Chris Blatnick over at the Interface Matters blog has just done an absolutely epic post about his paper processing workflow.
He has included a diagram in which he mapped out his process, and two great videos in which he explains and demonstrates the whole thing.
So I recognized a problem: too much paper. That was the first step. Now I needed to make an actionable plan to deal with it. That’s where the ScanSnap came in. I started using it to scan papers in when they came in the mail. As soon as I came across something I needed to keep (my monthly bank statement, for instance), I digitized it and stored it on my hard drive and then shredded the document. Ah…a great feeling. I’ve been doing this for several months now and it has been very successful. However, nagging at the back of my mind (even though it was on my Someday/Maybe GTD list) was the massive task of tackling those file cabinets. Over the Thanksgiving break, I finally took the plunge and mapped out my paper processing workflow.
If you are curious about how different people handle their paper (and if you’re not, why are you here? 🙂 ), I highly recommend checking out the post and associated videos.
The tools Chris uses are the ScanSnap S1500 and, a personal favorite, Dropbox. He is also a fellow GTD devotee.
His next step will be to send the documents into Lotus Notes. If you don’t already use it, that’s a little hardcore, but if you already in Notes all day like he is, why not.
Great post Chris!
