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Digital filing with the Fujitsu ScanSnap iX500

Those that know me or have read some of my blog articles, I’ve become a big proponent of decluttering.

Arguably, it’s been somewhat addicting. Instead of wanting to obtain, I want to purge.

As I help people become more efficient, one key thing I tell everyone is that you never want to turn your physical clutter into digital clutter.

Let’s say you scan boxes of documents. Sure, you pick up that much space in your office closet but there’s a good chance that you just created a different kind of mess on your computer.

So, before you jump into scanning, consider everything that you have kept and if you will need it for the future. Old gas and utility bills? Tax returns from 10 years ago? Car payment invoices?

None of that is needed.

Check with your accountant but from asking multiple accountants, they all have told me that you only need to keep records that are less than 7 years old.

Once you have gone through all your papers and thrown out everything you don’t need, only then is it time to scan. Just like laying out every piece of clothing you have in one place when you purge, do the same with your papers. You’ll be able to see exactly what you have accumulated over the years.

Regardless of whether or not you have a lot of historical documents, there’s no doubt that you’ll continue to get more. If you are serious about moving your documents to a byte-sized world, my recommendation is that you invest in a great scanner.

Long gone should be the days of the individual document flatbed scanners or all-in-ones. If you try to use one of those, you will fail quickly.

Instead, I can’t highly recommend the Fujitsu ScanSnap iX500 enough.

The quickness of being able to scan all different kinds of documents and more importantly, through a sheet feeder is pretty astounding if you have never seen it in action.

Multiple page documents? No problem. Double-sided documents? Again, no problem. Need to switch between single-sided vs double-sided? Done with ease.

You can scan directly to email or into documents. It even works wirelessly so you don’t have to even plug it in to your USB port. Heck, you can even scan to your mobile device.

It has software for both Windows and Mac platforms.

Not only have I had one myself for over 18 months, I have set them up for friends and clients.

Get this scanner and get rid of all those filing boxes and cabinets.

Note: I am not being paid for this review and I paid for my scanner in full. I am just a very happy user trying to help those that also want to move to a digital filing system.

You Don’t Need No Stinking Badges

Badges, Sounds, Banners.

Fantastic in theory. Total disruption in practice.

Badges kill your productivity and they most likely make you feel like a lazy piece of crap.

If you have an iPhone or iPad or even an Apple computer, you know what badges are. (I’m assuming other products have the same.) Maybe not by name but they are in your face all day, every day.

The most common badge that people know is the one that shows the number of new emails that you have. I recently saw a friend’s email badge that had 5 digits.

5 digits.

That’s 10,000 plus.

Don’t read any further. Just look at that number for 10 seconds.

How is that not a recipe for disaster? If this was my inbox, I would probably quit life.

The crazy thing is that I see this ALL THE TIME.

When I ask people about it, I usually get one of a select few common answers.

“I hate it”
“Is that what that’s called?”
“Whatever”
“Can I turn it off?”

For this post, I’m going to offer up one quick and simple solution.

Turn off ALL badges, especially your Email badge.

On your iOS device, follow these steps:

  • Go into Settings
  • Click on Notifications
  • Click on Email
  • Click on Badge App Icon to toggle it off
iPhone homescreen
Doesn’t that look nice?!

The reason why you should do this is so that you don’t constantly have ANY number staring you in your face that will compel you to look at it.

If you have a large number, it’s going to make you feel miserable. It will be a constant reminder that you are behind – that you have a lot of emails that you need to look at (that you probably never will).

Seeing a large number will negatively affect you.

As I’ve written previously, you have to manage your email so it doesn’t manage you.

Hopefully, at your own designated time, you will look at your emails. It will be on your own terms. That shouldn’t change whether you have 2 or 10 or 50 emails.

Ask yourself, what purpose does seeing your email count serve?

Earlier, I mentioned that you should turn off all your badges. I would say that keeping your Phone badge on is probably a good thing so you know if you missed a call. But even keeping the Calendar badge on is debatable.

And if you don’t believe me, believe these people.

Keyboard Shortcuts – Friend or Enemy?

Billiard Balls
Have you ever had someone try to teach you something and it just didn’t click with you?

Or maybe someone else came along and told you to do it differently?

A couple of months ago, I joined a pool (billiards) league, mainly to help my friend CT out who was starting it. Although I owned a pool table for a few years way back in the day, it had been many years since I played with any regularity.

Even when I did play, I never truly tried to learn how to hit many shots. Sure, I could put some backspin on the cue ball but that was it.

