Start with the Date: A Simple Photo Organizing Fix That Changes Everything

A few weeks ago, I found myself on a mission: I was trying to locate a single photo from a recent vacation. Just one! I opened up my iPhoto albums and started scrolling…and scrolling…and scrolling. I was a little embarrassed to realize that I hadn’t named most of my albums in any useful way.

There were at least four albums labeled “Thanksgiving” and a solid ten named “Christmas.” Not helpful. At all.

So I finally did what I’ve been meaning to do for ages — I reorganized. I renamed every album and photo file using a system that’s now my gold standard:
YYYY-MO-DY_Subject and Topic

And wow. What a difference. Suddenly, all of my albums were in beautiful chronological order. Everything made sense. I could find exactly what I needed without the guessing game. It was actually fun to see the timeline of my memories unfold in order.

Here’s the best part — it didn’t take long at all. Once I committed to it, the process went quickly. Just a little bit of consistency made a huge impact.

So here’s my advice to you: Start now.
Whether you’re organizing photos on your phone, your computer, or a backup drive, give every file and folder a date first. Even if you're filing inside a sub-folder like “Vacations” or “Family Events,” using the date format helps keep things tidy and searchable.

Trust me — future you will thank you when you're trying to find that one picture from a beach trip, birthday party, or big milestone.

If organizing your photos feels overwhelming, you’re not alone. That’s exactly why I started Snapshot Photo Management. I help people like you preserve, organize, and safeguard their memories for generations to come. Want to get started but not sure where? Let’s chat.