Evernote + Fujitsu ScanSnap Scanner = Crack for Obsessive Compulsives

I believe I’ve discovered crack cocaine for obsessive compulsives and anal retentives. This week I’ve started using Evernote along with my new Fujitsu SnapScan Scanner to clear out my three ring binders full of old bank and brokerage statements. In other words, this process lets me scan, file and backup all of my documents, thereby letting me shred and recycle the paper versions. It’s neat freak nirvana, de-clutter dynamite and cleanup karma all rolled into one beautiful combination of high technology, and I can’t wait to tell you how it all works. But, before I do, if you’ll pardon me one moment…

As you can see, the whole process starts by pushing the ScanSnap’s blue scan button. The particular model I’m using is an S1500M. It scans 20, double-sided pages per minute in color or black and white. Once scanned, the included software quickly converts your document into a searchable PDF. That alone is pretty magical; however, the intensity gets cranked to eleven when you combine this process with Evernote.

Evernote is an online service for storing things you want to remember. Got a webpage you want to save? Clip it to Evernote. Need to save a receipt? Take a picture with your smartphone, tag it “reimbursed expenses” and you’ll have it next time you’re writing an expense report. Have an idea for a book or a blog post? Save it as a note in Evernote. Basically, Evernote is a place to store any information you want to remember. Its search and note-tagging features make it a breeze to organize things in a way that you can find them later.

Getting back to that ScanSnap scanner I mentioned earlier, when you combine it with Evernote, creating and managing your digital documents becomes an extremely easy, efficient, quick and addictive process. The beauty of this whole thing lies in the configurability of that little blue button on the ScanSnap. Via the settings on your Mac or PC, you can make that button scan directly into Evernote. This means that once your scan is finished and processed it is added directly to Evernote. All that’s left for you to do is give it a title and tag it. As for the hardcopy, it’s time to shred and recycle.

Meanwhile, Evernote is backing up your copy “in the cloud”. This means you’ll be able to access it anywhere with a web-connected device be it a computer, smartphone, iPad or the like. I’m only beginning to realize the possibilities of this process. In addition to clearing out clutter, now I’ll actually be able to find an old document when I need it.

If you’re interested in joining me on this revolutionary approach to “going paperless,” here’s what I recommend:

1. Signup for a free Evernote account – Their free account will give you a feel for the service. Upgrading to Premium for $45/yr will allow you to upload more documents each month and conduct text searches on your PDFs.
2. Get a document scanner that can “Scan to Evernote” – Evernote’s recommended hardware page features a listing of scanners which work well with Evernote. Being able to scan directly into Evernote is what makes this process so quick.
3. Start Scanning and Install the Evernote App on your Devices – Once you’ve scanned some documents, you’ll want to be able to access them on all your devices. Evernote has apps for Android, iPhone’s and more.

One final note: If you decide to go for the scanner I mention above (the Fujitsu ScanSnap), the links I provide are Amazon Affiliate links. So, if you click on one of them and buy the scanner, I’ll receive an affiliate fee. Thanks in advance if you decide to do that!