So, after costing my team a match recently, my partner JR, who is a very good player decided to show me a few things to improve. Without getting into the gruesome details of this particular shot, he told me to hit it with top right english. I spent about 10 minutes practicing the shot that way.

It was at this point when CT, who had just walked over, grabs a stick and says he hits the shot with top LEFT english. He proceeds to knock it into the pocket on the first try.

JR turns to me and says, “that way works too – whichever way you feel comfortable.”

I’m not saying JR was just trying to cover his ass, but you have to imagine that I got a huge chuckle when that all went down.

So why am I talking to you about my crappy pool skills?

How does that story affect you one iota?

Here’s another true story that may hit a little closer to home for you.

The Keyboard Shortcut Dilemma

One day, I was helping a family member while she worked on her computer. Let me preface that she has used a computer for MANY years. As she worked, I noticed she never used keyboard shortcuts.

Whenever she needed a command, she would go find it on the applications menu bar. Honestly, I think she even quit the application using the menu bar.

After asking her about it, she said that her son used keyboard shortcuts all the time but that she couldn’t remember them so she just just used the menu bar.

After getting past my initial shock, I realized that this is what worked for her.

Did I personally find it inefficient? Without question. There is no denying that using your keyboard, where your hands are all the time, is much faster than using a mouse.

But, what it doesn’t take into account is the fact that having to store those keyboard shortcuts in your brain, isn’t for everyone, including my sister.

It was far better for her to not worry about trying to remember keyboard shortcuts when there was a perfectly good alternative solution – the ever-present menu bar.

She found a way that worked for her.

All that being said, I would still argue that one should learn the basic shortcuts – the ones that are application-agnostic, like copy/paste, undo, quit, save, save as, print, etc.

Push yourself a little bit. Maybe you’ll find that it’s easier to remember a bunch of shortcuts than you thought.

Given that those are common to all programs, you will use them all the time and increase your efficiency very quickly.

If you use a particular program on a regular basis, try learning some shortcuts of actions that you find yourself using frequently. If you are a writer, chances are, you may bold, italicize, and check spelling quite frequently.

How to learn keyboard shortcuts

It’s pretty simple. If you find yourself doing an action repetitively, go up to the menu and find that action. But instead of just clicking on it, look to see if it has a keyboard shortcut. If it does, it typically shows the keyboard command to the right. (see below). If it has a shortcut, mentally note it, back out of the menu, and then use the shortcut instead. Over time, you may find that you don’t have to go to the menu anymore.

keyboard-shortcuts

So, what’s the moral of this blog post?

Listen to what JR said.

Find the way that works for you and do it that way.

 

Purging Will Make You Feel Great. Really!

(Note: this post was originally written as a guest post on UnStuckable but has been made available here. We also recorded a podcast which is not currently available.)

I read a book.

I really hate reading books. It’s rare that I do read so when something strikes me, it really has an impact.

Late last year, I found myself reading The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing. I had given it as a gift to my mother but started perusing it for kicks.

A few chapters in, I realized it was so much more than just cleaning up my apartment and being more efficient.

So, what makes my take on purging a little different than Stephen Warley’s, the purging yoda from UnStuckable?

What can I add to this topic that they didn’t already cover in their recent UnStuckable podcast and blog post about this book? (Update: UnStuckable is not around anymore.)

Through my purge, it’s been a little different experience. More of the benefit has been about how it made me feel.

Below are some questions that the UnStuckable folks posed to me and my possibly over-indulgent answers.

How do you personally define purging and tidying up?

I view it simply as that. Getting rid of stuff you no longer need and putting things that are left behind in order. In the context of this book, the author suggests that you only keep things that bring you joy, which is a valuable and simple way to look at it.

Why is purging and tidying up important?

I have to admit, this is not what I was expecting when I read the book and started purging.

Here are a few examples.

  • Giving ‘gifts’ to friends. I could sell some of my stuff for pennies on the dollar or I could give them to my friends. Some liked the items; some needed them. It’s a great feeling to see someone else appreciate something you would otherwise throw out.
  • Donating. I gave a ton of stuff to Goodwill. At times it feels like you are just dumping crap on them but it’s not. It may feel like crap because you don’t need it anymore but someone does. It’s so much more satisfying that it can go to someone in need. It’s so easy to find places that will accept donations that there’s no reason not to do it.
  • Recycling. I try to be pretty sustainable. There is a local dump that I know people just junk everything into without regard of whether it can be recycled. This drives me nuts. I found out that Best Buy has a good recycling program. My friend joked that I should ask for a job since I was spending so much time there.

