I’ve traveled a lot the past several weeks, which means I also have taken hundreds of photos. And, I know where they all are. I also never worry about my memory card being full because I download as soon as I return from a trip.

If your digital photos are overwhelming you, here are a few tips to help you get organized.

Download your photos after you return from a trip. If you also take daily photos as I do or snap images weekly then be sure to download at least once a month. If you take your photos on your phone be sure they are backed up automatically. If not, be sure to download monthly.

Delete the bad shots as soon as you take them. Once you have downloaded your photos review them and delete duplicates and poor-quality shots. “In reality, bad photos are just clutter, making it harder to find the good ones,” says Kristy Holch of Techlicious.

Create folders on your computer to store your photos. All of mine go into the “Photos” folder. Then I have subfolders that are labeled with the name of the holiday, the vacation or the topic. I also include the date. It makes it easier for me to find them later. Sometimes I save a photo to two places. I do this especially when I think a photo might work for my blog.

Back up your photos once you have uploaded everything. Do these each time you upload a new batch of photos. Having once lost a set of digital photos, I’m a bit obsessive. I back up to an external hard drive and an online storage service. Because I scrapbook, I also often have a set of prints.

When is the last time you organized your photos?