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My wife calls me a huge Tech Geek, but when I find something that works, I need to spread the word. Every week or so, I’m telling her about some new app, gadget, or device that she needs to take a look at, buy for me, or agree to let me go pick it up. Although she criticizes me about them every time. She thanks me later, because she can’t see life without them. Recently, I have decreed that I will never again to be a harborer of paper. With all this technology at my disposal, surely I can have a life without the paper clutter. Thus started my journey to get my life as paper free as I can get it. So how am I doing that? I’m glad you asked! Here are 3 Apps that you must have!
In the vastness of digital storage, searching for anything can be a daunting task, especially if you have it spread across multiple hard drives, thumb drives, and CD/DVDs. Before you take on any paperless endeavor I recommend you to take a moment and create your digital filing system. At this juncture, it doesn’t matter where you have it, just get it out of paper and know where you are going to put it. It may be helpful to have your electronic filing system mirror your paper filing system. This way, it eliminates the guesswork. When it comes to storage, unless I am backing up data, I eliminated physical media. In place of physical media I recommend going to the cloud.
Cloud Storage
Either or both of these Apps allows you store your files digitally and access them anywhere. Google Drive take things a step further and allows you to create files as well, but there is nothing that says you have to choose. Use them both! The most important thing is that you choose one that you will use.
In moving from paper to digital organization is key! In one of my most recent endeavors I started a process with the potential of creating about 300 pages of information, just to fax to someone so they can store it digitally. Now, does that make sense? With the ability to take photos, notes, voice memos, and attache outside files, Evernote is my go-to App! In fact, this article is started using Evernote. If only it had a way to help me organize all the business cards I get from new people I meet.
Organization
Which brings me to my third must have App! I found this solely by accident, but it worked so I will stuck with it. Being a techie, I loved when I could scan contact information into my phone using the Blackberry mobile barcode. But that was 5 phones ago (seems like a lifetime). ScanBizCard lets you scan a business card using your phone camera and adds or combines it to your contacts. So now, even if you give me your business card, I don’t have to find you and ask you for another one because I lost it.
Paper Free
It is not difficult to go paperless. It does, however, require a complete change of your thought process. Even if you make the switch, there will still be that one person that will want you to print a document to sign it, just so they can store it electronically.
If you have an App that you use that will aid in the going paperless initiative let me know on www.bluestripesirm.com, on Facebook at Blue Stripes IRM or on Twitter @CoreyLStokes.
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If you’ve read Steven Covey’s “Seven Habits of Highly Successful People,” then this concept may be very familiar to you. In fact, if you read that book, you may already have read or heard about the books I’m about to list. If that is the case, great! If not, I suggest you update your reading list so that you can continue to sharpen the saw.
Corey Stokes 
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