Paperless Path Tip#2 - Shred This

A heavy-duty shredder is an integral part of the paperless office. About.com has an informative article about shredders.

In my opinion, paper should be disposed of by recycling, or shredding. Here is my personal list of documents that need to be shredded -
1) Junk mail - no explanation necesary
2) ATM receipts - Once I verify the transaction online, it becomes shredable
3) Old receipts for personal purchases - Most stores let you return merchandise at most 30 days after purchase. After a month, they are useless. NOTE: Receipts for business must never be disposed of.
4) Old home utility bills
5) Anthing that has your name and/or address

Whenever you need to make a decision whther or not to shred something, it is always safer to shred it. It is better to shred something you should have thrown in the recycling bin, rather than the other way around.

How to Reduce Your Junk Mail

We all get a ton of junk mail and we spend a considerable amount of time sifting through the junk just to get to the important stuff. Fortunately there is a site called Ecofuture.org that has some helpful tips in reducing junk mail.

Paperless Path Tip #1 - Online Banking

One of the easiest steps one can take towards the goal of a paperless office is the use of online banking. Try to choose a bank that let's you do the following tasks online -
1) Bill payment
2) View account activity
3) Download bank statements

Online Bill Payment
This option will save you both time and money. You will cut down on paper check and stamp costs. You can save on time by paying all your bills at one sitting. You can also set up recurring payments for bills that are fixed amounts (lease payments, for example).


View account activity
It is usually faster to check account activity online than by phone.

Download Bank Statements
With downloadable bank statements, there is no need to keep your paper statements. Some banks even give you the option not to receive paper statements.

Online banking has many advantages, but it also comes with security issues. Make sure you have the following -
1) A firewall
2) Anti-virus software with the latest updates
3) Anti-spyware software with the lates updates
4) Backups of your files