Since you are using an external drive to move your photo files from one computer to another, it makes sense to organize the files on this drive to a system that fits your style, and when you get it organized, then merely copy the results to the other computers. The file system you need depends on how many photos you take or collect and how often. One system I use: Create folders (directories) for each year: yr2005 pic; yr2006 pic; etc. And then, within each year folder, create monthly folders. If there are months without photos, leave these out. They can be created later if needed. Include the date of the photo in the file name. The day-month-year format is recommended, e.g., 12Dec2008 Wabash River Bridge. If you take less than 100 photos per year, monthly folders may not be necessary. The system above works for general purpose photos that you shoot, but you may wish to create a different library for other purposes. For example, you collect photos for a genealogical work. You may want to organize by Surname, Subject. Example: SMITH> Cemeteries> Macedonia, Grayhill, Decker, Union, etc. SMITH> Obituaries SMITH> Census; Buildings; Autos; Possessions

I think your stackers can be a good thing for you, but I do think you need some sort of "deep storage," and it does NOT have to be there. it might be easier if it were, but oh well. You live in the real world. So you'll need to find some other place to keep papers that are longer term, not needed for reference, but needed to access now and then. So use the file box or tote, and go get it when it's "paperwork processing time." And what goes in there is stuff you don't intend to refer to in the next four months. Stuff you *will* refer to can stay in the stackers. As I mentioned before, I think if you live with it for a while, your eyes open to what's working (which you have), you'll figure out for your own situation what's just permanently floating in the stackers and should get filed away (or tossed) You say you have more kitchen storage, which is great, but maybe spend a half a cabinet on a file box for stuff that's not in action at the moment? Insurance forms (unless you can download), etc.? I think a long-term, ONGOING project like the Girl Scout project *belongs* in the stacker. You need to look at it, put stuff with it, etc., every week or so, maybe even more often, so of course it goes in a high-profile spot. But paid bills don't go there. (some people even TOSS their paid bills) Personally I would--do--stick the report cards in deep, deep storage. "Heirlooms & Mementoes" storage, deep in the closet. I don't refer to them again, but if I needed them for some reason (not sure why--not even applying for a new school would require them), I could dig them out. I agree w/ you about your need to get tougher--I think most of us have a procrastination problem (well, mayb enot Ginger, LOL, but *most* of us). I have only JUST this year gotten good w/ schoolwork papers. I toss 'em pretty rapidly. Fortunately, my son's teacher has a "sign and return" stamp, so I know which ones she wants back; the rest go in the trash. I figure, if I haven't had time to discuss them w/ the kids in the 2 days following when the papers came home, it'll be too late to make much of a difference. I'm lucky, in that there's not usually much to say--"oh, I see you skipped over that one; watch more carefully" is about it--bcs they usually understand their schoolwork. They get sloppy, but I don't need to spend much time on that. I try to review the schoolwork briefly when I'm doing the school forms (the ones that you won't let leave the backpack? wise you! I got that concept last year, an am enjoying it this year), and try to deal w/ them the same way. It would be harder if I needed to review stuff with them--if they were struggling w/ the concepts. I used to try, to reinforce by reviewing, and finally just gave up--I never had time to, and decided that, since the kids were basically doing fine, I didn't need to be their tutor, too. It has saved me no end of time and guilt. I think if DD was having trouble w/ fractions, for example, and I wanted to sit w/ her for 15 or 20 minutes to coach, I'd have a tougher time, but I might still not want to keep the paper. Or, maybe that would be the ONE paper I kept, and the rest got tossed. I have gotten absolutely RUTHLESS about paper. I had a basket that was collecting paperwork I needed to "do something with" or "might do something with." And it just ended up really dragging down the house. Ostensibly it was for bills to pay, but other stuff went there, too, and it was just a huge mess. I went through it in early Dec. when my mom was here, and was amazed at how useless all that stuff was. I throw SO much out now. (I know what you mean about keeping your hands out of each other's paperwork, but are you SURE your DH couldn't give you one of his 4 drawers? Not for frequently used stuff--your stackers should help w/ that--but for deeper filing? You really need some place, and I bet he's got stuff that could go--4 drawers is an awful lot. Think about it, send up a trial balloon. You wouldn't have to OPEN the other drawers, so your hands would still be off his paperwork...)