If you listen to Nanci Besser’s podcast, which happened to be the very first UnStuckable podcast I ever listened to (and favorite), I believe there are common themes at play, specifically the notion of looking outward.

If that were the only benefit of purging, it would be worth it. I honestly can’t stress that enough.

But there are also more practical reasons.

Over my career, I have done a lot of work that relates to improving systems and processes. In the past couple of years, I started using the GTD methodology. At least, a scaled down version of it. There’s a strong correlation between that and the Tidying Up book.

For me, we only have so much space in our heads. This is why something like GTD is so important. Get stuff down on paper and out of your head. Purge stuff that should no longer be there.

Similarly, as was mentioned in the Besser podcast, there is a big benefit of getting things out of your life. How many of you have a book that has been sitting on the shelf for years, unread? It becomes a burden. The relief you feel when you get rid of that psychological burden is immense.

I saw Arianna Huffington’s Inbound Keynote 2 years ago. She said something similar. It’s ok to let things go, especially things you want to do. In fact, it’s a good thing.

When the time is right, maybe you’ll actually do it. But until then, you are allowing yourself to focus on something else, something more important.

The other big result from tidying is that you find out what you love because that’s what’s left. Family photos have become more prominent around my apartment. Books on Scottish golf, film, and cookbooks now dominate my bookshelf.

What happens before, during and after the action of purging?

Before? Fear and apprehension, especially if you follow the author’s process. Most definitely, it’s overwhelming.

During the process, I felt addicted to it. I wanted to purge more and more. It’s very liberating.

After purging is what I have mentioned above. It’s a great feeling. Think dopamine.

I have also discovered some other things about why this purge has had such a huge impact in the month that I’ve been doing it.

I’m happier.

There are things that you may not realize bring you constant UNhappiness. I had a couch that had seen better days. Every day, it would make me feel miserable because it looked beat up. Once I got rid of it, my mindset immediately changed for the better. But until then, I kept it because it had been in our family for a long time. As it turns out, my parents couldn’t care less about me keeping it.

I’ve become more efficient.

As I mentioned, I’ve done a lot of work improving processes. However, I never thought to apply them to parts of my personal life. I use software to automate some processes but that’s much different than some of these odd examples below.

One example is that I had two huge bins of computer stuff stuffed in my closet. Whenever I needed a cable, I had to go through a bird’s nest of cables. It was insanely frustrating. After donating 90% of the cables and then storing them in an orderly fashion, I can now find anything I’m looking for quickly and painlessly.

And since Stephen took a pic of his sock drawer (I’ll spare you the sight of mine), I can’t help but add my thoughts. I can’t explain the effect that an orderly drawer of socks will have on you. It’s really odd to blog about it and I know you’re questioning why you’re reading about some stranger’s sock drawer but this is the effect this book has had on me.

Those two small snippets may get across at how I look at everything in a diff way now – ways to be more efficient. Efficiency is not new to me but this book has made me think about it in so many unexpected ways.

I have a nice new office.

I got rid of an extra desk, a spare bookcase, and a ton of dust that was on and behind them. It’s as if I’ve moved into a new office. I now see books and not a messy stack of paper. I have a place for pictures that I cherish.

The Joy Test. I have yet to bring anything new into my house. It has to pass the joy test now and nothing has to date.

Did you do any specific steps or processes?

Even though I didn’t feel like I had a ton of clutter, I did. So I went against her book a bit and just got rid of things that I didn’t even have to think about. I needed to purge before I could do a real purge. I didn’t need to hold everything in my hands like she suggests.

Who would you recommend purging to?

Everyone.

At least try going through your clothes, which the author suggests doing first. My personal experience about purging clothes is that you will immediately feel better about yourself.

If you’re like me, you’ll dump a lot of clothes that you have an attachment to that nobody needs to see you wear in public. You’ll find that your (arguably) better outward appearance will make you feel better about yourself.

What other tidbits can you share?

You have to get past the idea that you are throwing away money – that YOUR things have monetary value. There are items that don’t owe you a thing. My 25-year old home theatre system owed me nothing. Just because it worked and someone could use it, didn’t mean that I could get any money for it. Let it go.

I could’ve spent time trying to sell my Wii for $25 to some stranger or I could give it to my friend who has a young daughter. It was a no-brainer.

