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Make paper documents searchable and never miss dates
Scan letters with your phone, store them in one Drive folder, and log key dates in a sheet with calendar reminders.
When to use it
Whenever important post arrives, plus a monthly review
Step by step
Scan with your phone
Use the scan option in the Google Drive app on Android or the Notes app on iPhone to turn letters into clear PDFs. Save them to a Drive folder called 'Paperwork inbox'.
Pull out the key details
Upload each new scan to your AI assistant with this prompt.
Prompt to copyFrom the attached letter, extract: sender organisation, date of the letter, what it's about (one sentence), any action I need to take, any deadline or renewal date, any amount of money mentioned, and a reference number (show only the last 4 characters). Output as one row: Date | Sender | Subject | Action | Deadline | Amount | Ref (last 4). Write 'none' where something isn't stated.Log it in a sheet
Paste the row into a Google Sheet called 'Paperwork log', then move the scan into the right folder with a clear name.
Add deadlines to your calendar
For every deadline, create a Google Calendar event a week before, with the scan's Drive link in the description.
Review monthly
Set a recurring monthly event to sort the Paperwork log by deadline and check nothing is overdue.
What you get
12/11/2026 | Northshire Council | Council tax bill for 2027 | Set up direct debit | 01/04/2027 | £1,842 | ...7731. Calendar: 'Council tax direct debit - due 1 Apr' on 25 March.
Tips
- Black out or crop full account numbers and dates of birth before uploading scans to an AI assistant.