11 Ways Going Paperless Can Improve Your Life

Trying to find space for all those bills and papers can consume a lot of time and energy. And let’s be real, most of us have a file where documents go to die. They are never seen again and although you might think you’ll need them later, the truth is they should’ve been sent to recycling the minute they touched your hand. While many people tout the benefits of going paperless for the environment, there are also benefits for you. It’s possible to go paperless, or mostly paperless and the benefits are amazing.

Less Clutter

Have you ever wanted to Marie Kondo your life? Take those same principles and apply it to the papers in your office. You can easily convert business cards, recipes, bills, and so much more to a paperless version. You’ll declutter your desk, your glove box, and perhaps even your kitchen table. Less clutter means you’ll have less to look at or think about. You can easily file away medical records, receipts, contracts, and even medication lists in a digital form. There are plenty of tools available to help you do away with the paper clutter in your life.

Less Waste

Many companies offer paperless billing which reduces your waste. If you’re trying to be environmentally aware, you’ll discover that a paperless lifestyle is good for the environment. As you get used to paperless living, you’ll be more likely to send and receive documents electronically. This can permeate other areas of your life as well and make you more aware of the amount of waste you produce. It’s possible to live a more sustainable life with just a few simple changes.

Easier to Find What You Need

Do you spend a lot of time looking through stacks of paperwork or files to find exactly what you need? Going paperless with a good organization system allows you to find what you need more easily. By using a document scanner app on your smartphone you can sort and file documents digitally. By giving them descriptive names you’ll be able to find what you’re looking for just by typing in a quick search. A document scanning app is an excellent tool to help your home or business go paperless.

Go Mobile

Having paper documents makes it difficult for you to find anything unless you’re at your home or office. Gain more freedom when you store your documents electronically. You’ll be able to do almost anything for your business if you don’t rely on paper documents. Living paperless means you can go mobile and access almost anything from secure locations in the cloud from your phone.

Improve Communication

Have clients? Paperless documents help you improve and speed up communication. You won’t need to wait until you’re back at your desk to respond to a question that could take a few minutes if you just had access to the right documents. Keeping important files in a secured location you can access through your mobile device allows you to answer questions and improve communication with your clients even when you’re away.

Save Money

How much do you spend on printing each month? Going paperless, especially in your business can impact your budget in positive ways. You won’t need to pay for expensive printers, ink, or paper each month. Instead, scan and upload documents and save money and trees. Paperless impacts more than your monthly bills, it affects your business budget as well. If you’re spending a lot on paper, look at paperless alternatives to save you money.

Boost Your Mental Health

Too much paper and clutter can have a negative impact on your mental health. People who make small sustainable changes like going paperless report feeling better mentally. They don’t have as many things to look at and focus on and the result is a better overall mood. When you don’t have paper to manage in the office it also reduces the amount of busy work which can make people feel demoralized and like their work doesn’t matter.

Reduce Stress

Another aspect of mental health that’s impacted by having less paper is your stress. If you’ve ever had to sort through a stack of old papers, you know how stressful it can be. Additionally, having paper lying around takes up mental space and creates more inner tension. Going paperless helps you remove this clutter and alleviates the stress you feel because of it. You’ll always know where your documents are stored and with the right naming system, you can easily find each document later. It takes away worry and makes you feel that much lighter.

Boost Productivity

Whether you need to get more time out of your day for things at home or at work, a paperless life can help. Can you remember the days where you have to cut and glue presentations? Then one day someone decided it could be done electronically. And thus PowerPoint, Keynote and other presentation programs were born. In the same way that those programs boosted productivity in creating presentations, going paperless can boost your productivity in other areas of your life and business. You can easily update lists, save emails, and coordinate schedules all by using paperless software.

Allows You to Work Remotely

More and more employers are allowing their staff to work from home or anywhere in the world. Creating a paperless work environment has made this possible. People can collaborate on documents from home without sending them back and forth between desks. They can make updates digitally instead of hand-editing. You can create paperless inventory lists, access client information, and so much more without needing a single thing on printed paper.

Saves Space

Office space and home office space is often a premium. Paper takes up a lot of space. Even with file cabinets and storage boxes, you’ll need room to store them. As these documents stack up, some offices need to rent or lease more space. By going paperless, you can have offices that only need to grow as your number of employees increases. And your home office won’t feel like a paper hoarder lives in it at the end of the day. 

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