We fear that if we don’t have reminders of a vacation or event, we’ll forget about it. And to a point, it’s a little valid. But do I need a little packet of Vegemite to remind me I went to Napier, New Zealand? No. Don’t become trapped by memories. Make room for more.

I’m not sure if I said this on the interview but we have to make sure that we don’t confuse comfort with becoming stagnant. It’s natural to strive to be comfortable. However, you need to continue to grow and look forward. Sometimes, we don’t realize that some items that we think bring us comfort and happiness can have the opposite effect. Purging allows us to see that.

I can’t suggest strongly enough to self-reflect. Why do we have things? We all change (hopefully) and should want to change. Things that may have been important or brought us joy before may not anymore.

Many times through my decluttering, I would see negative, not positive. I would see dust instead of memories. I would see clutter, not joy.

I’ve spoken to so many friends about this book and they always ask why they should do it. I usually end it with, “trust me and just do it.” But that’s a weak and lazy answer.

Hopefully, this post enlightens you on the benefits of purging without any need to actually trust me.

* Although I have the same last name as the author, I am not related to her. At least not that I know of. She will not be sending me a gold paper shredder for Christmas due to this write-up.

 

Manage Your Email So It Doesn’t Manage You

Your email inbox is out of control.

If it’s not, congratulate yourself. You are one of a true minority that can say that.

For most people, we are inundated with emails that come from or are related to:

  • work
  • friends
  • family
  • newsletters
  • ads
  • news
  • invoices and bills
  • deals
  • services you use
  • renewals
  • google alerts
  • tips and insights
  • general notifications
  • spam
  • other

That’s quite a lot, right there.

So what’s a girl (or boy) to do?

Why Should I Minimize Emails?

The main reason is because emails are a huge distraction. It causes us to lose focus on our immediate tasks at hand – the tasks we’ve determined will get us towards our goals.

Somewhere in time, we became addicted to email. It was/is an easy way to communicate.

Then, people (mostly companies) realized it was a great way to market to others. In fact, an email list it’s still promoted as the best way to market to people. Companies give away stuff for free (i.e. guides, newsletters, tips) in exchange for your email. That’s Inbound Marketing, folks.

But I digressed there. Sorry.

The main goal here is to take back some control of your email.

It stands to reason that the less email you receive, the less you feel you have to be constantly checking your emails, thereby putting all the focus in the right place.

Ask a Few Questions to Help Eliminate Email Overload

Some emails you can’t necessarily control easily. I would argue that everything can be minimized or deleted altogether but let’s focus with the emails that aren’t from people you know, be it personal or work.

While I believe that multitasking is mostly a myth, in this case, you can definitely do it.

The next time you find yourself watching a sporting event (especially golf) or The Voice or anything that doesn’t require you to concentrate on every little thing that happens, grab your computer or mobile device and look at all those emails that aren’t from work, friends, and family.

Go back through your emails for the last week. Ask yourself the following questions for each email.

  • Do I really still read this? Sure, 3 years ago, that newsletter may have provided a lot of value. But things change. Does it still bring you value? If not, get rid of it.
  • Did I leave it there to read later? If you left it for later, did you ever go back to it? The problem with later is that it rarely comes. For most people, ‘later’ emails just pile up until you just delete them anyway.
  • Is this a notification for a bill that’s due? If it’s a recurring reminder, stop sending them to yourself. Create a repeating task on your task list like paying bills every xth day of the month. Your email is NOT your task list.
  • Do I get this same information from a different place (i.e. social networks, phone apps)? Cut out redundancies.
  • Do I need to get this at the same frequency as I’m now getting it? Sometimes, you can control how often you receive an alert, deal, tip etc. Back it off and see if that has any effect on your life. After a month or two, you may realize you can delete it completely.

On top of those questions, are there any emails that you tend to delete as soon as they come in? Newsletters are a good example of this.

I had someone suggest that I sign up for a newsletter because they thought it had so much great info. After getting them for over 2 years, I realized I deleted it more often than not. Worse, I felt guilty not reading it. So not only was it clogging up my inbox, it was making me feel bad. Lose-lose.

The Big Finish

As you may know by now, I’m a big believer in purging. I don’t try to live a minimalist lifestyle but I feel everyone can learn a lot by purging.

I’m not saying that emails don’t have value. But you want to make sure they continuously bring you so much value that it’s worth filling up your inbox.

After you do this email purge once, everytime you get one of these types of emails, ask yourself the questions above and if they don’t add value, unsubscribe (or change the frequency) immediately.