Paperless Life Hacks for the Everyday Office Worker

When a company transitions its records to paperless document management software, the benefits can soon be felt across the board on an individual level. Granted, the organization will likely be thrilled with the increased electronic workflow and the bottom line of the business will improve, but none of this would be possible without first offering some basic benefit to the smaller cogs in the wheel of efficiency – namely, the people in each cubicle. If you’re at a loss as to why paperless can increase your own productivity and happiness on a personal level, consider these basic tips.

Get paper out of your home life

One of the easiest ways to transition to happy, paper-free office life is to simply go cold turkey on tangible data as a whole. This can be accomplished just as easily on the home front by purchasing a reliable scanner and a paperless document management infrastructure to manage various receipts, bills, and other important documentation. When the same skills and money-saving techniques are applied to the office, it can make an individual feel more like he or she is leading a specific lifestyle instead of trying to increase electronic workflow in one place alone.

Automate everything possible

Invoice automation is yet another area where workers can improve their daily work habits and the rate at which in-office transactions are completed. This is especially true for those working in the manufacturing industry – according to a piece from PC Magazine, making anything function in a completely web-based manner will be more beneficial to the company and a worker’s personal productivity by avoiding signing off on a million different individuals slips of paper.

This could mean delivery paperwork that used to occupy filing cabinets could be processed completely online in a work capacity, and that bills could be paid without a physical check being signed in a home capacity. By going paperless in your own life, it’s easy to see why customers find the technology so beneficial.

Shred paper as you go

Just because your office is adjusting to document imaging workflow, doesn’t mean the entire world is. You’ll continue receiving mail, receipts, and other documents as usual – the difference lies in how efficiently you deal with them. According to a recent piece from Lifehack, users should keep the end goal of shredding and recycling appropriately at the top of their priorities at all times.

“Begin with the end in mind,” the source explained. “Be clear on your objectives so that you can target your conversion most effectively.”

Approaching paperless from a lifestyle perspective is a more beneficial approach than doing so strictly in the workplace, for a number of reasons – it saves money, keeps you productive, and can make transitioning from “home habits” to “work habits” much easier. The willingness to be flexible and learn new habits can mean a whole new life for a hardworking individual.