Here’s a question from your local Salt Lake Family Photographer – ever feel like you’re failing at documenting your family’s life because you don’t have time to make a yearly book?

Same.

Between school drop-offs, snack requests, and just trying to drink your coffee while it’s still warm, who has time?? Not you, mama.

But here’s the good news—you don’t need to sit down for multiple hours to preserve your family’s best moments.

With a few simple, stress-free methods, you can capture your family’s story in just minutes a day!

When Chloe was born, I took a thousand and a half photos. And I was really good, when she was little, (and not on the move!), at culling through those photos and choosing my favorites– and then using Shutterfly’s photo book program, and creating a photo book for that first year. But what ended up happening was that after two years, I stopped. 

Even as a Salt Lake Family Photographer, it was so overwhelming to think about creating another book. Sitting down at a computer and organizing all of those photos. But over the last year, Chloe is 6 now, and guess what she loves to do? Look back at the photos from when she was little and hear the stories from them! But rather than going back to how I made the first two, I started looking around at the different options that are available – and let me tell you – there are SO many options that were not available (or maybe I just was oblivious), that make it 10X easier to keep up year to year! Below are some simple ways to preserve your family memories outside of making an album.

The 10-Minute Rule

Saving your family’s best moments doesn’t have to take hours!

The 10-Minute Rule is all about using tiny pockets of time to record memories—without overthinking it.

At the end of the day, set a timer for 10 minutes and jot down one thing that made you smile.

Maybe it’s the way your toddler said pasketti instead of spaghetti.

Or how your pre-teen gave you an unexpected hug.

You can type it in your phone’s notes app, scribble it in a planner, or even use a digital assistant like Siri to voice record it.

The key? Keep it quick, easy, and stress-free!

Over time, these tiny entries become a beautiful collection of real, everyday moments—no hourly requirement.

💡 Bonus tip: Set a daily reminder on your phone so you don’t forget.

10 minutes a day adds up to a lifetime of memories!

Memory Apps That Do the Work for You

Do you love snapping photos on your phone and recording videos… but hate organizing them?

There’s an app for that!

These apps save your photos and memories—with no extra work from you.

Qeepsake: This app texts you questions about your child. You text back, and it saves the answers in a digital journal!

Chatbooks: This app turns your favorite photos into books without you doing anything.

1 Second Everyday: Record one-second video clips, and the app makes them into a short movie.

Google Photos & Tinybeans: These apps store and organize your pictures for you.

Once you set them up, these apps work on their own!

The Monthly Photo Dump Method

Raise your hand if your camera roll is a disaster! 

Instead of letting thousands of random photos pile up, try the Monthly Photo Dump Method.

At the end of each month, set aside 10 minutes to create a digital album labeled something like:
📁 Smith Family – January 2025

Scroll through your phone and add your favorite snapshots—messy toddler faces, goofy family selfies, or that perfect sunset from your beach trip.

No need for fancy editing or captions—just save the highlights!

BONUS TIP: Create a shared album where grandparents can see the best moments each month without scrolling through social media.

This system keeps your memories neat, accessible, and ready to relive anytime!

This year, this Salt Lake family photographer caught up and I created an album for 2023 and 2024! I’m still catching up- and 2022 is next! But I think for upcoming months, I’ll be organizing them into monthly folders. 

One day, you’ll look back and realize the little moments were actually the big ones.

With just a few minutes a day, you can create a beautiful, effortless record of your family’s life. 

So pick one method and start today.

Because years from now, when you’re flipping through those albums or re-reading those tiny but priceless memories, you’ll be so glad you did.

If you are wanting a beautiful “album” that’s a little less fancy, but still beautiful, leatherbound or linen covers, I do offer a service where you can send me all the photos (yes, just your iPhone photos!) and I’ll organize them, send you an album proof and once you okay it, I’ll send it right to your door! 

The pages are thicker than cardstock, but still flexible- and in my opinion, it’s the perfect way to preserve your memories in the most gorgeous way possible. 

Love these ideas, but also want more? Contact me Here!

See more of my Salt Lake Family Photography Here! 

I hope reading “3 Quick & Easy Ways to Document Family Memories” has given you some solid ideas! If you’re still looking for a Salt Lake Family Photographer, click here to see my portfolio of Family images.