It seems like people have been searching for the best paperless online app that can help them be more productive since the dawn of computers. Many people seek the perfect solution to digitizing and centralizing all paper files and documents in their offices and homes. But sometimes, the search occupies so much of their available time that they spend valuable “work time” on “search time.” That’s easy to do because there are hundreds, if not thousands, to try.
Don’t get caught up in the “shiny new object” phenomenon. If you’ve tried Evernote, One Note, Google Drive, and Dropbox and still don’t like any of them, you may never be happy and are only wasting time.
If you need to try every new system you hear about, you should reevaluate what you are seeking. It takes a lot of effort to download and shift your data to something new and find out that it doesn’t meet your needs.
It is also important to decide ahead of time what features you need. Otherwise, you are setting yourself up for disappointment.
Don’t get impressed by applications that are bloated with features. You may think you need multiple sorts, links, and tags for every task, and those apps will require too much work to sustain them.
Resist comparing the app you think will work for you with the ones your friends use. The goal is to be more productive, not to jump on an app’s bandwagon.
If the search for the ideal paperless system is frustrating you, it is possible that you would be better off forgetting about going paperless and embracing paper. Everyone’s comfort level is different.
Dave Edwards Media 