am pretty much frozen from years of guilt and fear of not doing anything so I must start!!

[@lindamcdermott9980]

Just thinking about this project renders me catatonic! In fact I did not even watch part one …yet… but you certainly made me feel encouraged. I like your sorting method. My adult children want pictures, but not willing to participate, so it’s all on me. But at least you have given me courage and most importantly a method. Your videos are always so good and deal with “real life”. Thank you.

[@CaptainSallyPoo]

I love tip No.3, "Starting with a Win". At first I didn't think I was starting with a Win but, I actually am. When I first got my family's stuff back in 2016, I only had an easy time getting rid of the stuff that was ruined. Then, when I got a 2nd round of stuff last year in 2021, I just built a storage shed in our backyard to contain everything. I had such a hard time going through anything. I also had a really hard time going through my own stuff. I suppose I didn't feel like I was starting with a Win until now is because I often feel overwhelmed just being in my house. However, there have been more days or not that I'm actually able to let go of things. That feels really good.

[@EricaLucasLoves]

This comment made me so happy!! Love that you looked back and saw a win!!!

[@nikkis.5725]

Wanted to add I think the bags are a great idea. This gives you space to finish but plan what vessel is needed to hold them once sorting is complete. And it was free!

[@Jazzatic2011]

Firstly as a snap happy individual, going through the thousands of digital photos I have and sorting or trashing obvious ones from them gets exhausting. Okay I do the same as you do for the grab a bag and add a label category but with the freezer ziploc bags that come in a large 100-200pack for $20. I do this whenever I deal with paper clutter, paper crafts, multi year taxes or photos. Otherwise I have empty Kleenex boxes as a random paper box as a catch all for small little bits of paper. My problem is bring more in, actively doing what I can, and decluttering.

[@nikkis.5725]

Last year I sorted my photos. This May, my husband passed away from cancer. The relief of planning the memorial boards was unexplainable. I felt peace only having to pull out his bin from childhood and our 2 bins from before and after kids, as well as the bin I made our niece, that we raised,to prepare for the memorial. What could have taken days because of pain and fatigue took 1 afternoon. It is worth it! It is hard. It can be very cathartic. Take the time to mourn those lost AND celebrate the marriage and births and fun. What paralyzes me is dealing with then after sorting. I am not a album person or very tech savvy so I am taking this year to think about it. Rough year= rest.

[@paulacrocker9019]

Yep, I’ve been stuck on organizing pictures for years. Thanks for the tips and motivation!

[@laurahall7823]

I made two passes at decluttering photos and was able to get rid of about 50% …. Thousands of photos over my 5 decades and my parents 8 decades! My ultimate goal is to just keep the best of the best. Even 100 photos from each year is a staggering amount in total.

[@EricaLucasLoves]

❤❤❤

[@erinneikirk2120]

Stuck now!! Thank you for this video!! God BLESS you... Sorry for your loss. I pray too, for guidance & strength too!

[@aileentoomey9627]

Very happy for your progress! Glad you are sorting the photos in a comfortable place upstairs with something to drink. Accepting help works wonders!

[@chantelleclarke1]

This is the video of yours I am most encouraged by. And I’ve watched them all and LOVE them all. Thank you for taking me on your journey these past few years. I am on my own and referring back to your videos for inspiration. Please keep us updated on your photo project. This is where I’m struggling the most

[@stephanie1044]

I'm sorry for the loss of your brother. I hope you and your family are managing ok.

[@amma7244]

Oh Erica my prayers are with you. Been there with photos and loss and multi generations of pics. Suuuuure wish I had sorted before I digitalized. We’re almost fully digital with our favourites in photo books but it took me three years to do that digital sort and I’m now going back to purge four years later. Kids all have originals to do with as they wish plus an external drive of sorted photos. Your way is so better.

