This isn't the first time that I’ve addressed our relationship with paper-based work and productivity tools. Many people often reach out to me for advice, whether it's about choosing the most suitable paper tool or seeking support in transitioning from paper to digital.
I try, in my small way, to be mindful of environmentally sustainable practices, and I have a keen interest in all initiatives and organizations moving in this direction.
A while ago, following an Instagram post summarizing key points from my blog post titled “From Paper to Digital: Make Your Organization Green,” a former client contacted me to propose a collaboration with the company she now works for.
That message led to this article, which is a collaborative post. It means I’m not receiving monetary compensation, but I did receive a product for free to test and evaluate for my work.
The article you’re about to read shares my direct and honest experience with one of MOYU’s products, a company based in Utrecht, Netherlands, that creates erasable stationery products (notebooks, planners, to-do list sheets) made from stone paper. These are reusable after washing them with water.
But before I share my experience with this product, I’d like to give you some tips that you can start implementing right away to save paper in your office.
Small Steps to Save Paper in the Office
Digital offers many possibilities, but we have to be careful because the equation is not that simple, and every choice, even technological ones, impacts the environment we live in.
For this reason, before rushing to quick fixes like “let’s digitize everything,” I think it’s crucial to reason on the concept of waste.
The job I’ve chosen — Professional Organizer [T.N.] — has definitely impacted my personal and innate aversion to all forms of “waste,” whether it be material (paper, space, unused objects, money) or immaterial (time, energy, attention).
The Treccani dictionary — the most famous Italian-language encyclopedia [T.N.] — mentions an uncertain origin for the word "waste" (sprecare in Italian). It may derive from the Latin exprecari, meaning "to curse" or "send to ruin," composed of ex- and precari ("to pray, wish, curse").
To waste means to let something valuable decay in poor or unnecessary conditions without being used. The curse Treccani talks about is the one I cast on myself when, due to poor meal planning (or because I bought too much stuff), something goes bad in the fridge. There are very few things that annoy me more than wasting something, especially food.
And office waste? There could be many types, but today I will focus solely on the limited resource of paper (because if I started writing about wasted time in the office, I’d end up with a book instead of a blog post).
We waste paper in the office
- When we print an email or document that could be managed digitally, perhaps adding some notes to reflect on the most important points before replying to the sender or improving the usability and view of that document.
- When we don’t invest in an efficient document management system that allows us to quickly find what we’re looking for, leading us to produce duplicate copies of the same document.
- When we don’t optimize the physical resources around us, especially those we already have available.
Let me explain with some examples.
Saving paper in the office doesn’t just mean digitizing everything.
A blank sheet of paper can have at least three lives:
- A first life for printing a document to be delivered;
- A second life for printing on the back of an unimportant document that’s already printed or as a notepad, either in A4 or A5 format (by dividing the sheet in two and using the unused side);
- A third life, after being shredded, to use as packing material or as a base for a gift basket;
- ...and potentially more and more, by recycling it properly in the paper collection.
It’s possible to avoid printing emails and documents, even when reviewing them. And this comes from someone with several vision issues: I’ve worn glasses since I was little to correct nearsightedness (mostly) and astigmatism.
Sometimes, we don’t fully utilize some accessibility tools on our computers, such as:
- Font size, which can be increased as needed;
- Background color, which can be customized to suit our visual comfort;
- Screen brightness, which should be adjusted to the surrounding environment;
- The use of a dual monitor, to increase working space.
These are all strategies that could help reduce eye strain while reviewing a text or cross-checking tables for data verification. Yet, I rarely see them being considered.
For certain events, we could also try to discourage the use of paper in favor of materials that can be reused multiple times in the future. Here, we can get creative depending on the needs and type of event.
Here are some examples:
- Creating a folder for accessing event materials by simply scanning a QR Code instead of distributing brochures and flyers;
- Creating digital forms for collecting information instead of paper forms;
- Promoting paperless meetings, using tablets, laptops, or screens to display documents and presentations and take shared notes on collaborative boards like Miro or Mural;
- Using reusable or washable post-its (or other writing supports).
And this is precisely what I want to talk about.
Reusable Post-Its: A Green Idea for Reminders and Notes
MOYU gifted me, for testing during one of my training sessions, a set of erasable note cards.
They are small sheets; the size is slightly larger than a classic square post-it.
They have a colored border (four colors are available in the pack), and the center is lined. Along with the note cards, I received four pens with inks of different colors, necessary for the magic to work: erasing the content of the card at the end of the event, making it ready for the next use.
Specifically, I used MOYU note cards for a training activity in small groups.
Each working group received a card with a prompt (a method or tool) related to time management: I asked participants to list good practices (on the green card) and bad habits (on the red-bordered card) related to the tool proposed on the cards.
One group instead, as a tool received the Eisenhower matrix and cards in all four available colors, to practice on the matrix itself, which, by definition, as a matrix, has four quadrants.
Before discovering MOYU, I used post-its for this activity. A tool with an undeniable advantage: being sticky, which makes it easy to position and move them on a vertical board (whether it’s a whiteboard or flip chart, a vertical support on which to "stick" sheets is useful so that the whole class can see the exercise).
I compensated for the lack of sticky edges with some masking tape, but the experience suggested I test another product, which is also reusable multiple times (I’m thinking of adhesive paste that can be attached and detached multiple times, like Patafix).
The idea is, therefore, to set up a training kit that doesn’t involve using a resource only once (like post-its, but also masking tape) but is exclusively made of reusable supports.
This way, it’s possible to:
- Use the materials efficiently during the event: writing on stone paper with its pen is no different from writing on paper;
- Take home the contributions for future reflections: just collect the used note cards and put them in your bag to possibly re-read and jot down reflections for future classes (something I used to do with post-its as well, but to avoid the hassle of them sticking to each other, I would spend a few minutes attaching them to a recycled A4 sheet);
- Wash everything once reviewed, simply wiping the sheets with a damp cloth and letting them dry to be reused next time.
I want to thank the friends at MOYU for this gift and allowing me to try out their products, which I definitely feel confident recommending.
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Chiara Battaglioni is a professional organizer, and helps professionals enhance their organizational skills and optimize their workspaces, time, and energy. Through personalized consulting, online courses, and corporate training, Chiara emphasizes that organization is key to achieving professional goals, boosting motivation, and finding more personal time. She shares her expertise via her podcast "Work Better" and her ebook, "Il mio ufficio in casa – Organizzazione a portata di freelance"
✍️ Connect with Chiara Battaglioni via LinkedIn or her website.