Going Paperless: The Tools You Need
A number of years ago, I took the initiative to conduct my business in an entirely paperless manner. It was as much of a decision about organization as it was about lessening my environmental impact. The initiative certainly came with its share of challenges, but I can tell you that it is possible and the tools needed to achieve it are available right now; you simply need to be willing to use them.
It’s not for everyone
As much as I’d like to say that everyone can work without paper, for some it’s just not possible. Individuals whose jobs do not include working on a computer, or entail the daily usage of a smartphone, would find this task extremely difficult. However, for a lot of us, the prospect of going paperless is quite achievable. It is only our comfort level with paper that is holding us back.
So what are the tools?
At present, there are a number of apps and solutions (many of them free) that help an individual to go completely paperless. Those featured here are among my favorites for the Mac and PC. Now, I realize that there are a number of similar apps within the burgeoning market of smartphones and tablets but I will not be covering them here. Each of the following solutions is unique in its own right so, to make things simple, I’ve divided them up by purpose.
Printing
“Save as PDF”
OS: Mac OSX
Price: Free (ships with OSX)
Click here for a Tutorial
Adobe Acrobat Pro
OS: Mac & PC
Price: $159 (Upgrade) to $449(Full Version)
Click here for website.
PrimoPDF
Platform: Windows XP, Vista, 7
Price: Free
Click here for website
CutePDF
Platform: Windows XP, Vista, 7
Price: Free
Click here for website
Note-taking, tasks and to-do’s
Stickies App
Platform: Mac OSX
Price: Free (ships with OSX)
TextEdit
Platform: Mac OSX
Price: Free (ships with OSX)
Anxiety
Platform: Mac OSX
Price: Free
Click here for website
Notepad
Platform: Windows XP, Vista, 7
Price: Free (ships with Windows)
Evernote
Platform: Online
Price: Free or premium
Click here for website
Document Storage/Organization
Acrobat.com
Platform: Online
Price: Basic account is free
Capacity: Basic account is 5 GB
Click here for website
CloudApp
Platform: Mac OSX and Online
Price: Free
Capacity: Unlimited (for now)
Click here for website
DropIr
Platform: Mac OSX and Online
Price: Free
Capacity: 1 GB
Click here for website
UploadingIt
Platform: Online (iPad app available)
Price: Free (for now)
Capacity: 20 GB
Click here for website
Calendar & Address Book
iCal
Platform: Mac OSX
Price: Free (ships with OSX)
Microsoft Entourage
Platform: Mac OSX
Price: $149 and up (bundled with MS Office for Mac)
Click here for website
Microsoft Outlook
Platform: Windows XP, Vista
Price: $279.99 and up (bundled with MS Office)
Click here for website
Google Calendar
Platform: Online
Price: Free
Click here for website
Google Contacts
Platform: Online
Price: Free
Click here for website
Accounting/Banking
Mint
Platform: Online
Price: Free
Click here for website
Quicken
Platform: Mac OSX and Windows XP, Vista, 7
Price: Starts at $59
Click here for website
QuickBooks
Platform: Mac OSX and Windows XP, Vista, 7
Price: Starts at $179
Click here for website
Time Tracking & Organization
Klok
Platform: Mac OSX and Windows XP, Vista, 7
Price: Free for basic, $15.99 for more features
Click here for website
Ora Time and Expense
Platform: Mac OSX and Windows XP, Vista, 7
Price: Free
Click here for website
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