[@EricaLucasLoves]

I’m wondering if I will digitize any

[@Ez2beholli]

Pictures for me has always been the hardest thing to go through because while looking at the pictures I remember what was happening at the time the pictures were taken and how things used to be before my first husband passed away and to see my children with him knowing that no matter how long he’s been gone we all think about him every single day. So pictures are difficult and I get stuck. 😭 I absolutely love your channel and your voice is so calming to me please keep your videos coming! 🥰❤️😘

[@niamhperceives]

erica! thank you for sharing this vulnerable declutter, you break down jobs that seem like a mammoth task into small manageable sections/instructions - that are practical and reflect real life! Photos are such a difficult category that I now feel able to tackle because of your advice! much love xx

[@sharonshmuel3386]

I love how you keep it so real & genuine that’s why I love your channel- you have made fantastic progress. Looking forward to seeing the ongoing vids. Lol ❤

[@Jo-hello]

Thankyou for your strength in this video. Photos are difficult at the best of times but must be particularly hard because of your precious brother. Thankyou for sharing. And for your insightful grace-filled approach to decluttering. You are an absolute diamond Erica ❤💎xxx

[@cmck2021]

My son and I (teen) are helping my mom go through photographs from grandparents home (70 yrs) of photographs. We are doing this in steps because the whole project is very overwhelming. If you break the process down into smaller steps, you feel like you have accomplished something at that session (time). Great work!

[@michellesansom1498]

Yes! Absolutely have been stuck with decluttering projects. Sometimes during, sometimes just from the thought of starting overwhelms me. I too have started to organize my photos but can’t seem to continue.

[@karenhaire5451]

I am stuck on decluttering all of the family photos. Thanks for the tips in this video.

[@VaraVannerSimpleLiving]

Wonderful work Erica! I often get stuck on a decluttering project for many different reasons. It is ok to recognize that you are not ready to deal with something and come back to it at a later time. There were several items I told myself I would never declutter, but with time and practice I eventually did. 😊

[@helenhartley6904]

Loved watching you sorting into smaller categories, great idea which will achieve the small chunks you can cope with more easily.

[@siobhanmulvey]

Yes! I sorted and organized photos first bc I was too overwhelmed otherwise. * I got stuck on some sentimental clothes and dog items. I’m moving forward again and allowing myself to go as slow as I need.

[@karasmith4509]

One thing i really agree with is using shopping bags for the initial sort if youre sorting first, because they have a durability lifespan which puts a subconcious time limit on how long that pile cannsit there before you make decisions.

[@aimtok]

🙋🏻‍♀️I was stuck a few years ago on sentimental items like trophies I earned in school. I was stuck on childhood mementos and photos. Still need a big declutter of photos and organize photos so I can enjoy them! I can’t see them right now in boxes. My other area is crafts. I used to have more time to do my crafts but now since having two kids and homeschooling I don’t take the time for it as much. I have avoided it because I like my beads and art supplies but don’t currently use them as much right now. I’ve decluttered some but still need to continue to work through the items.

[@sinkintostillness]

I sorted my family photos which were al just dumped in boxes in my parents loft. I used a similar process to you. I just sorted into piles by family groups. Throwing out any which were trash right away. Then I was able to file them away as they were and start tackling them one group at a time. It took time, but my family photos are now down to a shoe box and a few albums. I've now inherited my father in laws photos too, and aim to do the same here. It all takes time though.

[@lorihogg6604]

I love your idea of the bags w handles! I did this daunting task a few years ago, but I sorted into piles on our dining room table so I had a mess for a few weeks. Thanksgiving was my pressure to get it finished so we had a table to celebrate ! Bags are a much better idea.

[@leahlw2853]

Loved this, both your tips and your gentleness with yourself in the process. And as always, your sense of humor and willingness to laugh at yourself makes the whole thing so enjoyable and relatable. I've gone through the "trash" stage and albumed some photos but haven't gotten the courage to keep going because the album process is so overwhelming - realizing an album is too small for the category I've put into it, or I get things all in the right order only to find an additional photo and have to take it all out and re-do it, gah! Looking forward to the next video in the series

[@WildKraftyAotearoa]

Wonderful video Erica xox, I watched shewolfemom organising her photos tonight. Timely to come across these videos as I am in the final stages of organising my photos and also my nanas tin of black and white photos She was born in 1926. Emotional but wonderful trip down memory lane. Be blessed! xxx from Noeli

