The Myth of the Paperless Office

"Paper is the enemy" Most of us can relate to this quote from a local attorney. He would rather email a powerpoint presentation than create a hefty handout.
Then there was this headline in the Los Angeles Times Business Section on January 27, 2008:
"Software is making the filing cabinet obsolete for some big clients"
The idea of all our paper magically disappearing into our computers is certainly appealing. Magical is the key word. Unless you can dictate that all incoming data is digital, you will spend about the same amount of time scanning your paper as you would to file it. So when does going digital make sense? Here are two instances that come to mind:

• If you can dictate that all incoming data is digital
• When you must keep huge quantities of contracts

At least one large insurance company insists that all claims, body shop estimates, photos, etc be sent to them digitally. If you want to be paid, you need to follow their rules. Paper still creeps in, but it's mostly created by people printing out data. Of course, even digital data can overwhelm; I had a client at this company, and we spent time creating systems to manage her email overload.

The contract issue is huge with government contractors. The documentation the US government requires could easily fill several rooms if it was left as paper.

But for most of us, I believe learning to keep less is a more efficient solution. What do you think? Add your comment.