Save Space In Your Tiny House By Creating A Paperless Office
Not only do we live full time in our 221 sq ft tiny house, but we also use it as our office (which we work in full time). This means that our home works double duty as office and residence. Though we feel like our tiny home is super roomy, one thing we don’t have an abundance of is storage space for our office materials. Piles of receipts, paperwork, and documents were not only an eyesore when we would open our cabinets, but were also taking up valuable space.
When he heard of the concept of a paperless office we jumped on it and haven’t looked back since. By combining a well-teamed system of the ScanSnap scanner with Evernote.com, we made quick (and fun!) work of getting those piles of paperwork totally organized into fully searchable digital documents.
The beauty of the marriage between ScanSnap and Evernote.com is that they create readable files from all scanned items. This means that anytime we need to do a search for a document, all we need to do is apply the pertinent search term. No more rifling through piles of documents or sorting through files! All of our documents are saved onto our hard drive as well as in the cloud so we can access any of them from anywhere with an internet connection.
As a bonus, we managed to open up two full shelves in our cabinets by going paperless and have been thrilled with how organized everything is now. And as a double bonus, we now have a couple weeks’ supply of paper for starting fires for our Snorkel wood fired hot tub on these cold, cold days!
To watch how the ScanSnap interfaces with Evernote.com and how you too can become an organizational superhero, check out the video below we created for this week’s “Tiny House Minute” episode.
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I really like the idea of a paperless office.
One question is what desktop search software do you use or is it built into EverNote and ScanSnap?
Hi Jack. The search function is part of Evernote. It does not search the desktop, but rather the files that are backed up in the cloud in your Evernote account. That function is available in the free account version and is apparently even more powerful in the paid account version (I have the free account).
I used a ScanSnap scanner to get rid of all the clutter, and now just use TurboScan on the iPhone for receipts and docs. Even more nimble! Highly recommend these phone scanner apps.
Thanks for the tip Mara! We will totally check it out. 🙂
Saw you featured in Treehugger.
Thanks for inspiring me again to downsize my office more, which is loaded with paper and digital clutter. I have digitized and purged 75% over the past two years. But seeing you guys live and work in a space the size of my office … impressive.
Hey again f d! Thanks for the TreeHugger heads up. Hadn’t seen that. SOOO cool! And thanks for the Spam alert…takes a village
I am saving for the scansnap and absolutely love using Evernote.
But what do you do for things that require originals (SS card, marriage license, etc)? I’ve heard of people scanning them and then keeping the original in a deposit box; and also of keeping a safe on hand with those documents in it. What do you guys do for things like that?
Thanks for writing Kelsey! We can’t recommend ScanSnap enough. It has changed pretty much everything when it comes to our business and how we organize. In terms of the ‘real’ documents, we keep all of those. A safety deposit box is a great idea if there is worry of damage/theft/loss in your regular home. The great thing is that those really essential documents take up so little room. The bulk of our paperwork used to be in the form of workshop participant agreements, receipts, old tax paperwork, etc. We are talking boxes and boxes of paperwork that is now easily searched for (if we ever even need to pull them up) and stored digitally. Totally awesome!
You’ve convinced me to go paperless. It’s been tugging at me for past few years and now that you’ve made it look so easy … 🙂
A couple of questions:
1. Which model of snapscan did you find works for you?
2. Does it scan photos as well?
3. I have similar building receipts and some things which are “write-offs” for my business. From a tax standpoint, have you found you need originals … receipts, invoices, contracts, etc.?
Thanks for the help! Pamela
Thank you for writing Pamela! It is the S1300i. The photo thing is not so much. But we are very picky when it comes to photo quality. If you just want a way to scan images just to look at once in a while with no desire to reprint then it will do that. If you want really high quality and to be able to print a high quality image, this is not the machine. In terms of official paperwork, our tax accountant tells us that we don’t need the original receipts. It all just needs to be legible. As a pleasant surprise we also found out that we don’t even need to keep the original printed previous tax statements. So, all that we have in original format now is our ‘essential’ documents (titles, SS, etc.). Pretty amazing all the paperwork we had been carrying around for years thinking we had to keep originals. Please do check for yourself though regarding the information we just gave you just in case there is an error in any of it. 🙂
Do you ever feel worried that you’re keeping such valuable information (stuff with CC info and SS info) on your computers? How resistant is Evernote to hackers?.. I would not like if my info was stolen.
Hi Justin! We didn’t used to be so worried about personal information being in the cloud, but we have been dealing with so much fraud on various accounts the last several months that we have gotten way more conservative. They say Evernote is very safe, however, they say that about a lot of other companies and services as well. So we have a different filing system now that doesn’t store things in the cloud. That’s just our preference based on previous experiences.
Would you mind elaborating on how you protect stuff now? I’m fairly young so I don’t have much info to protect lol but it wouldn’t hurt to know for the future.
How many papers does it scan at once? What format I.e. PDF, JPEG, etc does it save it as? Is the quality descent?
