How to Set Up and Enjoy a Paperless Life

Have you ever imagined what life would be like if you weren’t buried in papers all the time? Loose sheets of paper, sticky notes, printouts… it’s all so wasteful and bad for the environment. But you can make a difference by going 100% paperless; that is, if you have the gumption for it.

Today, we’re challenging you to consider how you might make your life more paperless.

The Paperless Life

In addition to slowing down deforestation and reducing pollution, a paperless life means doing your part as a human being to save the planet we call home.

The more paper is consumed, the more trees must be cut down to replace it. If you do what you can to minimize paper consumption, you can help to keep forests healthy, which helps them pull carbon dioxide from the air. Additionally, you’re giving animals more high-quality forests to call home, and you’re eliminating the water and energy waste that goes into producing more paper.

Of course, the less paper that goes into the trash can, the more you’re keeping out of landfills and recycling systems, too.

A paperless life is also easier to manage and organize. Imagine all of the bills that pile up on your counter that you never touch because you pay them online and get email notifications about them anyway. In today’s digital landscape, anything important can typically be found online, so there’s no real reason to have paper copies of these documents.

There’s no reason not to go paperless, really, as it’s a win-win situation for all parties involved.

How to Minimize Paper Waste

It’s easy to talk about a paperless life, but practically implementing it is trickier. Here are some ideas to help you make it easier.

Your Mobile Device

A mobile device can help you access various mediums that would typically take up paper space, such as messages, digital contracts, contact entries, phone numbers, and so on. Smartphones are great, but a laptop can also function similarly, just not quite as mobile.

A Note-Taking App

Want to ditch paper altogether? You can replace a notebook with a note-taking app. There are several out there, but we recommend picking one that is both accessible and suits your needs.

Cloud Storage Apps

Cloud storage is an excellent way to eliminate much of the paper waste we deal with daily. Solutions like Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, and Dropbox are available to help you access your files at any time using an Internet connection.

Additional Tips to Consider

Still not convinced that a paperless life is possible? Try these tips out:

• Digital calendars - Most mobile platforms have a calendar app integrated into the device’s software, while most cloud-based productivity apps have one that you can deploy alongside the one on your device to ensure that you are able to control your schedule as needed.
• Digital reader - Going paperless means no more physical books as well. That’s easy enough these days with the glut of reader apps and audiobook apps available to users. 
• Digital wallet - While payment cards and paying with cash don’t always apply, having a digital wallet set up with your accounts so that you can pay on the go is exceptionally useful.

We love to help businesses make more efficient use of their limited resources, so if you find yourself in need of more information on going paperless, give us a call at 301-571-5040.