I know, I know....if I would just refrain from printing that document or email, I could save a tree, or better yet, a piece of the Amazon rain forest. My younger clients, family and friends are trying to wean me off my beloved printer to reduce waste and save the environment, but it isn't working. So, why do I need to have an 8 x 10 inch piece of paper to feel secure in this digital world? Well, let me give you a little background.
I grew up in the 70's and 80's when there were no cell phones, computers or printers for that matter. My only computer class in high school was called High and Low graphics (to this day, I still don't understand its relevance). So, the only way I could remember what my teacher was teaching, and what I needed to do in the day, was write it on a piece of paper! As most of us are visual thinkers, we need to see something to remember it.
Now I know if I carried everything on a smart phone or tablet, I would see it too, but what happens if that thing crashes or I drop it, or even worse, I get the blue screen of death! You know what I mean...that blue screen that means all of your data is lost!
Paper is real, it is accessible and will not crash. I need the security of knowing I have a hard copy to pull out of my trusted file cabinet in my office. I realize having five file cabinets is a little excessive, so I do have a New Year's resolution of getting that down to three, but for now, I know where everything is...
Recently I facilitated a workshop with primarily Generation X and Y participants (you know the ones that ask you not to print this email at the bottom of their emails) and here are their tips for weaning Boomers from their love affair with paper:
- Train them more on technology to gain confidence in electronics
- Tell them the space they have and no more
- Have them prove how they need the document and when they last looked at it
- Teach them patiently how to save paper in an electronic space
- Create guidelines on what to keep
While I know these ideas are a good start, I also know that change can be scary. I believe in taking baby steps towards the desired behavior. So here is my baby step pledge to my younger co-horts...I promise to use only my GPS next time I have a speaking presentation out of town and will refrain from making a hard copy of the directions from Google directions.
In addition I am intentionally:
- Using my print preview button instead of finding mistakes on hard copy
- Opting for double-sided versus single-sided copies
- Purchasing recycled paper
- Recycling all of my office paper
Question: Are you having trouble separating from your beloved hard copy? Or, do you have a boss, co-worker or friend that is struggling?
Call to Action: Take one step towards trusting the digital world by asking yourself if you could gain that same information electronically and being truthful about when you would ever need to physically hold that document again.
"Nothing diminishes anxiety faster than action." -Walter Anderson
