5 Steps to Going Paperless Clearing Your Clutter

As you step into adulthood, your pile of documents increases manifold. However, a cluttered environment can feel suffocating and repress your creativity. Moreover, you can easily digitize most of the documents you currently own. 

This blog post will be a solid guide to make things easy on switching to paperless mode. Keep reading to get started on your decluttering journey. Here are the five essential steps you can follow today to declutter and go paperless. 

Dump All the Paperwork in One Place

The first step requires you to create an utter mess. Yes, clutter to declutter. Bring out all the documents you have accumulated over the years.

Empty or filled notepads, report cards, files, etc., All of them should be right in front of you before you start decluttering.

Sort it Out

The next step is to sort the mess out. This step might take a while, so settle for a relaxing tea or coffee before diving in. You need to stack your documents in two piles: what you need (which we’ll later digitalize) and what you don’t.

Your birth certificate, degree, etc., are essential documents that can go into the ‘keep’ pile. In contrast, you can toss your old employment contracts, receipts, etc., into the ‘throw’ pile. However, for now, only sort the documents into stacks. 

Shred and Recycle the ‘Throw’ Pile

Once you’re through sorting, rent out a shredder if you don’t have one and shred the documents you don’t need. Many of our receipts and contracts have confidential information, which people can exploit for their benefit. However, shredding all your confidential information mentioned on any documents stays safe.

Recycle the shreds instead of throwing them out in your garbage bin. You can make recycled paper with these shreds. Numerous videos are available on social media to learn how to recycle paper.

Digitalize the Documents You Wish to Keep

Digitize the documents you want to keep with you. You can use certain note apps or scanning apps that take your document’s picture and scan them to create a digital document. Store these digital documents in PDF formats in a safe digital folder where you can find them easily when needed.

Create a Small Folder for the Remaining Documents

You can’t shred away your birth certificate even when you have digitized it. Hence, create a small folder and tuck away all your necessary documents. Keep the folder somewhere safe or with people you trust while traveling.

Going paperless doesn’t mean you won’t have more paper coming your way. When that happens, think about whether you’d require this document in the future. If yes, follow steps 4 and 5. If not, shred them and live with one less document. Good luck!