I hate paper.

I'm sorry to say it this way because I always try to avoid using radical terminology, but it's true.

I’m allergic to dust, and paper takes me to a state in which I suffer a lot: sneezing, headaches, tears, shivering…

That helps me find solutions, and becoming a paperless guy was a life-changing step for me.

I’ve always tried to avoid using paper whenever computers got into my life in 1984, but the great leap was when I bought an iPad2 on March 2nd, 2011.

That was when I became a 100% paperless person, so I’ve been almost 10 years without touching a piece of paper, something that my nose appreciates it a lot.

Here I’m going to share 19 immediate benefits you can get becoming paperless, and I’ll write another article to explain all the software solutions and processes I use to make it a reality, in an effortless way, so that, if you’re interested in this topic, you can take some benefits of my learning process.

I know there are a lot of people who cannot work or live without paper. I’m not saying you have to forget about it. We’re all different. We have our own way of doing things. My goal is just to show you all the advantages I get from being paperless. It’s your choice to evaluate them and decide if any solve a problem you’re struggling with.

As a productivity geek, becoming paperless is a way to boost your productivity without any doubt.

In my opinion, the more paperless you become, the more productive you are.

Being paperless not only will directly improve your productivity.

It will bring many benefits to your mindset and spirituality, which are directly connected to your performance.

So, as usually happens, we’re talking here about a skill that affects your whole life.

Well, without further ado, let’s dive in!

1. Boost your creativity

You can immediately write it down any idea that comes to your head.

Ideas come and disappear in a matter of milliseconds.

You need to quickly write everything down IN THAT MOMENT because, in a breath, the muse will be gone!

2. Write everywhere

How many times did you need a pen and paper to write something down, and you couldn’t?

I’ve written things down in any kind of places and situations: on the beach, while sailing, inside a lift, while walking my dog, in the middle of a soccer game…

You don’t know when you’re going to need “a pen and paper”.

3. Write at any time

It’s 3 a.m., and you need to write down something that came to your head? Something you need to do?

Something you need to remind?

Just do it.

4. Access your information everywhere

You don’t know when you may need to access your information.

The other day, once again, I did appreciate being paperless.

Due to the coronavirus situation, there was a police control asking for documentation to permit me to access my home. My identity card’s address is not the one I’m living right now because it’s not updated.

The policeman asked me for proof that I lived in my home. If not, he wouldn’t let me in.

Fortunately, I could show him my rental agreement from my smartphone.

5. Read everywhere / Increase your reading time effortless

I can take advantage of any time to read.

Whenever I’m waiting for someone, in a place where’s nothing to do, I’m able to do it in any kind of favorable situation to read.

You can’t imagine how many reading hours you can take out of idle time!

6. Don’t forget anything

Whenever you need to remind something, you can quickly write it down.

You will never forget anything in your life.

What is written is never forgotten.

7. Security

Your information will always be safe and sound.

You don’t have to worry if you lose your notebook, if a fire destroys your documents, or if a thief comes into your office.

You will always sleep peacefully.

8. Boost your writing speed

I can write everything a person says in real time, something I couldn’t do when I was writing on paper.

I missed lots of things when I was studying.

Being in a meeting, or listening to a lecture, and writing everything down is priceless.

9. Search anything

You can find any kind of information in a matter of seconds. No matter if it’s even text inside an image!

Finding any kind of information fast and efficiently is critical to improving your productivity.

10. Time-saving

We’re in a digital world.

Whenever you write something on paper, sooner or later, there will be many times in which you need to digitalize it to work on it.

If you don’t write on paper, you’re saving yourself one crucial step.

11. Easy-to-share

When I’m having a meeting, I take all my notes on my iPad. I don’t need to create a record of the meeting afterward.

I just add some comments, and I can easily (and quickly) share that information with my coworkers.

12. Easy access to your reading highlights

Whenever I’m reading something interesting, I highlight it.

I can easily access those highlights to reread things, the only way I’ve found to remember things better.

13. Easy-to-use 4 highlight levels

Thanks to August Bradley’s wise advice, I’ve recently started to use the 4-level hierarchy of highlighting.

These 4 levels allow me to skim a text quickly and extract the most important information I may need at any moment.

14. Easier ways to organize your information

Using digital data brings me the opportunity to create infinite ways to organize my information.

I can easily change criteria, move information from one place to another, go broader, or deeper…

15. Save any kind of information

I can easily create and store any kind of information in any format.

No matter if it’s text, an image, a sketch, audio…

Everything is perfectly stored, ready to be found in a matter of seconds.

16. Notifications

You don’t have to look at any agenda constantly. You’ll be notified whenever you want to.

It’s like having a secretary working for you 24/7 without paying a cent.

17. Clearness

You will gain clarity.

• When your information is perfectly organized,
• when you can have different views/perspectives,
• when you can save and recall information using any kind of criteria…

your brain will appreciate it a lot.

We need clarity in a mess and clutter world, manipulating a massive amount of information every day.

18. Peace of mind

The combination of all the benefits I’ve mentioned above will create peace of mind without hesitation.

Everything that helps make a more comfortable life, a more secure one, more flexible, is a way to have a better and more relaxed experience.

19. Help the planet

We can’t forget how paper affects our planet.

I don’t want to go into figures, but I highly recommend to visit this page to become aware of “the world of paper”.

Conclusions

Managing information is vital nowadays. We have to deal with a vast amount of data. The better we do it, the better we’ll be, and the better we’ll become.

Time is money, but today, even more.

We’re into a very dynamic society in which information flows at the speed of light. We have to get into that “train”, or we’ll be lost.

If you want to remember my 19 reasons to become paperless, here you got the list (don't forget to write them down, even on paper):

1. Boost your creativity
2. Write everywhere
3. Write at any time
4. Access your information everywhere
5. Read everywhere / Increase your reading time effortless
6. Don’t forget anything
7. Security
8. Boost your writing speed
9. Search anything
10. Time-saving
11. Easy-to-share
12. Easy access to your reading highlights
13. Easy-to-use 4 highlight levels
14. Easier ways to organize your information
15. Save any kind of information
16. Notifications
17. Clearness
18. Peace of mind
19. Help the planet

Photo at the top courtesy of Steve Johnson on Unsplash.