Online Tools Help Paperless Plunge
Full disclosure: I have not gone with all my invoices — yet. If you are like me, you see the value in paying bills electronically but just can not step away from the comfort of owning a hard copy. The good news for those people in the noncommittal camp: There are plenty of baby steps we could take to decrease paper in the house office.
April and May
Setup paperless billing. Some facts to consider before making the plunge:
• it is possible to install paperless billing through your lender or individual vendors. Pick which feels more comfortable for you. Just know that in the event you go the bank and opt to switch banks at a later date, you’ll need to begin the process around.
• Gather your bills and house vendors (for instance, water delivery) and list whatever that you want to switch to paperless statements.
• Keep track of user names and passwords in one place for easy access.
• Do not forget to jot down invoice due dates on your calendar or put up your invoices for automatic repayment.
•that I really like placing Google reminders to prompt me with a text or email when a bill is nearing its due date. (Additionally, it backs up my billing schedule to my calendar)
Lucy Interior Design
Use web-based bookmarks. Organize web-based bookmarks as you would your newspaper files: Produce a main category with like files grouped inside. Even if you switch browsers, you can easily transfer bookmarks you’ve created and organized.
For those who must read print copies of magazines, then use the rip-and-read method and recycle the majority of the magazine. But it’s far better to locate magazine articles and other house design photographs and ideas on the internet. It is possible to bookmark them for later reading.
David Lauer Photography
Setup e-faxing. Provided that you have access to a scanner, then you can formally say goodbye to awkward fax machines. Faxing seems so crude anyway, and no fax system to store means more open space in your home office. Thank good for eFax, which sends faxes as email attachments. Plans range from $15 to $17 per month.
Lovejoy Designs
Create a virtual calendar. It took me several tries before I finally committed to an online calendar. Once I trusted that the system (and didn’t move back and forth between my paper and digital calendar), my entire life has run so far more easily. Some hints:
• Test a free online calendar and adhere to using it for at least 2 weeks.
• Setup reminders and alerts (especially in the beginning) so that you will get in the habit of putting your digital schedule to use.
• Select a web-based calendar that syncs remotely with your cell phone. For example, I use Google Sync, and with the press of a button, my desktop program is updated with any new info that I have put in my Blackberry.
Signature Homes
Put your to-do list in the cloud. I certainly love not having to unveil my to-do record on a daily basis. And since it is housed in the cloud, meaning it is stored almost and reachable from many devices, I have access to it from anywhere. Also, relying on digital tools to capture important data implies fewer sticky notes and random bits of paper that often end up becoming lost.
It’s easy to become overwhelmed with all the to-do list apps out there. Do not stress that you haven’t picked the right one; the secret is to stick with the system. And do not be worried if you do not always use it on the spot. When I need to quickly jot down info, I email myself the notice so that I can transfer the data after I’m back at my PC.
More:
Paperless Home Offices Show Reams of Design
The Great Paper Push: Just Say No