6 Tips to Become As Paperless As Possible
In the so called Information Age that we are in currently, it was predicted in the early eighties, that at the end of the previous century we would have become nearly paperless, if not completely.
Well not to burst anyone's bubble, what are all those bills, bank statements and junk mail still doing in my mailbox and why do I still have to complete paper forms? Unfortunately the whole world has failed tremendously in becoming a paperless society.
Even though this is still a problem all over the world, this does not have to be the same for you.
By following a few basic tips, you can become far more paperless and even save a tree or two.
The major benefit of being as paperless as possible, is that when you implement a home or office filing system, there will be far less papers and documents to work with, which in turn will make your task far easier.
So here are my 6 tips for going paperless.
1.
Owner's manuals When you purchase any electrical appliances, cellphones or any such items that come with an instruction manual, once you have ensured that the item is in a working order, visit the supplier's website and download a copy of the same manual onto your computer.
Create a special folder on your computer named Owners manuals or something similar that you can relate to.
Then discard the paper instruction manual.
You will be amazed on how much space you can save.
If you have any old instruction pamphlets that can be scanned in, do so and get rid of them as well.
2.
Recipes Do not cut out recipes and put them in a folder, rather scan them into your computer and build up a very nice folder system to store your recipes.
Have a look at any recipe book for some ideas of how to set up the folder system.
Also, do not print any recipes from the internet, rather download and store on your computer.
3.
Catalogues If you receive numerous catalogues from different suppliers, why not ask them not remove you from the mailing list and rather send you an email with an electronic version of the catalogue.
You can also go onto their website and subscribe to receive the electronic version, if this is available.
4.
Annual reports If you have investments for which you receive annual statement, why not ask for them to send you an electronic version or download these every year from their website.
This way you will have a lot more space in your filing cabinet, as these documents tend to be quite thick.
5.
Emails Try not to print any of your emails unless it is very important.
Rather archive them or store them in a save place on your computer.
This way you can also search for any specific email quite easily.
6.
Computer files Keep your computer files organized, the same way as a paper filing system.
This way you will be able to find what you are looking for very easily.
Just remember to never be afraid to go paperless, you can always reprint any document that you require in a printed format.
Nowadays many documents that you require as the original, does come in a format that can be printed to represent the original.
If you require any information out of a manual and you do not have a copy saved somewhere, the internet will most definitely have a copy available somewhere, just go and search for it.
Just remember to safeguard against the possible loss of information on your computer and make it a habit to regularly back up your computer.
Nowadays CDs and even external hard drives have become so cheap that you can afford to backup your computer at least once a week.
In cases where you want to be even more serious about your backups, copy these to a second set of cds which you can store at a family member or friend's house, just in case yours get stolen or is corrupted.
Well not to burst anyone's bubble, what are all those bills, bank statements and junk mail still doing in my mailbox and why do I still have to complete paper forms? Unfortunately the whole world has failed tremendously in becoming a paperless society.
Even though this is still a problem all over the world, this does not have to be the same for you.
By following a few basic tips, you can become far more paperless and even save a tree or two.
The major benefit of being as paperless as possible, is that when you implement a home or office filing system, there will be far less papers and documents to work with, which in turn will make your task far easier.
So here are my 6 tips for going paperless.
1.
Owner's manuals When you purchase any electrical appliances, cellphones or any such items that come with an instruction manual, once you have ensured that the item is in a working order, visit the supplier's website and download a copy of the same manual onto your computer.
Create a special folder on your computer named Owners manuals or something similar that you can relate to.
Then discard the paper instruction manual.
You will be amazed on how much space you can save.
If you have any old instruction pamphlets that can be scanned in, do so and get rid of them as well.
2.
Recipes Do not cut out recipes and put them in a folder, rather scan them into your computer and build up a very nice folder system to store your recipes.
Have a look at any recipe book for some ideas of how to set up the folder system.
Also, do not print any recipes from the internet, rather download and store on your computer.
3.
Catalogues If you receive numerous catalogues from different suppliers, why not ask them not remove you from the mailing list and rather send you an email with an electronic version of the catalogue.
You can also go onto their website and subscribe to receive the electronic version, if this is available.
4.
Annual reports If you have investments for which you receive annual statement, why not ask for them to send you an electronic version or download these every year from their website.
This way you will have a lot more space in your filing cabinet, as these documents tend to be quite thick.
5.
Emails Try not to print any of your emails unless it is very important.
Rather archive them or store them in a save place on your computer.
This way you can also search for any specific email quite easily.
6.
Computer files Keep your computer files organized, the same way as a paper filing system.
This way you will be able to find what you are looking for very easily.
Just remember to never be afraid to go paperless, you can always reprint any document that you require in a printed format.
Nowadays many documents that you require as the original, does come in a format that can be printed to represent the original.
If you require any information out of a manual and you do not have a copy saved somewhere, the internet will most definitely have a copy available somewhere, just go and search for it.
Just remember to safeguard against the possible loss of information on your computer and make it a habit to regularly back up your computer.
Nowadays CDs and even external hard drives have become so cheap that you can afford to backup your computer at least once a week.
In cases where you want to be even more serious about your backups, copy these to a second set of cds which you can store at a family member or friend's house, just in case yours get stolen or is corrupted.