Archives Tips: Getting Organized in 2025!
January 16, 2025
Are you looking to organize in 2025? Whether it’s documents, photos, or your life, our Library & Archives team has you covered with some tried and true advice:
Focus on the long-term value: You don’t have to save every single item. Try to focus on saving and organizing items that have value to you and serve your purposes. (Our team removes a lot of receipts, dry cleaning tickets, and newspapers – keep what’s important!) Working on less tangible items like goals or resolutions? Focus on the end goal, but also on the benefits along the way. This keeps motivation up as you head for the finish line.
Small, focused steps: Organizing can be a super overwhelming task! Break down the overall task into smaller, bite-size steps. Getting all the items organized in one location, alphabetizing or putting things into specific bins helps break down the daunting task of getting things organized. Making goalposts for your overall task allows you to check in and reevaluate as you go; sometimes a change of course is okay!
Digitize and preserve: Make time to snap a photo or scan items. These items could be valuable, require a backup, or be in bad condition. Creating a digital duplicate can help preserve items when the original fades away. Reducing the physical clutter in your space can also help with the feeling of being overwhelmed or stressed. Photos are also a great way to ask your friends and family if they want anything that has been decluttered before throwing it out. Reduce, reuse, recycle!
