Managing Business Expectations

Posted on: 12 June 2019

With electronic storage, there is no longer a need for you to store physical papers for decades in your home. You don't need to store things, such as bank accounts, receipts, tax paperwork, etc., in their physical forms when you can scan and store those documents in an electronic form. High-speed document scanning can be a lifesaver. Electronic storage takes up a lot less space and allows you to keep things organized in a more efficient manner.

Go Through Your Documents

Before you start scanning everything, you are going to want to spend some time going through your documents and seeing what you need to save and scan. Reducing the amount of paperwork that you need to scan, especially when you are first getting started, can help keep things more organized and make this project more manageable.

Be sure to shred and recycle the documents that you don't need to scan.

Create Files for Your Documents

Before you start scanning all your documents, you need to know where you want them to go. Create files that will help keep your documents organized. Your electronic files should include the name of the document and the year, such as "Mortgage Statements 2018" or "Pay Stubs 2017." The more specific the file name, the easier it will be to quickly organize your documents as you scan them and send them to your computer.

You can keep things more organized by having a file for each year and sub-files for each type of statement you need to save for each year. Don't be afraid of creating multiple sub-levels of files; this will help keep things organized.

Put Everything in PDF Format

When you scan your documents, you should be given the option to choose what type of file you want the document to made into. You should put everything into PDF format. PDF is a universal format that is easy to read regardless of the operating system you are using.

Have a Backup System

With electronic files, it is vital to always have a backup. If you are saving the files on your computer, back up the files onto a USB drive and update the USB drive at least once a month with your new files. Over time, as you accumulate years' worth of information, you are going to want to have a master backup of each year's worth of data.

Scanning documents can be a great way to reduce the clutter in your life. If you feel like you have too much clutter around your home, start going through your documents and creating a digital organization system. You can purchase your own scanner to get things organized, or you can contract out to a company to scan and organize the documents for you.