The Digital New Year!

It is that time of year again - the time when all of us turn our attention to new outlooks for the New Year. Whether your make formal resolutions or not, you, like millions of others, may find that you are using the change in the calendar as starting point for new habits; for cleaning out, and starting fresh. If getting organized in 2014 is on your list of things to do, great! You can check out this blog for some simple ideas, and of course there is always Pinterest; brimming with inspiration! (check out my board called Sorting It Out for some good ones) One of the biggest clutter culprits I see when working with clients is Paper! (no surprise I am sure) I am frequently asked, "how can I get rid of all this paper?" So I've decided to take the next couple of weeks and share some tips for going paperless. To start with, you need the right equipment. So that is what we will chat about today.

In a paper free home, your computer essentially becomes your filing cabinet. So, to work with your computer, I recommend the following three things: A good scanner. No matter what you do, you are going to get paper. So you need to convert the paper to a Portable Document Format (PDF), that can be stored on your computer. There are a few options - here are a couple I recommend

• Fujitu ScanSnap - while it is not cheap (I found it on Amazon for $450.00) it a great piece of equipment - it will scan your documents and photos quickly, with great quality. You can set the scanner to "drop" al all documents in a particular folder on you computer, and it will automatically name them with the today's date in the title.
  

• Another great scanner is the Neat Receipt - this scanner comes with software that helps you keep track of expenses and create an organized database of new contacts with it's business card scanner. While the desktop version is $100 less than the Fujitu, they have an even less expensive solution in their mobile version. It can be purchased for less than $200. If you are a small business owner and/or a business person who needs to keep track of lots of business receipts, this is my recommendation.

• Of course, if you have a 3-in-1 printer, you can use the scanner on that. The only downside is that they are known for being a bit slow, and it can be tedious if you don't have document feeder. If you are not scanning pages upon pages, this will work great (it is my current solution)  Another low cost but effective option is to purchase a scanner app for your smart-phone or tablet. I personally use TinyScan. I purchased the pro version - which allows me to email the document to myself or someone else for $4.99 (a once and done purchase - not a monthly subscription)

A Shredder Throwing away paper can be dangerous, and can help others steal your identity. Invest in a good shredder that offers a "cross cut" function. Then, get in the habit of shredding EVERYTHING!

Computer Filing/Back-up Solutions If you are going to go digital, then you need to back up your files. Otherwise, if Sally spills your coffee all over the computer, you are  toast! There are few different ways to approach this - some services provide you with a "cloud" filing cabinet. While others are true computer back systems. Both have advantages, and I actually recommend using both. Let's walk through a them.

• Online document sharing such as Dropbox and/or Google Drive. These services, which both are free up to a certain amount of storage, work like virtual filing cabinets; allowing you to organize documents and photos in folders, on a cloud based filing system. They are not a back up for your computer. Just like traditional metal filing cabinets, they only keep what is put in them. They do have some great features, for example,  they allow you to easily share documents across multiple computers and other electronic devices. A document you create on your computer at home can be on your husband's phone 2 minutes later. Additionally, if you change a document today, it is automatically synched and updated across all platforms. Dropbox also offers aPack Rat service, which keeps older versions of a document for a period of time.

• Online back up system - there are few different services out there. Carbonite seems to be the one I see used the most frequently. Essentially, these services create a cloud that backs up everything on your computer. In other words, unlike Dropbox and Google Drive, the online back up will find every picture, email, and, document on your computer, create a copy of it and store it for safe keeping. The cost for Carbonite is $59.99 per year. Unlike Dropbox and Google Drive, you can not share files between computers - this is a 100% "storage in case of emergency" back up service. Additionally, a back up is a "snap shot" of files at one particular moment in time. When you restore from a back up, only the files that were available at that time will reappear. You can combat this by backing up frequently; or partnering with a program like Dropbox or Google Drive.

• Local Backup - Much like the online back up, this creates a copy of all files on your computer, but instead of a cloud or online service, you are saving to a USB drive or other type of external drive. There are a couple of downsides to this. First, you have to remember to do it - versus the online services usually remind you or they can be automatically scheduled. Additionally, you are still prone to disaster; (Sally can still spill coffee on you USB drive) I recommend if you are going to use a local back up, to store the drive offsite in a safe deposit box or a fire proof safe.

If need to invest in any of these items, you could be spending anywhere between $200 and $500. This may feel like a big investment, but the good news is that because you are using a paperless system, the investment is once and done - you don't need to keep buying folders or other types organizational tools! Also, don't feel the need to run out and the most expensive option right away. Start with the TinyScan and a local back up (which should run you about $50.00) then, if necessary, upgrade!