This article talks about the burden of paperwork and the harm it does . It overlooks some things, though. * Paperwork, when made of actual paper, kills a lot of trees and thereby increases climate change. When done on computer, it uses rare-earth materials and electricity, which also increase climate change. * It doesn't just cause direct damage. It contributes to a pervasive feeling of helplessness, which increases the risk of traumatic stress; and makes people feel like they are not in control of their own lives, which undermines ethics. * Paperwork is a barrier. It prevents things from getting done. Occasionally this is good, but usually it is bad, and rarely is it done mindfully. Most of these effects are random. The more paperwork required, the less likely people will do something, or at least, admit to doing it. If the paperwork for marriage is onerous, fewer people will marry. If the paperwork for precise tax is onerous, people will use the simplified version and usually lose money. If the paperwork to accept food stamps is onerous, fewer stores will do so -- which reduces the point of getting them at all, something also lowered by onerous paperwork for stingy benefits. In other words, the more paperwork, the fewer things get done because people don't have the time, energy, or skill to get through that barrier, or they don't feel it's worth the trouble. * Paperwork routinely violates boundaries. The more you violate people's boundaries, the more problems that creates. As with sexual abuse, violating information boundaries has two typical outcomes: 1) The victim stops acting like boundaries are even a thing. 2) The victim becomes more aggressive in defending what little privacy is left. Both of these things undermine a functional society. This is especially true when people get tired of being violated and act to reduce further opportunities for harm by avoiding other people or activities that might attract attention. * Paperwork creates plentiful opportunities for abuse. Because it forces people to divulge things they don't want to share, it makes that information available to predators. Those who control paperwork can extort, harass, or otherwise harm those who need that paperwork done. It's very easy to destroy lives with paperwork in a bureaucracy that cares far more about rules than human beings. There is little in the article about how to reduce paperwork, so I'll offer some suggestions. Most businesses keep some, and these principles can be used there, even if the federal fiasco is harder to fix. * If you use paperwork, make sure people know they can ask for help if they have trouble with it. It is usually much easier to answer questions than try to fix errors after the fact. Do you have accommodations for people with sensory or mental differences, who speak a foreign language, etc.? If not, look into that before you need it so it doesn't bog down a whole meeting. * Never put anything on a form that you don't absolutely need to use. Are you going to look at a client's crotch? If not, you don't need to know their sex/gender. Benefits: fewer opportunities for discrimination, which means fewer opportunities for lawsuits, and a lot of saved time by making forms shorter. * Do not keep paperwork past its point of usefulness. Recycle whatever it's on. This minimizes opportunities for abuse and reduces waste. * Use the barrier effect mindfully. Anything you want to encourage should have little or no paperwork attached. Anything you want to discourage should have more. Frex, a city could pre-approve several designs for affordable housing and thereby streamline the process of approval for building it because the blueprints are already done. Building a McMansion would require getting approval for each individual blueprint. Do you want people to exercise more? Don't require them to fill out a ton of forms, get a doctor's permission, etc. Provide ample opportunities where they can just do stuff as they please, and it will happen more. Do you want to discourage junk food? Require more paperwork to install a vending machine that sells junk, or for a fast food restaurant, than those which sell healthy things. * Challenge bad paperwork. One person arguing about it won't do much good. But the more people who complain about it, the more likely it will change, because businesses cannot afford to waste time like that. Is there a complaint box, or an online service tracking satisfaction? Penalize them with bad reviews. Some companies have concrete penalties if their approval rating drops too far. * Compare examples. Often, all the businesses in a field are using the same abusive practices, so your choices are to be abused or to do without. However, sometimes you'll find that one business does not use onerous paperwork while others do. Reward them with your money and word of mouth advertising. * Boycotts. If the thing requiring paperwork is not essential, do without it, and tell people why. If they lose enough customers, they may reconsider their paperwork. * Competition. Where paperwork is not mandated, but is chosen by those creating it, you can often outcompet those using burdensome barriers. People love things that are quick and easy, so you can market your goods or services based on that. * Sabotage. While some paperwork carries penalties if done wrong, a lot of it just sort of exists by rote and has no teeth attached. Fuck it up using methods that mimic natural mistakes, such as spelling words wrong or transposing digits. This works especially well online when websites demand filling out forms with information that won't be used, or when merely typing things gets a desired result regardless of what is typed (e.g. sites that require you to fill a form to access a download function, but don't actually backcheck that the information is valid). If enough people sabotaged paperwork, it would lose its value because it would become untrustworthy. * Class-action lawsuits are useful regarding paperwork because it always affects many people. This is probably the only thing the federal government will notice, and it requires resources that aren't always available. It can be very powerful if you do it, and at least the burden is spread over multiple people. Remember that any problem entirely made by people can be solved by people. Paperwork exists because people choose for it to exist. If enough people cease making that choice, it will disappear.