Debbie: Congratulations on the move and so glad your accident turned out to be not too traumatic. Steph; congratulations on your clean out and demolition. Must be a huge weight lifted. Missouri; I have found Windows 10 to be more similar to previous versions than 8. I had a seamless transition and no hiccups with any of my software. I had a blast of work this weekend to round out the month. I made a trip to Ikea and found about half of what was on my list and things that weren't on my list. I got the underbed storage boxes, some divider boxes for my dresser, pendant lamps and lampshades, the wine rack which I turned into a reed rack to store the long tools for weaving. A pair of hanging planters were a complete impulse buy. My dresser is more organized ( I could use a few more boxes). Things that don't fit and/or don't like are in a pile for the thrift store. When I get the underbed boxes made up I'll go through my stash of smaller clothes to them and put them under the bed and check periodically to see if I have shrunk into them. That will clear out the closet quite a bit. The bedroom table lamp has a new white shade, the pink shade I bought for a pendant light over the dining table ended up on my old bridge lamp and the pink satin shade that came with the bedroom lamp is over the dining table. There's another plug in pendant to go over the circular sock knitting machine in the studio and that will let me move the floor lamp back over to its usual spot by the loom with the new warp. One thing I really wanted were some rollaround drawer units for the studio. Nothing at Ikea had the drawer depths I needed. When I got home I got online and did some searching and found a set of three, with the correct drawer configuration. The drawers are fabric boxes, which is a little scary, but most of things intended for them are not heavy items. The fabric is a pattern of birds on blue. I've been struggling with color for the loft, but I knew there would be birds, so this will give me a starting point for curtains and focal wall colors. Delivery will be slow on these. One thing I wished I had bought was a small stool. It had a small hole cut in the top and a small removable cloth bag beneath. Perfect as a hamper for my hand and machine knit socks that get washed separately. However I have a small table that needs a little sanding and varnish. I can cut a hole in it and make a bag for my sock hamper. The rubber broom arrived. It works well on hard floors and has a low profile, so it can reach under things better than a regular broom. It is not designed for rugs, I don't think it would work well, the 'bristles' are short and soft. It picks up hair off hard floors very well. I use it in conjuctin with my eye-vac, a cpu shaped vacuum 'dust pan' Sweep stuff up to it and it just sucks it in...no more chasing that last line of dust onto a dust pan. I saw a brilliant idea at Petsmart yesterday. A clerk was cleaning the entry matt with a little grooming slicker brush taped to a broomstick. I immediately tried the brush on my thick white fleece blanket which is polka dotted with tiny black cat hair pills tightly twined into the fleece...it worked perfectly. I don't have any rugs to try it on, but I bet it would work. Pity slicker brushes are so small. The new warp is about half threaded. I ordered a skein winder and some coned yarn to make up in skeins and dye when the weather finally turns warm. The snow is nearly gone from my yard. The cats are in a tenative cease fire. Fewer hissy fits, more silence and even some moments of friendliness. Ben really likes Razz, when Razz is hidden under a blanket, Ben will hunt for him, dig him out and give him kisses.

Arcy, you stopped me in my tracks with your question! End game for me is to have a set of images that will remind me of my family, past experiences and people who are/were important in our lives. And to have them in some kind of order that will make it easy for me to share those images in various formats with other people who also will find them meaningful. Also based on several comments, maybe this isn't something I should be prioritizing as important to do right now. Just within the past few days, our timeline for retirement and moving has potentially moved up so it all may well be happening within the next 3-6 months. If I retire by then as others have mentioned, then sorting and cataloging photos is a great project for me! Right now what I MUST accomplish immediately is to get our house decluttered, cleared and in good repair to show potential buyers. Boxes of photos can be hauled down to the vacation house and put in a closet there till I get to them. One last thought-terriks, you quoted a friend "She decided that she would keep the original photos, and let her kids dispose of them if they want when she's gone." One of my highest priorities for this move is not to do that for anything in this house :). Having had to dig out not one but two houses overflowing with the possessions of people who left everything for someone else to deal with, I have resolved to look at this as the gift it is, being able to consciously pare down 30 years' worth of living and only keep what truly does have meaning, spark joy (gak) or have utility for us in our next stage of life. So those photos are going down, one way or another!