I noticed you using a Scan Snap for your papers. I have one but I don't quite understand how to use it. Could you make a tutorial for the Scan Snap? I would sure appreciate it. Thank you so much for your videos. Charon
Make sure all digital files are duplicated/backed up. When I moved, I lost important files and my laptop. My house was robbed between 2 trips back to the house. I moved over 100 miles and money was tight for gas (my son was changing jobs and I was moving in with him).
So great that you knew you wanted to go paperless and could design your plan of attack accordingly. The preparation is just as important as the work. It’s good to think about just how much paper you’re dealing with before you sit down and do this job. When I had 20 to 30 years of backlog to deal with, it really helped me to think in terms of Freedom Filer method. Being able to sort files into dated archived folders without having to make immediate decisions about them, along with the other categories of active, remove/replace, permanent, Current tax related, current financial, projects and reference… That was really helpful having sections set up for all of that. It was a lot easier to tackle what absolutely needed to be done first and then go through and shred a lot of the rest of it. Because they were things that were not immediately identifiable as shreddable…And I didn’t realize that until after I shredded some things I should not have shredded. I do love shredding😅.
@@kimbartholomew8129 - uh oh! When it comes to things like birth certificates, passports, voter ID, professional licenses… They get their own dedicated folder… Sometimes with a stick-on pocket inside of the folder to make sure The most important things don’t slide out the side!
Would you please comment on the brand and type of scanner you use? Also, I would like to see the process on how you organize your scanned paperwork. Thanks!
Yes, I would love to know what system you use after scanning your papers. I have recipes in notebooks plus piles of loose paper recipes. Don't want to throw them away but not really using them.
I put the super important documents (like birth certificates) in a fire-proof safe, which also prevents them from getting mixed in with any ordinary papers. Loved your video--great work! I also like how you have your pens, markers, etc. in jars and it looks so colorful and easily accessible. I might copy that in our kitchen, where the kids often do their crafting.
Check on them regularly; I bought a fire proof safe and only put documents in it; opened a year later to add more docs and the ones that were already in there had gone mildewy.
This is the biggest job I so need to tackle it’s been building for 10 yrs as we have moved so much and had many serious medical situations. But this is next on the list a massive job but I can’t wait to do it. As I burn and shrewd the papers they seem to be multiplying behind me lol
Hey Laura, you are inspiring me so much! This is exactly the organisation system I’m up to in my life. What do you do with old notebooks or things you’ve written on? I’ve got my notebook from last year where I planned heaps and it allowed me to finally start saving money. I’m not sure if I should go through and pull out important pages or just disregard the whole book? Any suggestions would be so helpful :)
I found it was best for me not spend a lot of time naming files. That's what always made it take forever in my attempts. I went with a simpler approach relying on Evernote's search features. I share the details of the whole system here: getorganizedhq.com/6zjb
Thanks for responding to my question and allow me to congratulate you on your decision and commitment. You gave up your free time until the project was completed. My problem is I start off well but easily get distracted and allow other things and people to take up my time. You're an inspiration!
Well done on sorting & organsing your paper clutter. I plan to start doing this. I prefer lever arch files/ring binders rather than boxes etc. For special items I put them in archival page protectors in yearly ring binders. To me, special greeting cards & letters etc are too precious to just throw away. I have greeting cards from when I was born. I'm now 63 & will never throw these away. Your children were great helpers & so cute. x
I like the tip about getting your family involved, especially the kids so you can work on it more. Giving them simple jobs like shredding the paper makes them feel important and is also helping you at the same time. Your youngest one even looked like he enjoyed watching the shredder in action.
Now that I'm caught up on backlog, it takes just a few minutes a week at most. To get all caught up I worked on it for about 2-3 weeks using a lot of my free time on it.
Same here. I prefer physical paper clutter because I have a finite amount of space to keep it in (container concept). However, with the computer, space is basically indefinite so I tend to keep things I don’t need and feel the need to over organize with folders and file names
So true - it's just as important to not save what you don't on the computer as it would be with physical paper. I always say that digital clutter is still clutter.
I’ve had trouble transferring scanned files from the past into the present. The new technology doesn’t always talk to the old technology. And I just learned that the little thumb drives are known to be wonky and unreliable. So if you decide to go more paperless, the tips I just read about recently include: Use a big reliable external drive and possibly even a optical disc like a DVD sort of thing. Update your old files into new versions so you don’t lose them. If you think of naming conventions for your files, it’s a lot easier to find them if they go astray, and it can help alphabetize similar things in different categories much better. And if you want to find things by the year, stick the year date in there. And of course people are putting stuff in the cloud now. Personally, I don’t want all my beeswax up there. But that’s what a lot of people are doing. I would prefer to have a back up at home.
Scanning and shredding changed the way I manage paper. Now that I'm caught up, I deal with papers as they come in. I also have small files for the few papers that need to be in hard copy, plus a memory box for sentimental items. Such a satisfying place to be!
I love the idea of getting rid of filing cabinets full of paper. Is there an app I could use from my phone for scanning? Would I lose quality of scanning by using it instead of a scanner like yours? Btw… I love your office helpers😀
The scanning idea is brilliant, had never thought of that one. I am currently renting whilst our new house is being built and this is a great time to go through our papers. Thank you so much for the inspiration.
My boys are 17 & 20 and I still have their baby shower cards! I believe the ones from when *I* was born are in my attic, too! I love looking at the cards.
Hello Laura, I posted the following comment a year ago, have not yet received a reply. I am interested in your course but need an answer regarding Evernote. How far in depth do you go in teaching the use of Evernote? I would like to be able to walk away from the class feeling confident in my knowledge of the app.
How far in depth do you go in teaching the use of Evernote? I would like to be able to walk away from the class feeling confident in my knowledge of the app.
So the ScanSnap absolutely saved me from drowning in paper clutter. You recommended it somewhere and I was able to snag a used one for super cheap (no way could I afford them new). Life. Changer. No joke. So much quicker and easier than the flat bed scanners. I hate to sound like a commercial LOL but this thing changed the game. I finally got my paper clutter sorted and gone and now all I've left to deal with little by little is the sentimental stuff. It's so nice tho to have that all contained to one big box, instead of piles here, there, and everywhere, haha. Now whatever comes in gets scanned, shredded, and digitally filed. I feel so light and airy! 😂😂
Oh and I bought a cute, bright colored decorative box for the important papers. It's easy to spot and locate. Once money allows I do want to get a safe though, but they're not really mainstream where I live, so they're quite hard to get and not cheap. All of the documents are also in cloud storage though and could be replaced with not too much effort.
I have been super happy with my Fellowes shredder, it has been a workhorse. I definitely got the one that takes more paper than the lowest level. I like that it can also shred credit cards (but obviously you wouldn’t want to recycle paper with plastic in it). It stops running if fingers are close to the top. It can reverse if it gets a bit choked up with too much. (Obviously, don’t try to make it choke with too much paper). The only downside may be common to other shredders, I don’t know. But I never seem to manage to empty it without getting some of the shreds on the floor which is a pain to clean up. Other than that, 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻. I got mine at Sam’s but it’s a pretty common brand.
