Happy Wednesday!
This post is coming to you a bit late in the day but, in order to keep my New Year’s resolution, the daily posting must go on! In fact, I’m actually working toward two of our agency goals in 2014: post daily on our blog and share one video per week. This marks the first in an ongoing series of weekly videos. Let me know in the comments below if you have a question you’d like me to address or a topic you’d like to hear more about in future videos.
Recently I was talking to my parents, who are both entrepreneurs, about how undergoing a condo remodel helped me maintain a paperless office. You see, when I first started Belle Communications, I quickly began to develop a traditional file system. Because, let’s be honest, who doesn’t love to shop for office supplies? There’s just something about it that’s very gratifying. (Maybe it has to do with my love for shopping in general but I can neither confirm nor deny that correlation.) 😉
Anyway, I started labeling file folders and using my printer on an almost daily basis. It was OK and at first I felt very organized. I quickly realized that there was always more to file and never enough time. So, I started using Dropbox, which allowed me to organize all my files, sync them across devices and share them with others.
Next, I started to use Evernote to keep track of all the interesting blog posts and articles I found online for future reference. I created digital notebooks full of sites and articles to reference as needed for business development, how-to guides, and lists of things I didn’t want to forget.
Then, things got a little crazier … we added a client that seemed to constantly add projects to our retainer. It was simply too much to comprehend or organize with email alone. So, I surveyed my entrepreneurial peers and called on the expertise of my fabulous assistant, Jess Ostroff, and we landed on a project management tool called Basecamp.
All three of these tools allow my team and I to literally go paperless. We send contracts with HelloSign as well, which means that any needed signatures can be completed digitally.
Not only is this paperless approach eco-friendly, more importantly, it allows us to pick up and go in order to maintain a mobile lifestyle with just a laptop and iPhone.
So, take a minute to check out this video where I talk about each tool in more detail and how each allow for a paperless office experience. Then let me know in the comments below which tools you use to reduce the paper and clutter in your workspace … Do you keep things completely paperless?