[@Carobmoth]

ME. At the moment, I'm stuck over tidying up my truck. I have too many 'just in case' things, like bandaids, socks, gloves, extra coat, boots, etc. After many attempts at decluttering and organizing, I have hit re-set and am now trying to simply 'edit' or remove at least one item whenever I use the truck or if I pass by the truck or my 'launch-pad go-bag' with my wallet and phone and many more scarves and hats and gloves and so on. I'm finding that the mountain of stuff is slowly becoming smaller and I think that the 'edit a little at a time' strategy has helped me to do the task without being frozen by the stress and sense of being overwhelmed by my fear of being caught short in an emergency.

[@Myeverydaywifelife]

I’ve been seriously decluttering since being I started my KZbin channel 7 years ago but have been procrastinating doing my photos. It can be so overwhelming.

[@EricaLucasLoves]

It IS!

[@vickiclark3290]

Hardest, most procrastinated declutter/organization I've done.What a great feeling when it was done!

[@micheledalley-jackson9791]

Not too long ago I did the same thing. I ended up with two 13gallon trash bags of photos. I kept the negatives of the photos I wanted. I just made up my mind and just did it. They were old vacation photos, old friends I haven't seen in years. I can go on about what I kept and had gotten rid of. It wasn't easy, but as time went on it got easier. So, my friend take your time take a breath shed a tear or two and stay strong with your convictions. Your friend Michele.

[@denisemarie9191]

Such a great video. I will have to tackle this at some point and am totally paralysed about how to start. Your ideas are fab! I think tackling this soon after losing someone close is courageous and also an opportunity to celebrate them with your family close by. You are an inspiration! Thank you for sharing this with us x

[@taniayoungson5614]

I love seeing your growth. I've been watching since the beginning. You are amazing! 💜

[@lennyburdick3192]

You did a great job gleaning the good tips from the comments. Yay You !

[@tracydaniels7909]

Thank you for sharing Erica. This must have been a difficult process for you. I have been putting off sorting my photos but you have given me ideas on how to get started now and inspired me to get motivated ❤❤❤

[@melissamartin5506]

I was stuck decluttering cards that are from love ones who passed but most of them are just their signature...That was 15 years ago 😂 I need to go back because I don't think it will be hard for me anymore. I'm in a different frame of mind spiritually now ❤️🙏👍

[@kristanwun748]

Love this idea for sorting photos! Thanks for sharing it!

[@michellejeffrey2890]

This was so helpful to me. I am about to start sorting photos after our visitors have left next week. I know it is going to be a very challenging job. Then on to all the photos saved on devices. You have some great ideas Erica.

[@GoingGreenMom]

Definitely me! I started gathering papers, and it wound up being 6' tall, and about 3' x 4'.... it took me over 6 months to get started. When I finally did get started, lol, I wound up telling myself I could just sort it between business, personal, and kids' papers. Lol. Of course I wound up finding lots of junk I could trash or recycle, and was able to start organizing the personal keep portion a bit. I've since gone through all of it again and reduced it by half again.

[@pamelagoodson9034]

So desperately need to do this! I have done a little. My big problem is I am older and have pictures on slides and I am not tech savvy! Your plan is very good. Keep up the good work.

[@barbaraandrews402]

Me too. A daughter married a manipulating narcissist, did not include us in their wedding and we have not met our 6yo granddaughter. At nearly 70 I can't beat to look at family photos when my girls were young so I can understand your struggles with the grief of your brothers loss😘

[@cfriday2day]

Saw harrys on sale at costco in Frederick, md this week. 😊 glad you got some help with the pictures.

[@eldazuniga7785]

Thank you 🙏🏼 This is just what I needed to motivate me to declutter years of photos that I also have in bins.

[@eileenh1]

Great job Erica! Thanks for bringing us along on this journey with you. I’ve been in a rut of Decluttering- SAHM and homeschool Family too and most days I’m just too tired to do anything except for the daily house chores and tidying. But that at least gets the house reset. I find weekends or our school breaks will be my only time for Decluttering, and extra things. It was also very sweet and touching to see your family come alongside you ❤

[@CULady]

Thanks for sharing this journey!! My project i am struggling with is keepsake shirts for my kids to make a tshirt quilt!!

