Tips for Managing Your Paperless Life

41% of internet users manage passwords for 10-25 websites. (Bitwarden, 2022)

Nearly two-thirds of internet users keep track of their passwords by memory or with unencrypted notes. (Security.org, 2023)

59% of consumers gave up on accessing an online service and 43% abandoned a purchase when asked for a password in the past month. (FIDO Alliance, 2022)

As consumers, we deal with dozens of logins. We retrieve and pay bills online and sift through a sea of digital documents from a range of entities each month. Utilities, credit card companies, banks, insurance providers, healthcare organizations—they all demand a slice of our digital attention. Though we readily agree to paperless relationships with many entities, managing this collection of digital information each month can be overwhelming.

The Challenges of Online Documents

As you have embarked on your journey to a paperless lifestyle, you've probably realized that managing multiple digital relationships is not as simple as it first seemed. Once successfully logged in, you need to navigate to the section of the website that provides access to your documents. Some sites make this easy with obvious links on the front page. Others make you click on tabs or drop-down menus until you arrive at your desired destination. Every site is different.

Automatic Logouts

We all experience the annoyance of automatic logouts. You go to another tab to check something, and come back only to find that you've been logged out. What follows is another round of password juggling and captcha proving–it's a tiring process.

Repetitive processes, rounds of approval, and lengthy wait times are unwelcome features of online interactions. When you're dealing with multiple entities, it can feel like running a never-ending administrative marathon. 

Passwords and Two-Factor Authorization 

Websites insist on passwords comprising a blend of letters, numbers, and symbols. The rules may differ from site to site as they enforce protocols for minimum and maximum password length, which special characters to accept, restrictions on repeating characters, and more. Two-factor authorization (2FA) further slows the document retrieval process. With 2FA, you enter a password and then wait for a texted or emailed code you must enter to access your account.

This works fine unless you no longer have access to the mobile phone number on file, or you closed the email account you used when you signed up for the service. If 2FA fails, you'll have to contact the company so you can prove your identity in some other way. That could take a while.

Security Questions 

If you get locked out of your account by trying to guess a lost password, websites may compel you to answer security questions to verify your identity. You may have forgotten your answers to questions they asked long ago. Maybe your taste in music has changed since you specified your favorite band, or a beloved restaurant you named has closed.

Periodic Password Changes

Some websites frequently force you to update your password. People try all kinds of tricks to help them remember the dozens of passwords they need to access online information and services. However, security experts warn that most of those methods offer little protection against password guessing. Be cautious about altering only one or two characters each time you change a password, such as incrementing digits. The experts say those are easy to crack. 

The best strategy for creating, using, and remembering secure passwords is password manager software. These digital tools store all your passwords securely and auto-fill them when required. They can also generate complex passwords for you.

Resist the Temptation of “Remember Me” 

"Remember Me" or "Stay Logged In" options offer convenience, but they can create security risks, especially on shared devices. Entering all your credentials each time you log in is safer.

Naming Conventions and Easy Document Retrieval

Document downloads from biller-hosted websites frequently furnish files with unhelpful default names. An effective naming convention is an absolute necessity for painless document retrieval in the future. 

We offered naming tips in our article Messy Filenames for Downloaded Paperless Bills and Statements.

Here are some highlights: 

1. Uniformity: Develop a simple, uniform structure that makes documents easier to search and locate. For instance, Date_CompanyName_DocumentName.
2. Dates: Include dates in file names, preferably Year-Month-Day. Your computer will arrange these files in chronological order.
3. Descriptive: The file name indicates the content of the document. Avoid generic terms like “Statement” or “Bill” that could apply to several documents.
4. Special characters: Avoid special characters in file names. They can cause opening/accessing issues with certain operating systems.
5. Folders: Name folders so you can easily identify groups of similar documents. You might include categories like “Utilities”, “Credit Cards”, or “Healthcare”, for example. Add sub-folders that further separate documents. Within “Utilities”, you might name sub-folders as “Electricity”, “Water”, and “Gas”.

How Cubby Paperless Simplifies Your Digital Life

When the challenges of managing online documents and logins become a daunting task, consider a free account from Cubby Paperless to simplify your paperless life. Leveraging advanced technology, Cubby Paperless is a single-platform solution designed to reduce your digital document management stress. 

• One login: Say goodbye to the mental gymnastics of remembering multiple logins! With Cubby Paperless, you need only one account to access all your documents.
• Consolidated documents: Cubby Paperless consolidates documents from multiple entities in one place, significantly decluttering your digital space.
• Easy retrieval: The powerful platform keeps your documents intact for longer periods, neatly catalogued and easy to locate. 
• Filenames: Cubby Paperless enforces naming conventions, making future document searches simpler and faster.