Leaving a big paper trail? Top tips for going paperless

Back in the 1970s, the head of Xerox's Palo Alto Research centre, George E Pake, asked us to imagine a world where we could call up documents on computer screens or get mail messages on a TV display terminal. As far as predicting the future goes, he was pretty much spot on. Pake was idealising a world where we would no longer have a need for colossal amounts of paper. Indeed, he saw one where we would barely use it at all.

Yet, despite all his predictions of emails and digital file transfers coming true, paper use is still rampant and only falling 1% a year. That's according to Tim Bowler, the director of the National Association of Paper Merchants.  Businesses are still keeping hard copies of invoices, receipts and the like, and the remnants of mistrust of digital storage still exists. So, for now the paper trail goes on and those little reminders to 'not print this email' are still ignored.

However, there are numerous benefits of a paperless office. Not only are there the obvious environmental perks – according to 41pounds.org the production of junk mail alone destroys around 100 million trees each year – but going paperless could also be good for your business.

In a recent study by YourTradeBase, small business owners spend around one day a week doing paperwork. 51% of those questioned about their admin habits felt that this amount of filing and invoicing was detrimental to the growth of their business too. But with the existence of online admin templates and automated invoicing this doesn't have to be the case.

If this is how small business owners feel, imagine the paper usage of a multi-headed colossus like the NHS. According to a report in The Guardian, the NHS is aiming to be paper free by the year 2018, with all records going online. However, this shift to a paperless office may take significantly longer unless there is substantial investment in innovation and training.

So, how do you go paperless? Here are some top tips:

Go forwards not backwards

Rather than dealing with the backlog, focus on how things will go paperless from now on. With new systems in place, then you can start going back over old materials.

Pick one service and stick with it

Find an online storage system or template provider and stick with it. Try to chop and change and it'll be a like a filing cupboard organised by ten different people in different ways i.e. a mess.

Develop workflows

Create ways of making life easier. Save receipts into pdf folders, or have invoices emailed to a separate account.

Scan and shred

When it's time for a clear up, scan documents and shred hard copies. You'll feel better once the old paper is recycled.

Use the cloud

Cloud storage is a major breakthrough in terms of paperless working. Take notes, schedule meetings and work smoother and faster online.