Seven Easy Steps To Going Paperless In Your Office
The following guest post is written by Lloyd Burrell. He has a website that offers detailed reviews of modern home desks . He tries to practice what he preaches by keeping his home office as paperless as possible.
Our offices, whether at home or in the workplace, can easily overflow with paperwork. Money may not grow on trees, but a lot of paper comes from them. Fortunately, we are recycling a lot of our paper products and making them into new and fresh paper. The ideal balance would be to recycle and re-use and also reduce use. That is the new mantra of recycling in the 21st century.
Some people have no trouble letting piles of unpaid bills, catalogs, receipts and other paper pile up in their offices. To others, it’s like a horrible menace and they keep everything organized and in its place. Most of us are in the middle somewhere. If we hate clutter, then spending a few minutes every day or weekly will keep things organized, as well as avoiding the dreaded buildup of paperwork.
Reducing, Recycling And Reusing Your Paper Products
1) Keep your recycle bin or bins clean and make them your best friends. They can be hidden under a counter and if you put a curtain up in front, that will disguise them. Use them for clean recyclables, and there will be no odor. Recycle your unwanted catalogs and such by removing the address labels and popping them into the appropriate bin. Order online and eliminate a lot of this wasteful junk mail. Request to be taken off of companies’ mailing lists.
2) Pile up your receipts in separate containers. Do it weekly and it won’t get out of hand. Save the receipts you want and recycle the rest in your white paper bin. File the receipts you must keep intact, and then scan in the others and recycle the paper ones. Shred any receipts that may have personal info on them. Shredded white paper can also be recycled. When packaging a gift, these can make terrific stuffing.
3) File receipts you are keeping in a category — office expenses, taxes, repairs, household expenses, and a catchall “miscellaneous”. Be certain to keep all tax-necessary receipts and you can use a fireproof box which is lockable, for the crucial ones. If you make a purchase, and won’t be needing the receipt, tell the cashier ahead of time. One less piece of paper to worry about!
4) Get a good quality shredder. These are superior recycling tools. Some can even shred credit cards or similar pieces of plastic. Shredded paper can be reused or recycled. Always shred any junk mail that contains pre-approved credit card offers, etc. People grab this stuff from your garbage on occasion and use it to commit identity theft. Colorful shredded paper such as from store adverts, can be used as package filler to cushion items. Better that than foam peanuts!
5) Opt out of junk mail lists and telemarketing calls. All countries have different rules on this and varied sites which you may use to call or email the companies to stop them from sending the unwanted offers or calling you at dinner time. This is one of the best ways to reduce the amount of paper which enters your home and office.
6) Try and do all of your bill paying and banking online. With the advent of online payments services such as PayPal and others, one never needs to even see a check or receive a bill or statement. You still need to check your bank account and statement online, and doing so every couple of days will help reduce any possible fraudulent charges due to identity theft.
7) Think before you wad up that piece of paper from your computer, throw the daily newspaper away into the garbage, or chuck out that cardboard box which you got your brand new computer in. Break down components and recycle them. Most things these days can be recycled. Your recycle bin or bins should be full each week while your garbage can should be half empty.
These seven steps will help you to reduce the paper clutter in your home and office. They will also make you feel better in your office environment, after all what’s the point in having a swishy Techni Mobili super storage computer desk if you can’t even see it to enjoy it?
Another tip to save paper bags when you shop, is to take or get a cardboard box from the store and use that for carrying your goods in your car. In fact, you could keep a few cardboard boxes in the back of your car and use them for groceries, and other items. After they wear out, recycle them and get a few new ones. A true way to go paperless, as well as plastic-free!
Don’t forget that every tree which remains standing, gives off more oxygen for us to breathe, as well as every other living creature on our planet. Be kinder and gentler to Mother Nature and recycle your office paper.
Thanks Lloyd
