Hi everyone,
I just wanted to share my experiences on how owning an electronic scanner and shredder has changed my life. Specifically, these two items have allowed me to stay better organized, maintain a clutter free work environment, and have given me peace of mind.
I had previously handled my document organization with a simple file box where I had separate folders for significant documents. This worked well for big items such as insurance, apartment, loan documents, etc., however, I often hesitated to put other documents in the box in fear of cluttering the space.
However, I soon ran into problems with this system when important documents expired or became potentially irrelevant (i.e. insurance/tax documents from the previous year). These documents were never removed from my filing box due to the fact they contained somewhat private information and who knows, may be relevant down the road. Needless to say, this physical filing system grew out of control.
Adding to this problem of document organization was that I simply didn't know how to sort many documents that I received. For example, if I received a document containing account information, should I hold onto this because it contains personal information? I'd hate to place something like that in the trash. But what if I need to reference this down the road? Should I keep it, how important is it?
To 'remedy' this problem, I simply implemented a 'hold and forget' method which consisted of me placing the document in an unsorted box. Obviously this was impractical and unsustainable.
I had eventually gotten sick of it and decided to go out and purchase a new scanner and shredder. This was easily one of the best investments (~$120) that I've made in the last two years. These two items essentially solved the 'hold and forget' problem and was able to reduce the clutter in my important file box. Some typical dilemma situations that were solved with these two devices:
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Receive a document with personal information that you know you don't need to hold onto? Shred it.
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Receive a document with vital information that you want to hold onto? Scan it, and then file it in a physical location.
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Receive a document with information that you would like to reference later down the road but isn't important enough to you to keep a physical copy? Scan it and then shred it.
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Receive a document that might be important? Determine whether or not it's very important. If you decide it's not, simply scan it and shred it.
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Old tax and insurance documents that you had previously held physical copies but aren't sure whether or not you still need them? Scan them and then shred them to make room for your more current documents. This has helped me significantly in always maintaining the current version of important documents while ensuring old documents don't clutter my file box.
Overall, this this scan and shred technique has helped me significantly. Not only am I able to operate in a clutter free environment, the filing system is significantly better than what I could have ever done with a physical filing system. I also have the peace of mind knowing that documents that might be important down the road can always be retrieved when necessary.
My recommendation: invest in a scanner and shredder. Just thought I would share seeing as how it has significantly simplified my document organization.
Submitted June 17, 2017 at 10:54PM by tomizzo11 http://ift.tt/2snGxx2
