Spring 2020 was my first term at ICU, and since we were all stuck at home I thought I would try something new.
I bought myself an iPad as a replacement for my very old laptop, and so I decided to go paperless. In high school, I struggled with organizing all the handouts from different subjects, packing the right notebooks for each class, fitting all additional information in already-full pages, and carrying a heavy backpack with textbooks, notebooks, and binders, etc.
All of these problems were solved when I decided to go paperless.
The biggest advantage of going paperless is that it increased my working efficiency. I didn’t have to look through multiple binders, notebooks, and textbooks to revise or work on assignments because all the material was saved digitally. Google Drive, which most of us already use and is completely free, does the job perfectly. You can access all of your files from any device, whether you are at home, at school, or on the train.
This really helped me because I used to lose a lot of time on finding the right material. No longer experiencing the stress of not finding what I need right away and having everything on a single platform helped me concentrate for longer hours and work efficiently.
Another reason I am glad I went paperless is the environmental benefits. Printing out seemingly endless pages for a single reading assignment or homework task just to throw them in the trash the next term had been a natural habit of mine. Not having to go through this has significantly reduced the amount of paper I use. I use an app called GoodNotes to annotate and make handwritten notes. This app costs ¥980, and it is up to your personal judgment whether it is a worthwhile purchase. In my case, considering the fact that printing 100 pages in black and white at a convenience store costs just as much, I found it to be a just investment. Thanks to this app, there is no need to buy notebooks, binders, or any stationary.
An advantage that I have realized this term is that I do not need to carry around so many things like I used to. All I need to pack is my tablet and I am good to go. Before, having to pack the right stuff every morning made me anxious: what if I forgot my history binder on my desk? What if I didn’t pack the article we were reading in English class? Plus, my bag is so much lighter. Because I, like many others, have very long commuting hours, a heavy bag damages my body quite severely. Ever since I got rid of my heavy binders, notebooks, and textbooks, I have gotten less shoulder and back pains.
But in the end, going paperless definitely has its price as well. A tablet device is a luxury that not everyone can easily buy for just a few benefits. However, I would call it a worthwhile investment. It has increased my efficiency and motivation, and I saw pretty good results last term. With our lifestyle changing in the midst of the pandemic, I think it is a great time to shift to paperless in our academic life. Plus, it doesn’t hurt to find a new way of doing things to make our school lives slightly more enjoyable!