I heart technology

I would agree that technology has changed everything about our lives, and in some ways to our detriment.  HOWEVER, I've come upon something that may truly change my life (insert tear.)

The hubs has been talking about going paperless, and I didn't really subscribe to the hype...until now.  NOW I see the benefit.  

I read a book because I wanted to learn it my own way, but he did need to step in and help a little.

The book was called, "Paperless organization:  How to create a digital home binder."  by Mystie Winckler.  She's a Type A's, bestest FRIEND!  I am more like Type Z..I only wish I was more Type A.  Reading parts of it completely overwhelmed me, but taking a big snippet of it is going to help me tremendously.  She gives a stepwise approach to managing mommy hood. ( I don't mean parenting and discipline!) I just mean the logistics of being a wife and mom whether you work outside the home or just are trying to juggle everyone's schedules including yours.  

She covers three important concepts in the book:  Email, Remember the Milk, and Evernote.  

I followed her every point about email.  I don't have a job and yet I feel bombarded by emails.  She helped me set up filters so that many of the emails don't even land in my inbox.  They are sorted in another folder that I can refer to, but it's not another item for me to have to delete.  I never knew there was such help to be had in the art of keeping up emails.  I went form 922 emails to 3!  Yay me!

Getting the email managed is her first point, and it really is important!

Next, she talks about a program called Remember the Milk.  This one is not as earth shattering, and I could probably take it or leave it. Most people have a system of managing their "to do's" and it's hard to break habits, but I came away with a few little helpful hints.

The EARTH SHATTERING, MIND BOGGLING, CHANGE MY LIFE program is ......

EVERNOTE. (IT IS FREE!)

I'm a changed woman.  

Here is my before file cabinet...not too shabby, but it's an eye sore and half the times, my papers don't make it into their folders.  And then if they do, I have to weed through papers to find what I'm looking for...especially my recipes.  OH the recipe debacle!

Here is my NEW and MUCH improved file cabinet!  ( I just started converting all my files, so this is what I've done so far.)

The beauty of this system is that you do NOT have to sort your papers!  It is so easy and simple to make your file notebooks, BUT the technology makes note of words in your pictures, so when you go to search for something you need, it does not have to be organized to FIND IT!

EXAMPLE:

Every now and then, I need to call in a prescription refill.  Three of us use Albuterol...bunch a weenies I know.

I always keep our three boxes, and they clutter up the cabinet.  With Evernote which is installed on my phone and my computer, I take a picture of the prescription box...which I won't show you because it's got all my information on it. 

It appears in Evernote as a picture of the box.  I filed it in my prescription notebook, but it doesn't matter when I go to find it.  There is a search bar and without having classified it, I type in the word ALBUTEROL, and the program recognizes the word from the picture, and it pulls up the box.

I was so taken by this project, that I begged hubs for a new desk scanner (WHICH IS NOT a necessity for this program)  Just using your phone to take pictures makes a big difference.  

I have been scanning the kids' artwork/papers for years to scrapbook, but this is a WHOLE new amazing thing.  You feed the paper through, it scans front and back immediately, and it sends it straight to EVERNOTE!

So for example, I scanned all my loose recipes.  I don't have to file sort them.  I drag them to my recipe notebook, and dump them there, but again, the picture technology identifies the main words.

So if I'm looking for a recipe, I type in the main search bar, "Cranberry chicken."  Whether I had sorted it, labeled it or not, it pulls up the scanned file instantly!  

I'll NEVER lose anything again.  (Well maybe not anything.)

The crux is, if you can take a picture of it with your phone, or email it to evernote, or clip a website (it has a web clipper), then you can keep it in your digital file box, type in a key word, and boom it is there.  If you need the file, you can print it, or save it to your computer.

I'll never save another birthday invitation, permission slip, receipt, artwork, school paper (OHHH THE SCHOOL PAPERS!)  It's all going in the TRASH.

Don't be afraid to throw away!

Now, I feel better:)