Want to simplify the paper in your life? The technology of tomorrow has arrived today.
When I was 13, a birthday trip to DisneyWorld in Orlando, Florida introduced me to the World of Tomorrow and the Carousel of Progress. Carousel was a popular attraction, an exploration into the evolution of electricity and other technological innovations through the eyes of a typical family.
What really caught my imagination was a computer sitting on the kitchen island counter during the final scenes of the show. As a new teenager in 1981, I asked myself what would you possibly use a computer for in the kitchen? Recipes? You’ve got to be kidding.
Disney's Carousel of Progress attraction showed a laptop in the kitchen, in 1981!Fascinating innovations have now been integrated into our daily life. Our professional organizing clients have introduced my team to simple-to-use technology solutions, like simple desktop scanning solutions. Much like the home of yesterday, our paper continues to build up today—with less time to tackle it all.
Fortunately, affordable technology is now firmly in place to help with everyday tasks. The question is; are you taking advantage of the personalization factor? I am.
I’ve been on a mission with myself, and willing clients: we’re making smart technology personal by digitizing paper around the home and small office. We started off scanning the obvious — receipts and business cards. But now the list has now expanded. Clients are telling me they are reinventing their scanning and document cloud accounts to hold household papers and everyday necessities. Here's a list of some unusual items to scan:
Scan these items and eliminate clutter:
- Love letters
- Fortune cookie fortunes
- Prescriptions
- Wedding notes
- Old birthday cards
- Children’s artwork
- Maintenance receipts
- Old college papers
- Old pay stubs, direct deposit statements
- Directions
- Take out menus
Now, you may not see a need to digitize all these items in your home, but surely, who wouldn’t benefit from a little out-of-the box scanning? How about scanning your birth certificate, social security card, driver’s license, passport, insurance cards and credit cards, in case your wallet is stolen? And you’ll always have a backup in an emergency.
So think of technology as a friend, or personal assistant. When you’re ready, review your paper for its worthiness, scan what is appropriate, tag the file and celebrate that you've halted the paper chase. We now have the technology of the future at our fingertips.
And that’s the real life Carousel of Progress.
What did we miss?
How have you integrated scanning into your everyday life? How do you organize your personal and family documents?
Image courtesy Santa Monica Pier and Great Escape from NJ blog.
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