Do Yourself a Favor - Digitize Your Life in 2023
“Mom, where’s my car title?” “I still print bank statements?” “Honey, a pipe burst in the basement and the water’s up to the third step. Where’s our renters insurance policy?”
We’ve all been there. Sitting cross-legged on the floor, surrounded by paper, and feeling like there’s no needle in the haystack of life’s documents.
Everything from newspapers, to magazines, to books are now available digitally. You don’t need to have a single shelf in your home to have access to a library full of reading material, and yet many of our most sensitive and personal documents are still printed on paper.
The good news is, the option for storing and managing papers is no longer just to stuff them in The Doc Drawer, or The Family File, or The Personal Pillowcase.
Don’t get us wrong. We’re not suggesting your 25-year old accordion folder isn’t useful. But there are many ways that paper documents can be saved digitally, making them easier to find and keep in good condition.
You can start your digital chronicle with your smart phone. Both iPhone and Android users alike have access to third-party apps, like Adobe Scan or CamScanner, which allow you to use your phone’s camera to take a picture of your document and store it on your phone, computer, or on the cloud. Some of these apps even allow auto-cropping, digital signatures, and the ability to save the document as different file types to allow more flexibility with your scans.
Then there are stand-alone scanners. Some portable scanners are less than a foot long and can fit in your briefcase, laptop bag, or sock drawer. For the home or office, there are many multi-function printers and copiers currently available which are capable of scanning and digitizing your documents as well. Just scan your document and send it as an attachment in an email.
There are many convenient ways to make sure that everything you don’t want to lose is in one place, unstained, and available when you need it, even if you’re on the go.
So by all means, squirrel your secret documents away in your hollowed-out copy of Gone with the Wind, but also give serious consideration to obtaining digital copies as well. You’ll be organized and ready for anything that may blow your way.
From lifehacker.com
