Breaking Down The Barriers to a Paperless Life
You know that paper has become a problem for you. Every January (or every Spring cleaning), you tell yourself this will be the year you finally go paper-free.
But you still haven’t done it. And it’s not that you don’t see the value. You know that digitizing and centralizing the paper in your home and at work will be powerful. I mean, what’s better than having everything at your fingertips on your phone?
Yet, you still find comfort in always having that paper stack right there, always available to you — just in case.
As I prepare to guide Academy Members through the Practically Paperless Challenge in April, I’ve gathered all the reasons (ahem — excuses) why people haven’t tamed the paper tiger yet.
I was left inspired by the recent Building a Second Brain Summit (where I was a featured speaker), and some things immediately popped out at me.
Tiago Forte kicked it off by delivering a keynote that addressed eight self-sabotage tactics we engage in. What he shared instantly clicked, and it reminded me of the experiences I’ve been having helping people use Evernote to embrace a practically paperless lifestyle. I hear echoes from these points of resistance from Academy members every day. Hat’s off to Tiago for inspiring this article!
You’ll probably recognize some of these common symptoms that cause resistance to embracing a practically paperless lifestyle. And you’ll also find some real-world solutions for each — many you can implement right away.
1: Repeatedly Starting From Scratch
Symptoms: You’re always on the hunt for the perfect app. This takes the form of shiny object syndrome, or hopping from one app to the next, or committing to scanning all your paper but you can’t ever decide between Evernote, Dropbox, Google Drive, your desktop, or Apple notes — the list goes on.
Each time you start fresh and clean with a new app, it feels empowering because you’ve created a blank slate. The problem is, you haven’t created a systematic way to process all the paper that comes at you from different places. So, as things pile up again, your system fails. And instead of figuring it out, you simply jump to another app or solution. And the worst part — you’re not able to find the stuff you need when you need it.
Solution: Make a smart app selection for centralizing your stuff. I’ve often talked about the power of picking — and sticking — to a productivity app (App switching is killing your productivity and won't make your paper stack any smaller.). Here are some key questions to ask yourself when looking for a productivity app:
What’s their security policy? Do I agree with it?
What’s the company's revenue model? Are they selling my data or not?
How long has the company been around?
How frequently is the app updated and new features are released?
Does the app play nicely with other tools? Do they have an API?
Who owns the data I put into the app?
Can I export my data? If so, in what format(s)? Can my data be easily transferred to other tools?
What’s the pricing? Is it affordable? Is there a one-time fee or a subscription?
What data formats does the app accept?
What’s the search experience like? Can I quickly find what I need? Can it search within documents I store in the tool?
Expert Tip: Evernote is the best solution I’ve found. You may choose differently — that’s okay.
2: FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)
Symptoms: The desire to be included most often is associated with FOMO. But from a paperless point of view, FOMO shows up in terms of concern about a tax write-off you didn’t get because you can’t find the receipt, or wasted money and time searching for things you know you have somewhere. You’ve always got this nagging sense that you’re overlooking something.
Solution: Today is what matters, not the past. This calls for a hefty dose of self-compassion and forgiveness. Instead of wondering about all the what-ifs – get curious. Focus on what you’ll be able to do with fewer piles of paper. Things like finding what you need quickly, being organized for tax season, and traveling light.
3: Perfectionistic Tendencies
Symptoms: This surfaces when you put off going paperless because you think you have to know just the right filing nomenclature for your notes. Or, you must be clear about exactly how to organize the files. You might fret over things like “what tags should I assign?” or “should I color code them?” and worry that the wrong choice will derail your paperless plans. You think it must be clear before you even start. In comes the Googling, “How to organize digital files.” Or, you make a spreadsheet on all the different ways to organize files, but you don’t actually organize or digitize any files.
Solution: Acknowledge that your paper filing system isn’t perfect either. You can’t always find things you seek, and you waste a ton of time and energy sifting through stacks of paper and manila folders. If your existing paper system isn’t perfect, why not accept that your digital system doesn’t have to be perfect either?
Instead of getting stuck in a Google spiral and a series of false starts, boost your knowledge of your chosen organizational app and find a resource to guide you. By truly understanding your tool, you’ll be able to use it efficiently.
Get started with one workflow in your chosen app and go from there. Inside the Academy, I focus on Evernote.
4: Spending Too Much Time on Research
Symptoms: You’re a member of all the free sites: the Facebook groups, Slack channels, and LinkedIn groups, and you follow all the productivity experts on YouTube. You decide that an app can’t be worth it when you hear a social media influencer critique an app. Their passionate opinion sends you into a frenzy trying to validate their concerns. Or, even if the fuss doesn’t apply to you, you’re quick to write it off. You’re constantly scouring for the perfect app — which we know by now doesn’t exist.
