The last step in becoming PaperLESS

So you are now paperless! You did it! You sit at home in your home office and feel great to see that you accomplished that big goal for 2017! A small accordion folder of legal documents that you need to save is all that remains. You have successfully removed all your paper, signed up for paperless billing wherever possible. You feel great about how clean your desk looks! 

Do you need that stapler? What about a hole punch? Personally I have paperclips and markers galore! I look at them every day sitting there, I never touch them.

Accompanying paper is the all seen and messy desk supplies, Pushpins, paperclips, tape and tape dispensers, staples, hole punch, file folders, hanging folders, bulky file drawers. Not to mention letter holders, paper inboxes, magazine holders, notebooks, pens, loose leaf paper, printer paper. Markers, sharpies, erasers. What about planners and rulers, washi tape and post it notes. Stamps and envelopes too. Then not to mention the stack of thank you cards you have, ya know, to write special thank you’s that you never do anyway!

And then my daughter needs, something signed from school. The next day I have to staple something into her notebook. All of a sudden I have a client project with too many moving pieces of paper and need paperclips. Fine I use the things I have, it makes sense. Then why does it bother me so much to look at all of these things sitting on my desk?

In my world, I hate seeing things just sitting there. Yet, they still managed to get used, eventually. Or are we only using them because we have them? How do you rank your paper supplies? They aren’t paper, so they don’t quantify as being paperless or not. Yet, they seem to always be around. Have you made the leap to get rid of your supplemental paper items? Running a business means I need some of them. Having a daughter means she might need some of them. I’m still looking for a way around these seemly excuses.

They seem to add value to my life, yet they also add annoyance, an unseen feeling of useless fills me when I see them. Then convenience strikes me when I pick them up for use.

For 2018, I am going to be boxing up my desk supplies, I am going to get them out of my space, Only if I use them will I remove them from the box. If I don’t use them, I plan on donating them for December 2018. Since Tax season is my busy year, and school season for my daughter is when she needs supplies. So lets see if we can get through all 4 seasons. I challenge you to do the same.

Leave a comment below letting me know what you plan on putting in that box? Or leave a comment about your most used desk supply that you can’t live without! Mine is my scissors, because something needs to open up my amazon boxes!!!!!

Being Paperless VS Being Minimalist

Is having an inbox at -0- necessary? How should you maintain your emails? What about those countless subscriptions? Do you have to get rid of them.

This seems to be a huge controversy. Being productive means that you should have nothing in your inbox. Being minimalist means that you should not having any incoming mail ads, subscriptions, newsletter or the like. Well, you know you sure don’t want paper coming into your house. It can sit around forever. So what is the solution that can help you stay organized, be productive, and maintain it simply. It sounds like more than any of us can imagine, but in actuality it can happen. Lets break it down, see what works, what you like and what you want to keep.

 

Staying Organized:

This can mean that you have in your inbox only what you need, when you need it. If you have completed reading, answering, or paying a bill from an email, what should you do with it.

 

Personally, I keep EVERYTHING in my email. If you were to look into my archive section, you will find all my txts, all my phone call records, and all my emails that have not been deleted. Do I have subscriptions yes, do I have client emails, yes, Do I have bills and documents, of course. Do I keep them in my inbox no.

I am paperless, I am not a digital minimalist. I’m a digital Hoarder! I have kept all my documents, electronically. I have kept garbage, as long as its digital, I have probably held on to it for 10 years.

But, its organized. I have everything saved in files, I have everything saved by year, by date, by source. If I need to search anything, past research I have done, or even to track something I am not sure if I did 10 years ago. Well its all there for me. yet, after 14 Years of digital clutter, its getting kind of tight. I just found triplicates of photo storage.

 

Being Productive:

Having a lot of clutter around can distract you. Having digital files around can distract you. Getting dozens of emails every few minutes can REALLY distract you. I don’t want to say that having a -0- inbox will make you more productive but it can help you stay on task. Does the number have to be -0-? I don’t feel that it has to be. I feel that it needs to be of 2 criteria:

 

Current: The latest subscription/email notice/sales coupons/ bank emails/client communication We shouldn’t need to keep on file the old correspondence. within the world of emails, if you do not handle something within a week, trust me you get another email notice. These notices and reminders can get out of hand really quickly. Keep the most current with the information you need.

Relevant: The emails you keep should be what you have on your to do list (long term and short term). They should be actionable items. People to reply to, information to return, attached documents to save. links that need to be reviewed.

If you keep these two criteria in mind, your inbox should never be more than 2 months old. This allows for you to keep only what you really need.

Maintaining Simplicity

Now this does not go to say that you can not have email subscriptions in your inbox, that would go under current. keep the most current, read, brows, shop. whatever it is that you need to do. Enjoy those emails. but as soon as your done, get rid of them. they are still junk mail. Some might be relevant junk mail to you. But If I know I have nowhere in my schedule this week to go shopping, and I received a coupon in my inbox for a sale that ends in 3 days… well gee, clearly keeping it will do me no good. I will receive another one next week with a new sale anyway. You don’t need to always unsubscribe, This also goes for the fact that you don’t have to put your email in every request box.

We can get carried away thinking that giving out our email is harmless, but think of it as your home. Its a place that is private and yours, You can be hacked, and important information can be stolen from you. Would you be so willing to give out your personal home address on-line? Think of your email as your home address, just because it is digital does not mean that its not real. Especially if you receive sensitive information in your inbox. Keeping this in mind will help you value and care more for your information, to what you take in and what you give out.

