Out with the Old, In with the New: I Emptied My Gallery for 2026

January 1, 2026 | Calgary, AB
 
As the clock struck midnight on New Year’s Eve, I did something I’ve been putting off for years – I hit "delete all" on my phone’s photo and video gallery. After backing up every single file to Google Photos, I watched thousands of moments from the past few years disappear from my device’s storage. It felt both terrifying and incredibly freeing.
 
Why I Decided to Hit Reset
 
My gallery had become a digital junk drawer. There were blurry duplicates of the same mountain, screenshots of messages I’d already acted on, videos that never loaded properly, and hundreds of photos taken just to "remember later" that I’d never actually looked at again. With over 10,000 files clogging up my phone, opening the gallery took seconds longer than it should have, and finding recent photos felt like searching for a needle in a haystack.
 
More than just freeing up space, I wanted to create intentionality around how I capture memories in 2026. Instead of snapping photos on autopilot, I’m committing to only saving moments that truly matter – the ones I’ll actually want to revisit, share with loved ones, or use to tell a story.
 
How I Did It Right
 
I didn’t just delete everything on a whim – here’s what I did to make sure I didn’t lose anything important:
 
- Backed up: I saved copies to a Google storage service.
- Curated first: Before deleting, I spent a few hours sorting through my favorite shots and creating folders for key moments – family gatherings, trips, milestones – to make them easy to find later.
- Exported essentials: I moved important documents, contact photos, and reference images to a separate folder on my phone so they wouldn’t be lost in the reset.
 
My 2026 Photo Goal
 
This year, I’m focusing on "quality over quantity." I want every photo and video I take to have a purpose – whether it’s to preserve a special moment, document progress on a project, or simply capture something that makes me smile. 
 
The empty gallery feels like a blank canvas, ready to be filled with new adventures, laughter, and milestones that lie ahead in 2026. Here’s to making every shot count!

I put together a FREE PDF guide with step-by-step instructions to organize your gallery and back up your files the right way! Click HERE to request access! 


 

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