It seems like I’ve been fighting paper and paper war all my life. I’m an avid note-taker. I love writing. Then there are bills. Lots of other pieces of paper seem to find their way into my office. For me handwriting is important. Typing notes is not the same. When I’m talking with a client, I do not want to distract our conversation with me typing. Besides, I think better with a pen in my hand.
Over the years I have tested various organizational systems. At one point, I even hired a professional organizer. It always helped for a brief time. But then the system collapsed. I couldn’t maintain it.
I Decided To Go As Paperless As Possible
A few years ago, I finally decided to go as paperless as possible. I wrote my notes in a spiral notebook, dated each conversation or entry, and wrote on top what the page was about. I then tore out the pages and scanned them in using my printer/copier/scanner. Then I renamed each file and filed them in the correct folder on my computer.
This was a huge improvement. I had much less paper to file. What a relief. Yet, I often still got behind with renaming the scanned files and putting them into the right folder.
I kept looking for a tablet I could use to write my notes on so they would be in digital form right away. But for this to work for me the tablet had to give me the feeling that I am writing on paper. At least, I wanted to feel pretty close. I could not find a tablet I liked.
Then I found the Bamboo tablet by Wacom. It seemed promising. You write on actual paper. The tablet picks up electronically what you wrote. It was pretty good, although the paper block was a bit smaller than I liked. The biggest issue though was that you couldn’t go back and add something to the notes of a previous page. That was important enough for me to back to using spiral notebooks and my scanning method.
An Amazing Discovery
But recently an amazing transformation happened. I learned that there’s a tablet called “Remarkable.” In fact, I use “Remarkable 2,” the second version of this tablet. It deserved its name because it is indeed remarkable.
The Remarkable 2 tablet gives you the feel of writing on paper. But you’re not writing on paper; you’re writing on a tablet that feels like paper. It captures all the notes. You can go back to previous pages. You can get a pen that has an eraser on the top as a pencil does. You can also convert your handwritten notes into typed text. It can do that even with my handwriting – that in itself is remarkable. Amazing!
I no longer have to scan paper notes, rename files and spend time filing. I simply have a digital notebook for each subject on my tablet (for example, one notebook per client). The Remarkable also syncs to the Remarkable app I have on my desktop.
The cost? Around $500 for the tablet and $100 for the pen with the eraser (the one without the eraser is $50). By the time I added tax and the higher-end cover with the magnetic strip to attach the pen I invested $700. Expensive? Yes. Worth it for me? Absolutely.
I finally kicked my paper war to the curb!
I’m Curious
How much of a paper war are you fighting?
P.S.: I set up a new “Brilliance Mine” page on Facebook. Would you please go over there and “like” it? Click the FB button below. Thank you!!!
You can find me on LinkedIn as well. And I appreciate you sharing this with others. Thank you!
