Hi everyone! I am back with a new project. I am scanning ALL my unused documents and cleaning my home office but I am very frustrated! It seems it never ends. The more I scan, the more I save, it seems more paper is coming out of its holes, lol. Does anyone have a nice word to encourage me? It's such a mess!
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Posted 1 year ago #
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declutterlife, you can do it. Try doing 15 minutes at a time. And imho, it doesn't *have to* be done by December 24 (that seems to be one of my current challenges).
Hopefully, there will be others who will stop in to say hi as well.
Posted 1 year ago # -
if you just keep chipping away at it, it will come to an end eventually.
it IS finite.
and a lot of it really doesn't have to be kept.....go through it ruthlessly first and make 3 piles of:
scan-and-keep-originals
scan-and-toss
toss
i wouldn't bother scanning every single thing just because.i have a 3 drawer filing cabinet.
it is huge and heavy.
i run a company out of it, but i know i just do not need that much filing space.
my new year project is to chisel down the heap and streamline it all into a smaller cabinet.
and with a smaller cabinet, i won't be as tempted to throw cluttery things in there.Posted 1 year ago # -
I started a project to scan all my slides. I'm pretty sure I've been at it for about 3 years. I've scanned, fixed, uploaded to Flickr, and annotated over 3600 of them, with another 3000 or 4000 to go.
I go through periods where I don't feel like doing it, but at the moment, I'm highly motivated to finish this silly project which brings joy to me and all my cousins. So to make the tedious aspects go better, I've streamlined the job. I set up a schedule where I scan 20 to 30 slides 4 times a week. I'm not even looking at the ultimate goal--the end--because it just isn't in sight yet. When I upload the slides, I post my favorite one to my Facebook page to share it with cousins and friends. The social aspect of sharing the photos makes it more fun. You can see them online at my flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/jlcrook Some are stupid, some are amazing, and some are boring, but they all have some sort of value to me.
I have way too much paper, including esoteric things like a 1938 grocery store receipt. Even with the Scansnap, it takes time to scan, label, file, and backup everything. I had hundreds of sheet protectors, so I went through my files, prepped everything for scanning by trimming unruly edges, and filed it in sheet protectors until I can get it scanned. I don't like the scanning process, so I scheduled it for 3 times a week, 20 minutes at a time. Again, I'm not even looking at the end of the project because there's just too much stuff there, but by this time next year, I hope to have both projects nearly finished. It's not like I'm in a race. The value of both projects is great, the time required is great, and that's just the way it is. There is some social value to the scanning project too since I share things with others, but it just isn't as much fun as the slides.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Jude2004....you make me feel better about my slides. I have yet to start sorting and scanning but only have about 1000 to 1500.
I think we all have endless paper. Even well organized it is monumental.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Just hang in there! There will come light at the end of the tunnel at some point and I'd rather do the scanning part slowly enough to have time to organize the place it ends at, the computer.
Posted 1 year ago # -
@declutterlife:
uncluttering is one of the few things, that definitely ends. :) so don´t be afraid, it´s just a long way. if you go on step by step, you will arrive where you want to be. you will end up with things you love, and that´s worth every single step!Posted 1 year ago # -
Hey declutterlife,
I am doing the same thing! And I know exactly how you feel!! I keep finding more and more piles of paper!
I've been using the photocopiers at work to scan - they're great because they have a document feeder so you don't have to do everything individually.
There's really very few documents I need the originals of - last 3 months of bills for proof of address, a years worth of receipts for big/electrical things, house contracts, car registration, and certificates - marriage/birth/exams/medical etc. We've fitted it all into a metal lockable box about the size of 2 A4 boxfiles.
Everything else is being scanned and shredded - backed up on 2 PCs, a dual hard drive and DVD.
Keep going, it really does finish eventually! I'm almost there and it feels awesome :)
Posted 1 year ago # -
You're definitely not alone. I also feel like the decluttering never ends! For me it's clothes... I have been in the "wear it out stage" for like a year. Good luck with everything, you will definitely get to the point you want to be at!
Posted 1 year ago # -
Jude2004 - you have my admiration for tenacity with the slide scanning. I've been considering using a scanning service for mine as I'm so daunted by the process.
Has anyone on here had their slides professionally scanned?Posted 1 year ago # -
@netligh, yes, i had my slides scanned, just the best ones. it was quiete expensive but worth it.
Posted 1 year ago # -
It does seem like it never ends. I'm not scanning, just trying to deal with physical paper. It seems to be winning!
Sending good vibes! :)
Posted 1 year ago # -
Thanks everyone! Already tossed another stack of paper (about 500 sheets)and it does feel good!!! I just got put it in perspective. Jude2004, you did it for me, lol! 4000 still to go? Well I have far less, but I just want to finish it. I am doing a little a day and it is progressing.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Mimi....Who did you have scan your slides and where you happy with the results?
Thanks!Posted 1 year ago # -
@ sky: it was a photo- shop (?), a photo equipment store... a shop where you can buy cameras etc. i am not enthusiastic about the results but it´s ok. i am VERY glad to have the pictures as digital files now, even if the quality is a bit worse than expected.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Thanks Mimi. I get offers from Scan Cafe so I may try them.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I'll second bandicoot's strategy of:
scan-and-keep-originals
scan-and-toss
tossHowever, DON'T shred or toss until you've made a backup of the scans. Don't trust the ONE copy on your hard drive, unless you still have the original. Then you can do whatever you want with it.
I've been doing this for a couple of years now and keep unearthing new documents to consider. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Just a suggestion, for those who are scanning anything for "permanent storage." Remember there is only so much time in any given day for the rest of your life, so store things in dated folders.
If during a given year you actually retrieve and view/use an archived image or document, move it to a new folder for that year. Anything that you haven't viewed or used in five years or more should be consigned to the electronic dumpster.
The only exceptions should be life records such as mortgage, payoff verifications, health records, and priceless family photographs. But be wary of the latter ... not every snapshot is a necessary part of family history.
Full disclosure: if I followed this suggestion myself, I would be deleting thousands of photographs! But very few other files. Guess I need to work on my photo archive.
Posted 1 year ago #
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