No matter how much of your life turns digital, I’m betting that there is still paper around you. Instead of seeing a decrease in the amount of paper, the Internet is one of the biggest sources of paper growth. Why?
- We receive more email, and we print many of those.
- We like paper. It’s quick and convenient.
- It is easier to compare documents and make notes.
- We read faster on paper. Onscreen reading is 30-50% slower. That is one reason we print out longer documents.
Xerox is getting very close to giving us a new product to help with the problems of:
- Ecological damage
- Cluttered desks
Erasable paper available to all of us may soon be a reality. This new green product will save ink as well as paper. After a certain period of time the ink disappears and the page can be reused, so there is less guilt about printing out internet research and email messages.
Of course, the age-old plaint of “I know it’s here somewhere!” may no longer be true. It just may not be there. As with other areas, going green means some adjustments in how you think.
You will still have non-erasable reference filing, action notes and other office organizing challenges as you struggle with finding the best time management solutions in each day, but having one more tool in your arsenal that also helps preserve the environment is certainly worth examining.