Thanks for connecting Alissa! Not exactly sure how many it can scan at once (15 maybe?). Best to look that one up on their site. You can save the files in various formats (ones you suggested and more) and the quality is very good. We did scan some photos and didn’t think the quality was photo quality so won’t use it for that (if we wanted to reprint something at some point). Only key is that if you want to use the search function for your files, you would have to create the document as a searchable PDF. When you do a bulk scan, all of the pages will save as one file (assuming that is what you want). It’s a pretty sophisticated system actually.
What software do you need to have to work with searchable pdf’s?
Hi Nenke. The search function is part of Evernote. It does not search the desktop, but rather the files that are backed up in the cloud in your Evernote account. That function is available in the free account version and is apparently even more powerful in the paid account version (I have the free account).
I use Evernote.com.
Off topic so I apologize but Andrew have you ever seen/built a tiny home with finger print scanning locks for the main door/s and a small alarm system?? I’m planning to build in 2-3 years and I have some valuable things. Thanks!
Hi again Justin! 🙂 We have not personally but see no reason not to do that!
Would you guys have any tips/ tricks to do that? 🙂 also any advice on building a sound proof room in a tiny house? I want a room for my drums without annoying everyone lol
I have not, but there is no reason why you couldn’t.
Do I need the Scansnap to scan documents for Evernot? Would a regular scanner work? Why did you choose the Scansnap?
I have been using a ScanSnap S1500 for several years and love it. I have a full size office so for me I would purchase the latest and greatest scanner I could afford. It will scan one or both sides of a paper very quickly and in color if you want. ScanSnap comes with its own software and I usually scan to PDF. You can then let ScanSnap convert them into searchable files but it has to imbed that info somewhere inside that doc which you will not see. I just usually use keywords in the program to do my lookup.
I also use Evernote every day but it is a different company/program but you could certainly import anything scanned into Evernote. If you are not scanning much you could use your printer/scanner that you already own and save the scan to a file but it would be a much slower task.
I have taken new textbooks over 200 pages long and gone to Office Depot and had them slice the binder off ($2) and I scanned the whole book both sides at once in a very short time. I then take the loose pages back to Office Depot and have them copy the hardcover front and back of the book (which gets tossed) and have it spiral bound for about $5 more. Now I have the book back into textbook form again. Please do not get onto me about it being illegal. I am just trying to show you the speed and quality of my desktop scanner..
I am sure that any of the other major brands of desktop scanners will do the same job just as well or better. I just researched it and flipped a coin and ScanSnap won the toss..
One last thing. When you scan all of those docs in your filing cabinet(s) and then start shredding them you are very worried. Just be sure you backup your scanned docs from your hard drive to the cloud every now and then. It’s safer than loosing your docs in a fire (unless you own a fireproof file cabinet $$$$). Scanning and shredding was like when I gave up my home phone land-line because we had cell phones, I felt like I was cutting off my umbilical cord but now I am ok with it. Sorry about the length of this post.
Thanks for your feedback Richard!!
Sorry f d.. Its not a spam comment! I really want to know. I already have a scanner on my printer and I want to know if they think the Scansnap is better then most scanners.
Hi Leah! fd’s comment was an old one and I had already removed the spam comment. 🙂 In terms of ScanSnap question, we are actually not sure! We are not sure if it’s ScanSnap that creates the searchable PDFs or Evernote. That is the big advantage of the system. Perhaps take a look at their sites and see if it’s Evernote. If it is, then any scanner should do the trick. Let us know!
Hello, this is amazing information… your videos do not show up, there’s just black space – am i not doing something, or doing something wrongly? and please tell about wheels. DOES your build have these? or just provision for them. (from isobel)
I’m sorry to hear that it’s not showing up for you. I tried it here and it worked fine. Perhaps you can try it on another device?
Got this all set up because of this post. LOVE Evernote, and will use it in personal and business. ScanSnap s1300i is amazing, silent, and quick. One question. Do I just throw these bills, etc. out now that I’ve scanned them? Perhaps I’m looking for hand-holding, since I think the answer is obvious, it’s just scary!
Hi Greg! We do! But to each his own and some people may not be comfortable with this. 🙂
Hi! Such a cool home and I love all the extras. I have three questions.
1.) Did you research before you settled on the Scanner you purchased, I have seen
others that do the same thing. Is this one best in your opinion?
2.) In the shower area and bathroom, how do you keep mildew away and will the
steam from the shower cause the ceiling of the shower area to warp?
3.) What if the stairs were built with a higher side (say 2 ft) would that work? Visual
Example: If you took a piece of plywood and nailed to the side of the stairs…but
of course you wouldn’t really do that. Could that make one feel more secure on
the stairs?
Thanks for your time! JS
Hi Jacqueline! To answer your questions: 1) we did a fair amount of research on the ScanSnap but the deciding factor was watching a review video. I’m guessing there are others out there that serve the same function but we decided to go with one recommended by a trusted source. 2) currently we just open our window partly. However, we are having a kitchen fan installed and will also be putting a wall one in our bathroom to vent directly outside. Tiny houses generate a ton of moisture and it’s really important to take action to make sure that doesn’t happen. 3) I think you are referring to creating a guard rail? Absolutely one could do that. Or a hand rail on the wall. 🙂
Hello. I LOVE everything about your home. Fantastic work and such an inspiration.
