Anyone who talks about the paperless office becoming a reality any time soon is fooling themselves — paper isn’t going anywhere! No matter how much you reduce your pulp consumption, computers will never completely eliminate the need for hard copies of certain documents. Technology has simply changed the way we interact with our files. But if you use technology the right way, your computer can help you stay better organized and actually reduce the amount of paper in your life.
Think Twice Before You Print
It’s almost a Pavlovian response — you create a document or receive an email, and the knee-jerk reaction is to hit the “print” button! So instead of helping you reduce the paper in your life, that high-tech box on your desk is actually doubling the stacks and piles you have to deal with!
The next time you feel the urge to print, stop and ask yourself why. Do you have a specific reason for needing a hard copy of that item, or can you refer back to it just as easily in electronic format? “I might want to read it later” isn’t a good enough reason — you can save a copy on your hard drive instead of creating more paper for your file cabinet. “I should share this with so-and-so” doesn’t cut it either — sending the document as an email attachment is faster and easier than trying to print and mail it. And “I hate reading from a computer screen” simply means that you need to adjust the brightness or glare so it doesn’t bother your eyes.
If you’re worried that you might forget to take care of an action item without a mound of paper littering your desk to remind you, your method of dealing with electronic to-do’s may be at fault. Keeping track of computerized follow-ups should be no different from handling paper ones — the same system applies in both places. Set up a folder in your email program for each action file category (“to read,” “to pay,” “to contact,” etc.) As requests come in that require your attention, put that message into the appropriate folder. Then set aside time on your weekly admin day to empty each in turn, the same way you would your paper to-do files. If you follow the same steps for processing email as snail mail, there really is no need to print every document.
Consolidate And Coordinate
A lot of the battle between electronic and paper comes down to label confusion — you named it something different on your hard drives than you did in your hanging files, and now you can’t find what you’re looking for. The key to resolving this conflict is consistency — make sure that your electronic system mirrors the one in your filing cabinet. Whatever you called a folder in one place should be what you call a folder in the other. If the paper copy is named “utilities,” don’t label it “monthly bills” on your computer, or you’ll just get confused.
Or choose one format for each category of information you maintain, and store everything related to that topic together in one place. So if you like to keep your bank statements on your computer, do it consistently for every account. If it makes more sense to organize utility records in your file drawer, that’s a good reason to request a paper bill. Just be consistent — storing half of one file electronically and the other half in paper format is going to increase the amount of time spent searching for a document.
Set Up A Good Document Management System
Another mistake folks make in the fight between paper information and electronic is to presume that it has to be one way or the other. But that’s not true at all! Your computer and your file cabinet can work together to create a pleasing synchronicity of organization, if you have a good document management software.
With a program like Paper Tiger Filing System Software for Document Management, you never have to ask yourself, “Where did I put it?” or “What did I call it?” As you file a document away in your cabinet, you create a record in Paper Tiger’s database that tells exactly where that item is stored. Then you assign it as many keywords as necessary to jog your memory. For example, if you are filing your tax return for 2010, you might use keywords like “tax,” “taxes,” “IRS,” “Internal Revenue Service,” “finances,” “bookkeeping,” “accounting,” “legal,” “end-of-year,” “2010” — whatever makes sense to you. Then when you want to retrieve that item, you can search by any keyword to find its location — easy as pie!
It will also help with your electronic files if you land on a standardized naming convention, the same format for every file of that type. For example, if you have three different checking accounts, you might name the statements for each one “Checking <bank name> <date>.” So in a given month you have “Checking First Federal 1/11,” “Checking Bank Of America 1/11,” and “Checking Credit Union 1/11” — then the same for February and March and so on throughout the year. In your file list, all of your statements will be grouped together chronologically by institution, making it easy for you to scan through and find the one you need.
About the Author
Ramona Creel is Professional Organizer, NAPO Golden Circle Member, and the original founder of OnlineOrganizing. A former Social Worker, she has always enjoyed helping people find the resources and solutions they need to improve their lives. Ramona now travels the country as a full-time RVer, sharing her story of simplicity with everyone she meets. She leads by example — having worked for more than 10 years as a Professional Organizer, and having radically downsized and simplified her own life as a full-time RVer. Ramona now considers herself a “Renaissance Woman” — bringing all of her passions together into one satisfying career. As a “Virtual Organizer”, she can create a customized organizing plan for your home or office. As a “Simplicity and Accountability Coach “, Ramona provides a proven program for making every area of your life a little bit easier — perfect for those who want to make the time and space to focus on their true priorities. As a Professional Photographer, Ramona captures powerful images of places and people as she travels. And as a freelance writer and blogger, she shares organizing techniques, travel tips, and social commentary with others. You can see all these sides of Ramona — read her articles, browse through her photographs, and even hire her to help get your life in order — at www.RamonaCreel.com. You can also follow her on Twitter, check out her Facebook profile, and subscribe to her blog feeds.