Solution: The key is to pick and stick to an app that’s promising to you. Decide what app makes it as frictionless as possible for you to centralize the receipts, documents, and sticky notes that clutter your desk. Once you digitize them, does the app help you easily find them? Evernote is a leader in both these areas. I’ve run a paperless life for years using Evernote. It’s up for the task — you just have to learn how to use it — which I promise you, doesn’t take long.
5: Going Too Big Too Soon
Symptoms: Humans constantly underestimate how long it takes us to do things, and then when we miss our targets, we often give up. You decide: “This Saturday, I’ll spend all day going paperless.” But first, you go to the gym, walk your dog, and make coffee. You look at the clock and realize you only have three hours left because you’re going out for dinner, and you think, “Is it even worth it?”. You thought you’d have six hours, and now you’re down to three, so you question everything and do nothing.
Going too big too soon can also manifest as creating a complex, all-encompassing system — automated zaps going every which way, layers of file folders, or never-ending tags. It gets so complicated and overwhelming (or God forbid, it breaks), and you abandon the whole thing.
Solution: The fix for going big involves starting small. This means choosing one small, meaningful, paperless workflow instead of expecting to de-paper your life completely in a day.
Start with a tiny step and just one Pomodoro cycle — a time blocking technique that teaches you how to estimate your work accurately by starting with 25-minute increments. EverDone Academy members do this all the time as part of our regular co-working sessions and then on their own. Twenty-five minutes each day adds up to a significant chunk of time to make a meaningful dent in that paper.
6: Doing it alone
Symptom: You know you’re smart and can figure things out. And you don’t need help — you have Google. But you’re also busy, so you start to overthink and go down research rabbit holes. Going at it alone opens the door for questions, like, “What if I don’t have the best system?” or “What are other smart people doing?"
So you start to doubt yourself and your system. Then you think the best thing to do is change your system. Fear of looking stupid can creep in, so you keep your questions to yourself. The result is sticking to your comfort zone — paper and all the inefficiencies that those paper piles bring.
Solution: Join an accountability group or work with a buddy. Productivity is contagious, and it’s also a gift — you get to learn from others, and it keeps you accountable. In The Academy, you ask questions and get answers from experts and peers, all within a safe space. There are no dumb questions and it’s a welcoming, friendly, expert-led community at your fingertips.
7: Falling into the Comparison Trap
Symptoms: You often think, “I’m never going to be like Stacey, so there’s no value in doing any of it.” I, too, had to start somewhere. Although I think I was born with a talent for organizing, I haven’t always had systems, and I definitely had digital organization stress. My finances and receipts were a mess when I started, which stressed me out. My “stuff” was in paper form and not accessible to me from wherever I was. I had to go through a process too — and I’m proof that it works. It’s also why I’m so passionate about teaching Evernote — these paperless processes I’m sharing with you transformed my life. It fuels my enthusiasm for teaching this stuff.
Solution: The comparison trap is an excuse keeping you stuck. Instead, compare yourself to the past version of yourself and set realistic goals based on where you are today. Surround yourself with others in a similar position and be brutally honest with yourself (and others) about where you are and your challenges. You have some level of organization — you got this far! You just haven’t applied them to going paperless yet. You’ve got the skills and you can totally do this!
8: Postponing Gratification
Symptom: You find yourself dreading the process. The stacks of paper sit and grow, so nothing gets done, and the mountain gets larger. You think you need to work hard first so that you can have fun later.
Solution: You must find a way to enjoy the process without getting sidetracked. Here are three ways to stay focused on your paper-free goal and chisel away at the paper mountain:
1) Chunk things down to Pomodoros: Figure out how to make that 25 minutes enjoyable and consider rewarding yourself at the end with a piece of good chocolate, dance break, or an indulgent Instagram scroll.
2) Productivity is contagious – get yourself into a group. The Practically Paperless Challenge happening inside The Academy starting April 1, 2022 includes co-working sessions to make the process fun and keep you accountable. Being productive is much more fun when done with others.
3) Celebrate your wins — especially the small ones: There’s nothing better than the comfort of seeing everything perfectly lined up and finding that deduction in a few quick taps when your tax accountant calls. It’s immensely satisfying to feel organized! Celebrate that. Or, if you bring no paper home from your next trip, that’s a win that deserves a celebration too.
As you progress toward your practically paperless lifestyle, it can be easy to fall into an all-or-nothing mentality. It takes less time than you think and can be more enjoyable than you might have imagined.
You’ll not only feel organized, but as a benefit, you’ll trust your system.
If you want more guidance and lessons on your practically paperless journey, from scanning receipts on your next weekend trip to managing all the papers in your home, there’s a workflow training for this – plus so much more – inside The Academy. Join and start going paper-free today.
