Going Paperless at Home/Office: Introduction

Part of Going Paperless Series which provides tips, tools, processes and resources to make the journey to a paperless office or home easier.

Since the creation of the computer and data storage, people have been making every attempt to transition from their cluttered offices full of paper and rooms (or attics) full of file cabinets into a paperless, streamlined and easy to search environment.

As technology has evolved, so has our ability to make the transition into paperless.Whether you have a small office with limited storage or a home full of papers and family records, it is fairly easy today to begin the process of going paperless and storing all of your documents on your computer or online.

Now days, computers are cheap, storage is super inexpensive, and scanners can be found everywhere.

Before we embark in the process of streamline our lives, , let make sure we understand what it means to go paperless, so we have a solid goal in mind.   A good definition of a paperless environment can be found at  Wikipedia’s Paperless Office ‘s  office page  follows:

A paperless office is a work environment in which the use of paper is eliminated or greatly reduced. This is done by converting documents and other papers into digital form. Proponents claim that “going paperless” can save money, boost productivity, save space, make documentation and information sharing easier, keep personal information more secure, and help the environment.

The idea that everyone can accomplish  the goal of a completely paperless state  is, at best, ambitious.  However, many of us have reached a state in which paper is not the norm, and when it arrives, we have a process to digitize it, store it and make it accessible.