How Should You Organize Your Photos: Chronologically or by Themes?

When starting a photo organization project, a common question is whether to arrange photos in chronological order or by themes/events. Here's what to consider when choosing the best approach for your collection:

Think About How You Like to View Your Photos

How do you usually reminisce over family memories? Many people love seeing a collage of birthday photos, showing a child growing year by year, or revisiting family vacations over time. While date-based organization might seem logical, it’s not the only way to organize.

The Truth About Time and Date Order

Organizing your photos chronologically can feel overwhelming, especially if they aren’t already sorted. But there’s no rule that says photos have to follow a year-by-year timeline. Most people prefer to group memories by significant events—birthdays, weddings, holidays—because we tend to reminisce over experiences rather than years.

Survey Your Photo Collection

Take a look at your collection. You’ll likely notice that most of your photos fall into themes: family vacations, graduations, baby milestones, and everyday moments with loved ones. These natural groupings can help you decide if organizing by themes makes more sense than sticking to a strict chronological order.

For example, my mom is organizing photos and memorabilia from both her dad’s and her mom’s families. She’s chosen to organize her dad’s family items in chronological order, which makes sense for the scope of that project. However, the larger family collection is grouped by themes to make it easier to view, share, and reminisce.

Which Approach is Right for You?

Here’s a breakdown of when it’s best to use chronological order versus theme-based organization:

Which Approach is Right for You?

If you want to see your memories through the lens of specific events, grouping by themes is often more intuitive. Alternatively, organizing photos by year or decade is great for building a timeline, which can be useful for storytelling and seeing life’s progression.

Ultimately, choose the method that resonates with how you like to remember and share your life. Whether you prefer themes or dates, your photos will tell your unique story in a way that’s meaningful to you and your family.