The work and costs involved in using and retaining paper

Here’s a Throwback Thursday for you

• The work and costs involved in using and retaining paper are much higher than being paperless.

I have been personally been working on being paperless for at least 5 years now.
The costs of having paper:

• Disorganized: Paper made me very disorganized, whether it was a messy desk, locker, room, or apartment. The number one thing making me disorganized was paper. Now being closer to paperless, I’m able to be somewhat organized.
• Storage: there are a lot of cost associated with the storage of paper. It can be square footage, shelving, or file cabinets.
  
• Physical work, physical pain. Having papers has caused me a lot of physical work as well as physical pain. I’ve got papercuts, back pain from too many books, and sliced my foot on a paper cutter.  Shock and burn from laser printer. Other health problems with the dusts from paper. Physical work putting furniture together and moving furniture.
  

  

  
  

  

  
  

  

• Actual tangible  costs of paper, folders, printers, ink, pens, pencils, printing, mailing, recycling, and disposal.
• Paper is harder for people with certain disabilities to use.

My solutions:

1. get everything electronically in the 1st place and keep them electronic. Instead of printing important emails, I just save them. I use online banking, online bills, automatic deposits and payments, and insurance statements and download and backup.
2. Share my items electronically instead of printing. Such as photos and documents. Sending receipts by email to customers. Use online meetings and share with online storage.
3. Scan every paper item I can that is not already in electronic form. This includes receipts, paper bills, and paper notices.
4. Use digital photography and only have my best photos printed, or only when someone request one printed.
5. Recycle all junk mail, and recycle scanned items that do not need a physical paper copy.
6. Request to be taken off junk mail lists and phone book lists:
   1. Yellow Page optout
   2. Opt out of pre-screened Credit Card Offers
   3. Direct Marketing Associations Mail Choices
   4. Contact companies directly through their web site or sometimes by phone.
7. Read newspaper online or a shared copy. Use eBooks instead of paper books.
8. Have all of my important public information for my business on my web site.
9. Use the notes feature, calendar, reminders, and contacts on my smart phone and computer.
10. Older Methods I use to be paperless using marker board and message / plastic letter boards
    

    

    
    

    

    
    

    

11. Sell the furniture at a low cost after I get rid of enough papers
    

    

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