W
here does the time go?
You’re spending from half to 70 percent of your
working time dealing with paper—writing it, reading
it, filing it, looking through it for another paper.
That’s where the time goes.
The “paperless office,” the idea that office automation would
make physical paper documents redundant, was predicted by
BusinessWeek as early as 1975. Yet, we can all agree that it’s a
myth; the use of e-mail alone in an organization causes an average
40 percent increase in paper consumption.
If you’re ever going to get control of your time—which is to say
your life—you’re going to have to control the paper flood.
What to do? Here are ten suggestions to help manage paper flow.
10 Ways to Reduce, Control, and Eliminate Paper
1. adopt a Constant Companion
Keep a notebook or planner with you all the time—in your
attaché case, in your desk drawer, in your coat pocket or purse, on
your night table. Capture those stray insights and write yourself
reminders. This way you won’t lose your ideas, and you won’t have
scraps of paper cluttering your life.