The Ultimate Guide to Going Paperless at Home

Do you have piles of papers or filing cabinets bursting at the seams? Maybe you’ve dreamed of going paperless, but the idea of scanning everything and sorting it into your computer sounds way too intimidating.

I created this guide to help you go paperless in your home as painlessly as possible.

Most of us don’t aspire to create our own personal Library of Congress. We don’t want elaborate folder hierarchies or extensive metadata to maintain for each file. Instead, we simply need an efficient system that helps us locate important documents when needed—while keeping our homes free from unnecessary clutter.

Here’s what we’re going to create today:

A small physical file box with folders for your important filesA physical inbox for papersA system for scanning and organizing files on your computerA regular cadence for purging & organizing your physical files

This system revolves around a three step framework:

Capture (Daily)File (Weekly)Purge (Yearly)

Now let’s talk about how to get you there.

The Tools You’ll NeedA Physical File Box & Folders

In my opinion, this should be as small as possible. Over time, you won’t need to keep many physical files, and having a smaller box is a helpful constraint to avoid hoarding.

Firebox / Safe

Some documents—like passports, birth certificates, and Social Security cards—you’ll want to store in a firebox. Preferably, choose one that is also waterproof. Even if your area isn’t prone to flooding, if there’s a fire, the firefighters will likely flood your home putting it out.

This is a decent waterproof fire safe from SentrySafe, but they come in all shapes and sizes.

A Physical Inbox

This is a paper tray you’ll use to collect documents that need to be processed.

Computer File System with Backups

Since we’re moving paperless, we need to have an organized and trustworthy place to store our digital paper files.

I use an iCloud subscription on my Mac that encrypts and syncs my Documents folder to the cloud. If I can’t access my computer for whatever reason, I can recover my files from there. It’s also nice because they are accessible from a phone as well.

You can also use Microsoft OneDrive, Dropbox, or an external hard drive you back up your computer.

Ideally, you’ll want to follow a 3–2-1 backup strategy for important files. That’s 3 copies of your data, in two different media, with one copy stored in a separate location. Personally, in addition to my iCloud backup, I also backup to a local hard drive and to the cloud via Backblaze—just to be safe.

Scanner or Scanning App on Your Phone

You can use a fancy flatbed scanner or just use your phone to scan documents. Adobe Scan is a great app for this (available on both iOS and Android).

Optional: A Paper Shredder

If you end up purging a lot of old documents, there’s probably some sensitive info you don’t want to just toss in the trash—especially tax documents. If you have access to a shredder at work, ask for permission to use it (that’s what I’ve done in the past). Or you might just want to pick up a paper shredder to keep at home.

The Initial Setup

Once you’ve got your tools, it’s time to set up your system, create your folder structure, and start putting files in their proper places.

This part can get tricky, so I’ll give you a step-by-step plan to make it simple and help you tackle the project in manageable chunks.

We’re going to deal with physical files first, since our goal is to go paperless. But along the way, we’ll be creating a more organized digital file system to scan into—and eventually migrate your existing digital files into that system, too.

Step 1: Gather All Physical Files

If you’ve got piles of paper, old file cabinets, or things stuffed away in drawers, now’s the time to get it all out. We’re going to find a home for everything—and get rid of most of those papers in the process!

Step 2: Purge, Keep, Scan

We’ll take two passes on most of your physical files. In this first pass, the goal is just to make three piles. We’re not categorizing or filing anything yet.

These are the three piles you’ll be making:

Purge – Files you can easily get again online, or it’s outside the required retention period, toss it.Scan & Keep – Files that would be difficult or costly to replace, and for which you may need the original.Scan & Shred – Files you aren’t legally required to retain in physical form, but you can imagine needing them later.

Here’s a PDF checklist with examples that you can print off to help you with this step:

Paperless ChecklistDownloadStep 3: Organize Your Scan & Keep Files

Now that you’ve completed your first pass, set the purge pile aside (we’ll be adding to this later, so save the actual shredding until the end). We’re going to go through both the Scan & Keep pile a second time and begin sorting them into folders.

This is where people often get stuck. The temptation is to create a bunch of folders upfront and try to anticipate everything you might need. But you only need folders for what you currently have. You can always add more categories and folders later.

Go through the Scan & Keep pile and group similar documents together.Sticky notes can help at this stage, so you’re not committing to folder names just yet.Once you’re happy with the groupings, write your category names on your folders.Then file the Scan & Keep documents into their proper folders.

Doesn’t that feel great?

Step 4: Organize Your Scan & Shred Files

Now let’s tackle your Scan & Shred pile—and this is also the time to set up your digital file system.

In your computer’s Documents folder (or wherever you plan to store your digital files), create the same folder names you used in your physical filing system.Go through your Scan & Shred pile as you did with the Scan & Keep pile. Group similar items using sticky notes. Some categories may overlap, and others may be new.Add any new category names as folders on your computer.Place each stack into your physical inbox, separated by category. Step 5: The Initial Scan

You now have two groups to scan: the Scan & Keep files (now in your file box) and the Scan & Shred files (in your inbox).

Start with the Scan & Keep files. Try to scan these in one sitting, or if you are interrupted, leave a note in your filebox where you stopped so when you come back to it you know where you left off. Many may not need scanning—for example, if you can already access them online or have existing digital copies. If you do, simply download or move them to the appropriate folder. Scan just whatever you think may be necessary to keep a digital copy of. Then move on to the Scan & Shred files. You can chip away at these gradually. They’re already categorized in your inbox. If it’s a big pile, put on a podcast, sermon, or audiobook and aim for 30 minutes a day until it’s done.

As you scan each file, move the digital version to its appropriate folder. Then toss the physical paper in the Purge pile for shredding.

Step 6: Shred

Now it’s time to discard everything from your Purge pile and your completed Scan & Shred pile. You can use your own shredder, borrow one at work, or use a paid shredding service like FedEx Office.

Maintaining the System

Congratulations—you’re paperless!

You’ve done the hard work. You’ve built your file system, found a home for everything, and cleared out the clutter.

But the key is to keep the piles from growing back. That’s where the 3-step maintenance routine comes in:

Capture (Daily)File (Weekly)Purge (Yearly)1. Capture

Whenever you receive a new paper document that may need to be saved, place it in your physical inbox. You don’t have to decide what to do with it right away—just capture it for processing later.

2. File

Once a week—ideally during your weekly review—go through each paper in your inbox and ask:

“Do I need to keep this?” If not, toss it.“Do I need a paper copy?” If yes, scan it, then file both the digital and paper versions. If not, just scan it, save it in the proper digital folder, and toss the original.3. Purge

You’ll inevitably end up storing more paper than necessary, some files will become irrelevant, and you’ll need to make space for new ones.

I recommend doing a purge once a year. The best time I’ve found is right after tax season. You’re already going through your files, why not clear things out as long as you’re in there.

Just repeat the step-by-step process from above. It won’t be nearly as painful the second time since you should have far fewer papers to sort through. This annual purge is the way to keep your system tidy and functional.

Conclusion

Hopefully, this step-by-step guide has given you the confidence to tackle that intimidating pile of papers. Just follow the plan, take it one step at a time, and you’ll soon be enjoying the freedom of the paperless life.