We all have that moment of panic when we look at our camera roll. You see 14,000 items, including blurry screenshots, accidental videos of your pocket, and ten versions of the same sunset.
Naturally, you think the solution is to spend your weekend deleting the bad ones. However, this is a trap. Trying to clean up a messy digital library is exhausting and boring.
Instead, the “Lazy Smart” move is to stop deleting entirely. Therefore, you should switch to the “Favorites Only” method.
The Problem With Deleting
Deleting is negative work. You have to make thousands of tiny decisions: “Is this photo bad? Is this one slightly better?”
Consequently, you get decision fatigue after five minutes and give up. In reality, storage space is cheap (or free with cloud services). Keeping the bad photos doesn’t actually hurt you; seeing them does.
The “Favorites Only” Strategy
Don’t try to empty the ocean with a spoon. Basically, ignore the mess and only save the gems.
1. The “Heart” Button Is Your New Best Friend
From now on, never delete anything. When you take a great photo, tap the “Heart” (Favorite) icon immediately.
Thus, you are building a curated “Best Of” album in real-time. You are highlighting the 1% of photos that matter and ignoring the 99% that don’t.
2. Ignore the “Recents” Folder
Stop scrolling through your main camera roll. It will always be messy. Instead, train yourself to only open your “Favorites” album.
As a result, your phone feels organized and full of happy memories, even though the junk is still technically there in the background.
3. Delete Only When Forced
Unless your phone literally says “Storage Full,” do not waste your life managing files.
However, if you must delete, search for “Screenshots” and “Videos” first. These take up the most space and are usually the easiest to trash in bulk.
Conclusion
Your phone should be a gallery of your life, not a chore list.
To summarize, stop deleting. Start favoring. Let the junk sit in the dark while you enjoy the highlights.
Tell me in the comments: How many photos are on your phone right now? I have over 20,000!
