How I Switched to a Paperless Office

April 22, 2008 · 5 comments

Weeks ago I made a decision to convert my office to paperless. My motivation was two-fold, both environmentally conscience and to take advantage of a small workspace. My initial reaction to the thought of going paperless seemed almost impossible. However, when I sat down and asked myself what I really needed I realized with a little bit effort I could make this happen.

The first thing I did was to get control of my printing habits. I’ve been known to print off emails and online articles to read later only to read them once and then throw the paper away. Not only is this not environmentally smart, but filing paper that I’ll never read again doesn’t make sense. Having a limited work area made this extremely difficult in relation to filing.

Next, I asked myself how often do I need a notebook? After determining that there were just a few occasions that I really needed one, I began taking notes on my laptop. While it’s taken a little time getting use to, I’ve develop a system that seems to be working.

My goal is to transition the majority of all my periodical reading to online sources. Than tackle all the unnecessary mail. Ultimately, I would like to be paperless with:

1. Online invoicing and bank statements

2. Newspapers and magazines

3. airline tickets

4. event tickets

5. grocery lists

6. financial receipts

I don’t know if I could ever read books only through a reader, but you never know. Going paperless could become addictive.

Have you gone paperless? What was the biggest thing you had to let go of? What are your suggestions for anyone switching to a paperless environment?

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  • http://www.bloodybrilliantblog.com Gabrielle

    Your photo of a clean desk fills me with envy; but there are limits. There are times when I need to print some things I have to edit, and seeing them laid out in front of me on paper that I can mark up and rearrange is the only way I can do it. Sometimes it’s the only way I can truly focus.
    Kudos to you though; I think it’s a great goal and I’ll be curious to hear how it goes.

  • http://www.hanseich.com Hans

    Hi David,
    that’s a really neat setup. I’ve tried to go paperless many times, but it’s like fighting the windmills. There’s just so many things that just can’t be done, or are so time intensive. For instance my bank, they have apparently gone paperless, for some reason they still take up 10% of my file folder cabinet (especially since they had said that they would drastically reduce their paper usage and I’ve signed up for all kinds of paperless stuff with them, I still get loads of paper sent from them, it’s quite bad PR for them).
    I encourage going paperless, but some paper is necessary, I have a huge pile of paper that is only printed on one side (So many places waste that paper, I just stock up on their waste every now and then :-) ). If I have to print (using refill cartridges) something out that is only for my reference or for my private files, I print on the back of that paper. Then it gets recycled and I don’t have to feel bad about wasting that paper, it’s gotten double usage out of it and did cost me zill.
    On the other hand, I really do understand that there are some process’ where paper is imperative. Ie: brainstorming or meetings!!! That’s why google will not allow laptops in their meetings. Jogging your thoughts down on a piece off paper uses much less brain power than open the laptop and typing it in. Weather you want it or not, you will think of layouts, font sizes etc. and have about 50% of your brain powered wasted.
    But, even for that I can use my one sided waste paper :-)
    Keep up the good work and save those trees (and your wallet) :-)
    Cheers, Hans

  • Todd

    for me paper just gets in the way most of the time. you have to pick it up, carry it around, file it. it’s so… physical; seems almost anachronistic much of the time. sorry for the high dollar word but it is the word i needed. i keep notes on google docs – things to do, people to call, random thoughts that otherwise would be buried in who knows what notebook. i think if i had to write something on paper now it would look like a second grader. granted you don’t always have access but in those cases you just scribble a note and transfer it later; although i think jott may be the answer to that one. haven’t tried it yet.
    oh yeah, and then there’s the environmental thing too :-)

  • http://theclosetentrepreneur.com The Closet Entrepreneur

    Personally, I’m about 90% paperless with the majority of the paper I’m using due to snail mail from companies that do not offer a paperless route. When I do take notes, I use the blank sides of scraps I’ve collected (just as some of the above commentators have mentioned) and have forced myself to utilize Word since I too used to find it easier to use a printed copy for editing – but what a waste of paper since it all went into the recycle bin once I was done.
    To transfer my handwritten notes to Word, I use Nuance’s Dragon Naturally speaking voice dictation software – it takes some effort to get used to the software but it saves a lot of time and energy in the long run.
    I also use Google Notebook, Word, or M$ OneNote to jot down notes when my laptop is around. And one day when I can afford it, I’ll take all my bills, receipts, and other printed materials that I’m filing away and digitize them with a Fujitsu ScanSnap – it’s an amazing piece of hardware! You can see a several videos of it on YouTube.

  • Joe

    Old news dude, this was done twenty years ago.
    Do your homework and create something new rather than stealing ideas.

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