![]() ![]() Fortunately, the technology related to going paperless has come a long way since that time. When I first went paperless over a decade ago and created a digital filing cabinet, technology was a substantial hurdle. What technology do I need to go paperless? Do I need to invest in an expensive scanner? But it doesn’t force us to be super restrictive beyond our level of comfort or preference. Going paperless frees us from piles of paper clutter and gives us a quick and helpful solution for accessing our files anytime we need them. It would be irresponsible to eliminate those types of papers. These are papers like marriage certificates, birth certificates, social security cards, passports, and a few other items. We have a locked firebox where we keep vital documents with original signatures or official documents with raised seals.You can learn more about organizing sentimental items in this post.) Then only keep the amount that fits in that space. (The key with organizing mementos is to choose a set amount of space for them. These could be important letters or cards, or even some select artwork from our kids from over the years. I keep some physical paper keepsake or memento type items.For this use, I much prefer physical paper, even if I scan those notes later. I also have notebooks where I write down my thoughts and ideas or take notes on presentations.And I prefer reading physical books and magazines over their digital counterparts. Here are some examples of physical paper items we still have in our home: ![]() To me, “going paperless” does not mean that we no longer keep or interact with any paper. And it frees up space in our house that was formerly taken up by filing cabinets and piles of paper. Storing documents digitally saves us a tremendous amount of time. It just means that we scan, organize, store, and interact with our documents in a digital format. This does not mean that we don’t have any paper in our house. When I use the word “paperless,” I mean that we maintain an organized digital filing cabinet rather than storing all of our important documents in a physical filing cabinet. Do you keep any physical paper? What about official documents like birth certificates and marriage licenses?ĭifferent people probably have very different definitions of what the word “paperless” means to them. But it is completely possible to push past that mental hurdle and find the freedom that comes with ditching the paper clutter and going paperless! 2. This feeling of “I don’t even know where to start!” is a form of resistance that is difficult to overcome. We break down the process into more manageable chunks so that it’s easy to figure out what to just recycle, what should be scanned and then recycled, and then– in a very, very few select instances– which paper should be kept. Once we’ve gotten into a consistent habit of scanning and organizing our current incoming paperwork, then we go through a systematic process we call “The Great Paper Purge” where we deal with the papers that have accumulated in the past. Since Donnie is the real paperless guru in our house, I’m going to let him do most of the answering! Here he is… We will be sure to touch on all of them! Simply click on the link below to jump straight to any of the categories in the post. The paperless questions we get typically fall into one of five main categories. It really is not as intimidating as it may initially seem! Topics of Paperless Questions We’ll Cover We know people are always curious about the process, so we wanted to make sure that we addressed some of the most common questions we get about going paperless. But we still tend to get a ton of questions when people find out that we have almost no paperwork at all at our house! Paperless technology has improved tremendously over the past 13 years, and people have gotten more and more comfortable with the thought of doing things digitally. When I say “paperless,” I mean that we scan all of our important documents and files and keep them organized digitally in an app called Evernote, rather than maintaining a physical filing cabinet. Donnie and I have now been “paperless” for more than a decade. ![]()
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