 

Comment below, what helps you stay on top of your inbox?

Disaster Preparedness

Are you ready for a disaster? Do you have a disaster plan? If you are, is it organized and ready to go? How do you put together a plan and safety materials for a disaster?

Wait… Have you even though about any of this?

Do any of us Really know how to be prepared for a disaster?

(I asked my daughter if there was an emergency what should she do, 

she was so quick to answer, “Run outside yelling and screaming.”) 

-Thanks kid, but not what I was going for…..

 My daughter might know what we want to all do,

but how can we stay calm and actually know what we should do?

Well I have put together a few things that might help us all to stay calm and get through hard times. I hope that after reading this, and implementing  some/all/or more. you can find comfort in knowing how it feels to be prepared.

Safety:

The first area that we need to focus on in preparation is safety. Safety means that we know what to do when someone gets hurt, we know how to avoid injury and we know how to stay safe. Being exposed to the elements outside can be something overlooked. When we go camping, we take so many things with us, sleeping bags, tents, propane stove, food, coolers, water, chairs, inflatable pillows. You name it, they have it. But what about in our desperate need to stay safe from the elements and injury without caring a 20Ft camper with us.

For safety I have created a short list:

First Aid Kit

Portable Water Filtration

Food

Reflective blanket 

Gas Mask 

Light 

Radio All in one unit 

 

These are just a few ideas that can be helpful to getting you started, others would be extra cloths, bottled water, blankets, games to keep kids busy(opt for non battery operated) The name of the game is to be portable. If your portable, and can afford to carry a few things with you. know that you will be able to keep moving. Safety usually means that you wont be able to remain too long in one place. you will have no idea how far you may need to travel to find a fixed safe place. If from a natural disaster, the region can be wide spread, yet after a few days. relief aid may start to arrive. If its a war stricken area, you may need to be adaptable to move long distances, with no relief. Every situation may be different. When it comes to disasters the hardest is not knowing what it will actually be. Being prepared for many different types of circumstances will help you better adapt to whatever comes your way. There are such hard things to think about. Yet the reality is that anything can happen in the world we life in.

As important as safety is, our emotional well being is also at a huge risk at these most crucial times. We do not know what we will be facing and we do not know what we might lose. We spend our whole lives trying to create security, balance, and this overall sense of home. Losing this might cause many adverse effects to our mental wellbeing. We need to continue to maintain some sort of routine. Even if its trying our best to eat 3 meals a day or waking up every morning, washing our faces, getting dressed and setting a plan of intention for our day. Just like we do every day. Often, we find that we have certain routines that we maintain throughout our day. I know I pray every morning, and constantly throughout my day. I also take time to read the bible. Having a strong sense of purpose makes me feel calm. Taking the few minutes each day no matter how rough the circumstances we find ourselves in can make the difference from complete overwhelm to finding structure and purpose in the chaos that a disaster leaves in its path.

I have spent many years feeling that a physical place is always needed in my life, yet the more I have dug my toes into paperless systems and organization. I have learned that preparedness is the best way to find a sense of security in the chaos world we live in. This is the reason we have Car insurance, home owners insurance, and evacuation plans. does your evacuation plan resemble that of my daughters? Have you though up, 2 or 3 backup meeting places. Is there a time frame structure? Have you discussed any of this with your family?

Setting a plan and intention ahead of time will allow you to know what to do even if you are overwhelmed by fear and dread. Have your plan written out, keep it on paper, and also keep a digital copy. If technology goes down you have a physical copy, and yet if you are unable to return home you have a copy saved to the hard drive of your phone/tablet/ computer. Keep a cloud based option too. (you may be far away, and still need to access this information), Have more than one option for you to rely on. This has been my desire to always have a digital storage of all my documents, and even a cloud based copy. Knowing that my important documentation (birth certificates, passport copy, medical documents) makes me feel a little safer. The cloud, or storage backup , can be more portable and safer than paper. The IRS will accept a PDF as a legal document copy at a time of disaster, and it will help you to regain original copies issued by the government in the future. A great idea is to also copy, your license/ SS card and credit cards. The documentation that you keep in your wallet is crucial to you being able to replace them later.

I hope that all these ideas gave you some incite into helping in times of disaster. It has been a heart wrenching experience hearing friends and family speak about the natural disasters that have been happening. Knowing those effected, those that were able to get through unharmed and those that have lost absolutely everything. Praying is the best way that we can help them from a distance. I know that God hears our prayers, and will listen. One day I pray that all these things will end.

I pray that you all use this information in good health, and that you never suffer from disasters. May being prepared give you peace of mind.

Welcome to Paperless Princess

Hello and Welcome!

Paperless Princess is a place to come for help to stay organized, minimize, and simplify your life in order to love your life, not stress about it. As a professional organizer and tax professional, over the years I have learned the in’s and out’s of what is necessary in life. We all have responsibilities. We have families, business’ or jobs, and last usually the most neglected is our own personal health. Finding balance in these aspects of our lives is not easy. Our lives wind up being lived for others and not ourselves. At times, our lives wind up being lived for the things we have not who we are. Is there a way to change this?

 

I feel that there is. For over 10 years, I have taken on nutrition, organization, business growth. I have learned about stress, sleep disorders, auto-immune disorders, personal growth, and balance. Best of all I did this as a single mom. My daughter is now 9, I look back at the past 7 years of being a single mom, all the many things that I did and learned. I am happy to finally share all my knowledge and insight.

 

I look forward to you joining me on this journey where I can share and teach all that I have accumulated.