I have done some of "the past." The only reason I have some of it scrapped was the CM I got started with used to have a contest each January to the
First of March. She called it Photo Finish and people made up teams of 2-4 and scrapped our little hearts out. She gave a few incentives - free crops, mini-prizes for the week's highest average, discounted page protectors, etc. Of course it was a great money maker for her -- all those pages sold. The grand winners, based on per person average, received a free 12x12 album. The first year I did it w/ a neighbor who got me started in all this. We were extremely competitive, but we came in second (behind two people on her downline(?), which was technically against her own rules (yes, years later I'm still bitter about that

.
I don't think I ever would have done that much of the past without the contest. (yes, I did do it again the next year with my neighbors -- we placed second AGAIN, though I was over my competitiveness). I just lumped pictures by themes: Christmases past, soccer, grandparents, vacations, houses, motorcycles, snow days, school pictures, gave each family member a spread, etc. It was actually pretty fun that way -- seemed like less pressure to remember details and I fit a bunch of photos on each page. I would love to go back and do a college album since those are still in magnetic albums. DH and I were dating through much of college, so I could take care of both of us with one album.
It's a lot of work and I wouldn't have done it the regularity of the contest and crops. I can't wait to get my craftroom built in this house.