There are a few tweaks that most of us will need to make before we can ever truly have a life that’s centered. Part of this is to simplify and de-clutter our lives. So I want to share a simple yet profound process that has helped organize and maximize my own efficiency. I would suggest most of us need a new world-view of how we see saving paper docs. Meaning, if we are going to use technology for our own formation and growth then we need some very simple, yet effective, ways in which we streamline the stuff in our lives. If your desk is like mine, you have piles of papers waiting to be read then filed in some file cabinet in the garage or down the hall in the file room. This can be a very tiresome and timely process. Not to mention, once your docs are filed they are likely to be forgotten unless you happen to remember you have them or you’ve decide to clean out your files.
What would happen if we created a digital file cabinet that could always be with us and accessible? What if every document you owned was in some sort of digital format on your hard drive? Is this really even possible? Is this safe and secure? How do I manage all these thousands of pages? There are more questions then we have time to write about today but the answer in “yes” to all the above.
There area few simple initial steps:
1. Find a scanner that can suck in large amounts of documents at one time. I use personally use the Fujitsu ScanSnap. It processes about 30 pages per minute.
2. Determine what software you will use to organize your files and make them searchable. I use DevonThink Pro Office for this process. If I want to search an article I ripped out of a journal or a letter someone sent me, this can be dome very simply. If I do a search for either of these items, DevonThink will literally search each PDF for the scanned text I’m attempting to find (not just the saved name of the file). Much of what I do is research based and this is very helpful for me to have all my files at my fingertips.
There’s so much more we could discuss regarding a virtual file cabinet. I would love to hear what works for you…
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Scott, we had a copier/scanner/fax machine at work that you could do high volume scanning on and then have it automatically email it you. You still had to save it out of your email locally. It was great keep everything in PDF. What about collaboration? How do you share all this database of PDF’s so that other’s can search it and utilize it as a resource? Curious if you have found anything out there for that.
Good stuff Scott. Do you use Google docs at all? I have become a Google docs snob over the last few months. It’s great for sharing and collaboration.
Daniel, As far as collaboration, we use DropBox…This is one of the most helpful apps I have ever used regarding shared files. More to come on this in a future post.
Phil, I do use Google docs for a few items but find it to pale in comparison to MS Office. I’m looking forward to Office 2010 where one can apparently sync with an online version of Office…or so the rumors go.
This really is something to aspire to. I think a lot people have the same problem going paperless as we do investing $. Or for women, doing “digital scrapbooks” rather than photo albums. It’s the fear factor. What if i scan all my forms/docs and then my computer crashes. Or I invest all my money and lose it? Or my dig photos? I think as long as the external HD and backups are happening it’s awesome. Although I was a late adopter w/ getting rid of all my actual music cds in case my computer crashed. there’s something about tactile and fear stands in the way of going all digital.