Will I ever catch up on my scrapbooking?

NO!  You won't.  It's that simple and that complex.  I think it's just how you view it.  Here's a few tips to make you feel a bit better about not being 'caught up':

• Lower your expectations. The goal is to chronicle your life, not show off your ability to create some paper masterpiece.  In fact, I’d go so far as to say that too much enhancement is a distraction and a detriment.  So, for the sake of your gorgeous pictures AND your sanity, keep it simple.

• Take fewer pictures.  Really.  Our kids are the most highly photographed generation in the history of the world.  And the more pictures you take, the more you have to sort through and edit.  Lately I’ve been intentionally taking fewer pictures, and it’s amazing how much easier it is to go through and pick out the ones I want to keep or add into an album.  Which is the perfect segue to #3…

• Throw pictures away.  Yes, I know it feels wrong somehow, but if you’re not going to use ’em, TOSS ‘EM.  (Or, give ’em to your kids to "scrapbook".) There is no reason to keep extra pictures around, cluttering up your living space.  And with everything digital nowadays, you can always reprint it if you regret tossing it later.  And the fact is, you do NOT need to put every picture you print into your album.  When in doubt, leave it out.  You will probably never remember it.

• Be selective.  This goes along with #3, but again, you don’t need 150 pictures of your daughter’s birthday party in your album.  You can keep them on your computer if you want to see them.  But in your album, try to keep each event to one or two pages.  It’s more enjoyable to thumb through an album when you have captured the highlights of each event.  No one wants to look at 10 pages of Christmas Day.  

• Go digital!  If, like me, you want to flip pages of a book, you can even print out your digital masterpiece.  There are many online stores offering digital scrapbooks, that you can have one printed and then add your own embellishments to it!

I still need to catch up on several years, and I'll get to it - eventually.  I'm not going pressure myself into feeling like I need to have every single picture scrapbooked by the end of 2017. 

How about you?  Are you 'caught up'?  What tips and tricks do you have for our readers?  Share in the comments below!