A couple of weeks ago, I talked about how important it is to make sure that you have all of your documents scanned and in your filing system. While this is true, the next important thing you need to do is get rid of what you’ve scanned. Yes, in theory, you could simply dump the documents in the recycling and carry on throughout your day, but it’s not the safest thing in the world to do.
1) A shredder helps you keep track of what’s been scanned – When I’m scanning the documents, I usually have to go through a big pile of papers. Keeping everything on my desk, what is and what is not scanned, can make for a massive clutter after a while, and making sure that you don’t confuse your documents will save you loads of time in the long run. To make sure that doesn’t happen, I will shred the hard copy version when I’ve scanned a document and made sure that it’s appropriately named. This is one of the simplest ways to keep track of what’s been scanned already.
2) It’s better for Hard copy document security – I was watching a TV show where a hacker (who was the protagonist….long story) was digging through some garbage to find hard copy documentation which would give him some information that he needed. As much as we all think of when something goes in the trash, it “goes away,” That’s very much not the case. In your professional life, it’s essential to make sure that you have a secured shredding service. Still, it’s also quite necessary to shred your already scanned documents in your personal life. If you shred your documents, it makes it that much more impossible for anyone who wishes to root through your garbage to find your documents. Particularly if you have a cross-cut shredder, which cuts the paper into smaller indistinguishable bits instead of lone lines of paper.
3) It cuts down on the clutter – Yes, the pun there may have been intended….but it’s true! Having your shredder allows you to have far less stuff that you need to find a spot for in your office. I don’t like keeping hard copy documents in general, so perhaps I’m biased here, but I fully believe that if you have piles and piles of papers throughout your life, it actually can increase your stress levels. When you scan your documents, shredding them makes it so that they are “out of your life” and filed away properly.
I want to be clear; I don’t shred everything I scan. Like I mentioned before, it’s important to keep hard copies of legal documents. In my opinion, the receipt from Walmart from last month you scanned into your system (assuming you scan receipts), you don’t need to keep a hard copy. I like knowing that a job is done, not partially done, not done a bit now and a bit later, but done. Having the document shredded gives me immediate satisfaction knowing that I have achieved that end. Shredding your scanned documents is a natural part of your hard copy document’s life, so you should (if you don’t already) have a shredder as a regular part of your home office setup.
Do you use a shredder?
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