3 reasons why Digital and Hard Copy Filing are not Mutually Exclusive

One of the things that I always talk about is how digital systems are the way to go. They are efficient, easy to use and can be entirely customizable. I like using digital systems. Sometime last year I discussed the advantages and disadvantages of hard copy and Digital Filing. I would like to expand upon that and break from my standard message. Typically the kind of thing that I talk about (for those who are new to my blog) is all technology and digital all the time. Today, however, I would like to go a (slightly) different route.

 

Here’s the thing. I don’t vilify hard copy filing, I don’t insult people who keep their files in hard copy. I personally believe that going digital and filing through the cloud is the better way. Actually, I think that if you keep your records in an organized system, then it doesn’t really matter if it’s digital or not, in my experience, it’s just easier to manage if it’d digital. To be perfectly honest even my own system isn’t wholly digital. Well, I suppose it is, but I do keep some documentation in hard copy format as well as digital.

 

 

1) Not everything needs to be digital, and not everything needs to be hard copy – There is no use for extremes when you’re organizing your digital life. There is quite a broad line between full digital with no paper whatsoever and going full paper with no digital. In this day and age going completely hard copy is getting harder and harder so I would imagine that there is a serious need to look into a hybrid system.

 

2) It’s a matter of choice – The beauty of personal filing systems is that it is entirely up to the user what they want to do. That would be you, by the way. You can decide to keep or throw out whatever you like; however you like, whenever you like. Personally, my rule of thumb is that I scan absolutely everything. I keep hard copy only the stuff that I think I would need for legal reasons. I joke that I keep hard copies of things “if I ever need to go in front of a judge and explain myself.” Not being into anything untoward, I keep things hard copy like my will, tax documents and that kind of thing.

 

3) Hard copy system can be a security blanket – I know what you’re thinking, having a digital guy talk about how good it is to have hard copy? It makes no sense right? Well, that’s not strictly true. Some places in the world will not accept digital copies of documents in a court of law so keeping the original of a document is just common sense. In very select circumstances it’s important to keep a hard copy as well as a digital copy of documents so that when and if you need to be able to use them you do have the ability to do so.

 

One thing that I would like to make explicitly clear here. Previously when companies and people would use digital systems, it would be to compliment their actual filing system which was hard copy. Now, however, the reverse is true. Digital systems have entirely taken over, and it’s important to be able to use them. While it’s important to have hard copy files it’s even more important to realize that they are very limited in their usage and using the multitude of digital systems at your disposal is a much easier and more efficient way of storing your data.

 

Just before we end off today, I wanted to take a moment real quick and do a little happy dance. This blog post is my 100th post. I have had such a great time working on and writing for this blog, and I am so grateful to you the readers for sticking with me for so long. If you’re a newer reader, I would highly advise that you take a look back at some of my previous posts. There’s some good stuff there that I know you will find useful. In either case, thank you so much for keeping me going for the previous 100 posts, and I know I will keep you going for the next 100 so that you can continue to Organize your Digital Life.

 

Which way do you organize your data?