The idea of going paperless is very appealing for most of us, for a variety of reasons. Knowing what to do, ditching the filing cabinet and adapting to stuff in a consistent manner will all help quite a bit. Being paperless is not that difficult these days, however. It seems like a challenge, but for most people, the idea of ditching the filing cabinet is quite handy, and it has the potential to help more than you might expect. Here’s what you need to consider.
Cloud storage
Obviously, you don’t want to deal with tons and tons of paper documents being stored in your home. You want to store stuff online, and realistically, that has become a lot easier to handle these days. The most important thing about cloud storage is that you can use things like Google Drive, OneDrive or Dropbox to store pretty much anything.
Why should you use cloud storage? The advantage is that you don’t have to dig through drawers anymore. You can organize all your stuff with ease, and you can also focus on finding files without a problem. You also have automatic syncing, which means you get all the latest versions of the files on all devices. That helps quite a bit, and in the end, that will only make the experience better.
Use mobile scanning apps
Scanners can be great because you can easily turn any file into a PDF. And then, PDF files can be sent anywhere you want, without restrictions. It’s a great idea to think about, and the best part is that you can digitize pretty much any type of paper receipt, utility bill, contract and so on. Then, you have OCR, which can help you turn images into searchable text, so try to keep that in mind. Mobile scanners like this are very powerful, and if you know how to use them rightfully, they will only make stuff better. Some good mobile scan apps are Adobe Scan, Microsoft Lens or CamScanner.
E-signature platforms
That’s the thing, signing stuff digitally is not a fad anymore. It has become extremely important to do so, since these are legally-binding signatures. The advantage is that you can avoid errors, speed up processes, and overall, it’s just a more consistent and better way of signing things, without having to worry about any issues or problems that could sometimes arise.
There are various apps you can use here, from PandaDoc to HelloSign, DocuSign and many others. Make sure that you are using a legally-compliant document signing tool for your region, just to be on the safe side. And once you do that, it will only make things better, since it allows you to save time, stay legally-compliant, while also not worrying about any concerns that can sometimes arise.
Automated document capture
These days, you want to manage your digital documents with ease. Just because you switch from digital to paperless, that doesn’t mean everything will work the way you want. You still need to stay very well organized and figure out ways to handle everything properly. Tools like Notion, Evernote are a great option. They can help with email forwarding, receipt and invoice recognition, smart reminders and many others. All of that will make it easier to manage every file category, and you will be amazed by the way everything flows and how it all adds up together.
Digital note-taking
We all want to take notes sometimes, and not everyone has a paper-based note-taking system. But in this digital world, you don’t really need anything like that. Instead, you can use a digital solution for taking notes, stuff like Evernote. OneNote and Obsidian are great, too, although it always depends on the style of note-taking that you enjoy the most. Use that to your advantage and take notes whenever and however you can, while avoiding any rush and not worrying about any problems that arise.
Secure file sharing
Sharing files is something we do often, and sharing with the right tools can speed things up more than you might expect. What you want to do is to focus on secure file sharing with the right apps like Sync.com, Tresorit or Box. These offer you encryption, and you can audit files often to see what needs to be deleted. Then, you can also use password protection and limit access to specific users, something that will matter quite a bit. Once you start doing that, it will only make things better than expected.
Create a backup system
Even if digital solutions tend to be rather foolproof, you can never know what will happen. It pays off to create a backup system, and if you handle that properly, it will deliver a much better experience. A great advantage here is to try and ditch the filing cabinet, focus on good results, and the outcome you’re getting is always really good. After all, you need to stay safe as much as possible, and in doing so, the experience will be a lot better than expected.
Password management
It’s needless to say, but you always want to find effective and comprehensive ways to manage your passwords. These days, it’s easy to just forget the password or just not remember it at all. That’s why it’s important to know how to manage your password wisely and figure out the right way of tackling things. In the end, good password management will only lead to a better experience, and you want to enhance that the best way that you can.
What tools should you use for password management? It depends on what you want, but stuff like 1Password, LastPass, Bitwarden or Dashlane tend to be good solutions for most people. If you have any specialized requirements, you might want to go with something more specific, but it’s always up to you.
What’s the upside of going the paperless route?
- For starters, it allows you to save a lot of space; you don’t have to deal with clutter and boxes anymore, which is amazing for most people.
- On top of that, it’s eco-friendly, we want to stop paper consumption that’s unnecessary, so that can help quite a bit.
- You can automate workflows, and you can also have a backup for all your files.
- In addition, it’s a more secure way of managing your files. That can solve issues such as theft, physical damage or anything like that.
- You have instant access to your files, and no need to worry about any other thing of that nature.
What really matters in most cases with going paperless is that it allows you to save time, stay organized and not worry about any downsides. Yes, there are obvious challenges that can appear when it comes to being paperless, with subscriptions and internet dependence being a prime example. But if you know how to manage things correctly, that can become an advantage. Do that, learn how to tackle things correctly, and the results will be excellent in the end!