Thanks Trudy! 🙂
I have been researching tiny houses for a while now. I thought I decided on the design I was going to go with, until yesterday! When the King of Strawbale had a FB post about his new tiny house. Now you are the King of Tiny Houses too. I can’t wait to build my own hoMe.
Haha…cracking up Cotton! 😉
There are free software that perform document management tasks in businesses and homes. The creation of a paperless office is not necessary.
One program could be OpenKM, which allows you to manage, scan and archive your documents easily
For more information: http://www.openkm.com
Thanks!
Fuensanta
And don’t forget, if you have a smartphone, you have a scanner/copier right in your pocket. I never photocopy anything for myself anymore. If someone hands me a printed paper, I take a photo of it as soon as I can. Sometimes I even hand back the original to them right then.
Evernote’s smartphone apps have a photo feature. So even if you don’t have the ScanSnap with you (on a business trip, for example, and you don’t want to have to remember where you put that dinner receipt)
– just open the Evernote app,
– touch the camera icon,
– snap the picture,
– label and tag it (optional),
– and toss the original in the nearest recycle bin.
Even better, if an important receipt is emailed to you, just forward it to Evernote. No need to print a hardcopy, just to scan it in. The email address for your Evernote account can be found in your Account Info. Enter it into your smartphone contacts list to keep it handy and memorable.
Thank you so much for taking this to the next level! Can’t wait to try it. Thanks for taking the time to explain it so well. 🙂
OMG!!! I just came across your website the other day and I love, love, love your house. After learning about the SnapScan and Evernote on here I decided to take the plunge and get my own setup. It just arrived in the mail today and I have already eliminated half of the paperwork that I had just taking up space. Thank you so much for this website and being so totally awesome. I hope to one day soon either build my own off grid tiny house or earth sheltered house. You guys rock!!!
That’s SO great Amy!!!
Paperless office is really a good thing and there are many IT solutions, also with various price range, starting from like 49 euro which offer good business solutions to avoid mountains of paper and paper archives, which improve your work efficiency and decrease costs. Professional scan software make your files smaller, you save storage space and internet data bandwidth. Those who need to send files to the bank or authorities may have faced the problem that files need to be of certain size (small) but good quality that is no longer an issue with a good paperless software. Plus, some software already offers build in text recognition (OCR), which means that once your document is scanned, even after 10 years you find the needed file in seconds just by typing a keyword. All this saves so much time. Check it out, there are so many more benefits. Check out ExactScan PRO (incl. OCR) http://www.exactscan.com , you can always test it first 2 weeks for free.
And it is very environmental friendly solution !!! Save trees for our kids.
Your tiny house is the best design I have seen yet. I love the kitchen and all of the storage. The one thing I really want in mine is a bathtub. I have had a hard time finding many examples. Any ideas?
Thank you Carole! There are RV bathtubs that could fit and I believe Jay Shafer at 4 Lights Tiny Houses has plans for a nice soaking tub. It can be done! 🙂
Where did you find the chairs for the loft space with the lights attached? Those are great!
Thanks in advance!
Hi there! Brookstone 🙂
I am working toward a paper free office and this has helped a lot! How do you dispose of the papers once scanned, do you use a paper shredder?
Hey Krista,
Once we have scanned a document we use it as kindling for our wood burning hot tub.
Cheers
I love what you are doing. I am about to move and so excited to use the inspiration of your work and home and OFFICE practices to truely purge. One note about the paper burning. the energy to turn the wood into paper is well worth ensuring many of those fibers get reycled many more times. Nothing wrong with using some for kindling. I do it myself. But also worth noting that safely recycling is more efficient use of those fibres in a global environmental view (of course that involves determining what pieces require the extra energy to shred, and which can be recycled as is.)
Thank you for your thoughtful response Msb!
Great blog, Gabriela. I have been using Evernote for about a year and can’t live without it. I don’t find the search feature good enough (I have over 8K files)
I am thinking about the SnapScan and hopefully I can get it for Christmas.
To have all your stuff in a cloud is great, saves space and is always available, but I read at the Evernote forum that is still good to keep a copy of ALL your files on a separate harddrive (I keep externals in a safe).
Just for safety, in case something happens to Evernote’s cloud and we are all in trouble.
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Gabriela, here is a better way to warm out if you don’t do it yet.
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https://www.google.com/search?client=opera&q=paper+fire+logs&sourceid=opera&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8
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I was thinking about your stairs, for those middle of the night trips to the bathroom, being that your house is modern, you might consider an acrylic transparent rod attached to the wall . Is less intrusive.
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Your blog is so clear and so instructive, I’ll recommend you.
Thank you for the thoughtful response and ideas Elena! 🙂
Could the material be backed up in a flashdrive as well as cloud or Evernote. I want to downsize and just have my camper. I purchased a new 17 ft pull behind last year. Love the lack of clutter and the chance to be outdoors. I have a concern though, I don’t think the camper has enough insulation to be in a cold MN winter.