How can you win the battle with that the pile of pictures that's been growing over the years like some kind of creature from the Harry Potter stories?!

Well, believe it or not, you can do it! It just takes some planning and patience. Once you start getting your photos organized and in place, you'll feel better and even want to take more pictures, because you know they won't be hidden away in the closet or under your bed.And once they're organized, it will be so much easier to put them in a scrapbook!

So, let's get started!

1. Get something to organize your photos with. Make sure whatever type of container you use is acid free and if it doesn't come with dividers, get some of those too. You will also need a pen or pencil.

2. Start small. Grab one box or even one packet of photos. If it helps, sit down in front of the TV. I never have time to watch TV, so organizing my photos while watching a favorite show is extra nice!

3. Take a peek at the first envelope of photos (if they are all lumped in a giant pile, remove a handful). Flip through them once to get an idea of the year, event or place the photos took place.

4. After you decide what the majority of these photos are about and when they're from, label some of your index cards to reflect this.

5. Lay the index card down on the table (or floor if you are working there) and stack the photos on the card leaving the title of the index card showing.

6. If you have a few photos that don't really match the theme, year, event, etc. of the other photos, lay them aside to go back through later.

7. Once you have placed all the initial group on the correct index cards, grab another stack or envelope and do the same thing.

8. When you decide you are tired or just tired of sorting, place the photos in your organizer – just make sure you keep the right photos with the right cards!

9. This is not a race and you should not feel pressure or guilt of any kind. Aren't we so very good at that! If you get one photo put into a box, you have got something done and that is better than nothing!

10. The next time you have some free time, even if it is only 15 minutes, grab a packet or handful of photos and place them behind the cards already in your box. If you don't have an index card for that subject yet, you can quickly grab one from your box. Then in just a few minutes time, you have more photos done!

11. Do you ever go to LONG medical appointments where you sit in the waiting room forever? This is the perfect time to do your photos! Take a small box and a big handful of pictures and work away while you sit there.

12. If you don't want to take all your index cards because they are in the big box with the other photos, take blank cards and write the subject on a sticky note and attach it to your index card. Then you will know where to file the pictures when you get home.

13. Before you know it, you will be leaving a small box of photos by your door, taking it with you everywhere you go that there might be a wait!

14. Most importantly, make it fun! Take your time, enjoy the photos, let memories come up. If you really want to get organized, grab a tape recorder (one of those little mini-recorders will fit easily in your purse) and as you remember things, place a number on the back of the photo, say into the recorder the number of the photo and the index card it is in and then talk about all the memories this photo brings to mind. This will come in handy when you are scrapbooking and if you never get around to getting it journaled in a scrapbook, you can always listen to and share the tapes! I would recommend making a copy of the tape just for backup.

If you follow these steps you can get this important task done in just the little bits of free time you probably didn't even realize you had!