There are many reasons to move to or add digital alternatives for your paperwork. Paper clutter piles up quickly and feels overwhelming all the time. Your filing system is way out of date. You are more nimble online than with papers. Documents can be found more easily and are more secure online. With all these good reasons, there are ways to create a hybrid solution with both paper and digital options. Check out these smart, simple digital alternatives to help you reduce paper and stay organized.

Go paperless with certain types of documents.

Switch to paperless statements and online accounts for financial documents. You can access your Medicare, Social Security, and investment accounts easily with an online account.  This offers security for your accounts. Create digital folders first for these statements and easily move them to your computer files monthly.

Pro tip: Use a consistent naming convention with the type of account, name of account, and year, such as Bank – Bank of America – 2025. Start a new folder each year.

Move to scanning and storing documents digitally.

Invest in a simple document scanner or use your phone with apps like Adobe Scan, Genius Scan, or CamScanner. Scan important papers like medical records, warranties, or kids’ artwork and store them in organized folders on your cloud drive. Create the folders for Medical, Home, Receipts, or School first in Google Drive or Dropbox for easy filing.

Pro-tip: Move all the scanned documents to your computer to consolidate information. 

Use receipt management apps.

Receipts for tax purposes, warranties, or returns pile up fast. Try apps Expensify or Shoeboxed for business expenses to capture the information electronically. Download your credit card statements to Excel files and sort by category to create expense accounts.

Pro-tip: Store receipts by month and year to easily search. 

Replace paper notes with digital notes.

While there are good uses of sticky notes and spiral notebooks, using digital notes can be more efficient at times. Use Notion, OneNote, or Notes app for taking meeting notes, planning projects, or capturing ideas. These tools let you organize information into folders and search easily. You can access project management tools and incorporate your notes digitally this way. Another bonus is that you can access your notes from any device or computer.

Pro-tip: Date and name your notes to easily search these. 

Use a digital planner and calendar.

A paper calendar is great for many people. However,  Google Calendar, Cozi, or Apple Calendar help you plan and share your schedule, appointments, and tasks. Because your phone is always with you, so is your calendar.  Create a shared family calendar for events, sports, and vacations for everyone to be connected.

Pro-tip: You can search digital planners just like any other digital document. 

Going digital makes life easier.

Many people think of scanning documents or saving photos, but there are lots of unusual or often-overlooked things you can store digitally to reduce clutter and make your life more organized.

• Recipes and meal plans can be saved digitally. Use apps like Paprika, Plan to Eat, or even Pinterest boards to store your favorite recipes, grocery lists, and weekly menus. You can also scan handwritten recipe cards to preserve family favorites. Move to a digital system for your recipes. You can do this with This eliminates the stacks of magazines, printed recipes, and articles you’ve been meaning to read.
• Store home maintenance records. Track paint colors, appliance manuals, air filter sizes, warranties, and repair receipts in a cloud folder labeled by Home Maintenance. This information is also great for resale value.
• Kids’ artwork and schoolwork can be scanned and photographed. Take photos of art projects, school awards, and special homework. Create digital albums by year or grade using Google Photos or a scrapbook app like Artkive.

Keep passwords easy to find

Passwords are the key to everything digital. There are many secure password keepers for each access. Favorites include LastPass and OnePass. Share your login with family to find what they need, just in case.

Start small and do what works for you

Over the years, it has become easier and easier to find ways to eliminate extra paperwork. Start small and do what is most important first, then add to your digital footprint.  Going digital doesn’t just save space. It also saves time, lowers stress, and makes it easier to stay on top of responsibilities. It’s also eco-friendly and accessible from anywhere.

Need Help Getting Started?

As a Certified Professional Organizer, I work with clients in Kingwood and Houston, TX to create personalized systems that work. I also work virtually through Zoom and Facetime. Let’s create a system that keeps you clutter-free and focused on what matters most.