[@vzeimen]

When we moved, I made pictures a priority because I didn't want to have to do that while I was also unpacking and setting up a new home. I sorted by year and put them in photo boxes with dividers between the years. I threw away anything that was scenery only with no people and I got rid of duplicates or near duplicates. My sorting process was open shoe boxes with years written on them so I could just toss them in and then at the end gather them into piles really quick and easy. Still took quite awhile to do but it was so nice to just put a few photo boxes the same color and size on a shelf in my new home.

[@sharonwest1602]

Going though Family photos makes me lose hours of time for hours I go down a rabbit hole until some one comes snap me back to reality and I find I didn’t get anything done so your video will help me ! 🙏🏻😬

[@sulmaoropeza7848]

Érica, this is a great video. You got a lot done. I know this is hard. These ideas are all very good! You got this. I think this video gave you a very good head start and great motivation. I can’t wait to see the next part.

[@10nurse29]

I decluttered photos recently and did it very similar to how you are. I put them in albums and was very random about how they went in. I should have sorted more but I’m happy with the outcome. They are all in albums. We think too much about forever photo storage. They don’t have to last many lifetimes. My grandma passed and I threw away 99% of her old photos. They had no value but to her.

[@margaretgray595]

🙋‍♀️Photos is the hardest thing of all. Maybe when you are ready you could put favourite photos of your brother into a memory book. Xx

[@DomesticKrys]

So sorry for your loss. Both of my parents have passed as well as mine & my husband’s stepfathers. I have photos of their other children and lives without us to distribute, photos of my sisters former step children and her children together to return to them, plus many of my own photos, in about 6 boxes as well. Thank you for the tips! I will use them when I’m ready to tackle that project 💗

[@roxannblackmon5698]

Thank you so much! This was so encouraging I also went back and watched part one. You are so inspiring and have helped me take a moment to appreciate the progress I have already made in my decluttering journey! I was feeling stuck with decluttering things from childhood and these two videos really helped me come to terms with not being ready to let go of some things and that it’s okay to not be ready.

[@EricaLucasLoves]

Love this for you!!! Finding peace with your stuff is a WIN!

[@moniquebureau7958]

i decluttered all my house 4 times. Konmari x2. but im stucked on my office/papers and sentimentals. Grieving is hard. You are not alone. Big hug. ♥

[@livingwithME2015]

I was also stuck on photographs. I sorted them all last year and got rid of all the rubbish. This felt so good. What I am doing just now (and I hope to have them ready for Christmas presents) is sorting them out into groups so that I can share the photos with my family. I have some photo albums and some picture frames do that I can display my favourites and store the others. The duplicates I can then pass onto my family. Good luck and thanks for sharing this with us. X

[@rachela.5311]

Homeschool supplies are a huge hurdle and block for me. I keep trying to declutter but I'll find something that will be useful later, even though I haven't used it all year. I realized I have to be more strict on what I keep. I use a curriculum and they already have everything I need, plus I can always use my library. I don't need three bookshelves worth of stuff. I love your very first massive decluttering videos. I go back and watch whenever I need a boost.

[@theurbanthirdhomestead]

As a teacher, I completely understand!

[@EricaLucasLoves]

Same. Homeschool supplies are my Achilles heel 😂

[@elizabethlangheim7214]

Yea! On getting started. For me, any photos not displayed are in photo boxes. One for Hubby pre-marriage, one for me pre-marriage, and one post marriage. I tend to declutter photos in waves with plenty of time in between. Still haven’t figured out phone photos yet. I don’t really enjoy going back to look at them on my phone or computer but there are way too many to “Shutterfly” or put in albums. I used to scrapbook and for only six years the albums took up 3 feet of space. After looking through a few albums it would be too much, I disassembled the albums and put the pics back into the photo boxes. It was easier to find the ones I wanted. I’m just shy of sixty and think I would like just two to three albums for my whole life, which means just the best of the best pictures.