Post it notes – they really are one of my most used office supplies!
I actually use post it notes for a variety of things around the house – and they are REALLY handy!
Whether its for work, or in the home, they can be found everywhere, and its not just because they are so handy, or that they can stick to things so you don’t lose them – its because they really can transform the way you work and make it easier.
Here are my favourite ways to use post it notes – some directly from my own life, and others things that I have picked up on my web travels – hope they give you some inspiration.
NB – some of these work really well when you are the type of person who likes to see everything (out of sight out of mind) – so if you are a visual or creative person then these are really worth looking at introducing to your home too.
Use 1 – For recurrent tasks in your diary
I’ve spoken about this in a previous post – but I love using small post it notes in my diary to organise my recurring tasks.
I was sick of looking at a different schedule for my daily/weekly tasks, and wanted to be able to see at a glance within my diary exactly what I needed to do each day – without having to rewrite everything (as that would have been tedious and I would have stopped within a few days most likely).
I still have a master copy of the schedules in my home file, as then anyone needing to know what has to be done can still find out – and my diary stays just for my personal information.
SO – I added a post it note to the bottom of each day of the week. I actually have two per day (one green and one yellow) – the green are work related tasks, and the yellow are home related chores.
I also have one at the start of each month, each fortnight, each season – as some jobs of course fall less frequently but still need to be done.
When I have done everything on the post it for that day, I simply re-stick it on the next day that it relates to – ready to start again – simple but Oh so effective!
Now, when I am scheduling appointments or work, I can see what days are already full – and I always try and ensure that the daily tasks don’t just get forgotten as thats when backlogs occur.
TIP – post its can also be used for things like dentist appointments, car services etc… – things that happen again and again, that you can simply move rather than have to write out again (and I add in phone numbers and other important details this way too so they are to hand)
Use 2 – TO DO list management
I found a great method on Pinterest a while ago, and the link back to the website it came from showed me in detail how to do it myself.
As with all these things – its really simple, but really effective.
I have a habit of writing things down – and use notepad and paper over the computer every time.
I’m an old fashioned girl at heart you see!
(and I don’t altogether trust that the computer won’t break at some point, leaving me list-less – don’t even get me started!)
ANYWAY!
I use paper and pen lists for most things, but the thing I struggle with is my TO DO list – as this is constantly changing.
Every day new things get added, and some get done so get taken off.
This is fine of course – but the neat freak inside me likes to have a neat TO DO list as often as is possible. Which means writing and rewriting it out a LOT!
This method means that I can write down all my tasks – split them over different categories, prioritise and schedule to my hearts content – but not have to write it down more than once.
And that – is why – its great!
TIP – It would be a great way to simply take tasks from my TO DO list directly and then stick on the day in my diary that I want to get them done – very interactive without the technology!
Use 3 – Project Board
This is a method I use daily, and is sort of related to the second use. This is because it is organising your TO DOs, just in a different way.
Whereas your TO DO list is a list of individual items, they may well be very high level things – and they will eventually need to be broken down into smaller tasks.
Having a project board for this works really well, as you can track each project you are working on, and break it down into smaller tasks that can be taken off when completed (or as I like to do, add to a “completed” section at the bottom of the board so I can see how far I’ve gone with projects each week).
Let me tell you a story….
Years ago (around 2003) I used it in my corporate job to track my teams work.
The work was lots of tests within a piece of software, and each had to be completed – where it either failed or passed.
I had a different colour of post it per person, and then allocated tests to each one each day. They then worked through what was on the board, moving any that passed into the completed column, and any that failed were put in the RE-DO column.
This was a fantastic way of everyone keeping track of what needed to be done, was easy for my boss to be able to see where we were at without having to take me away from what I was doing each day, and it also helped with motivation as the team wanted to get more done each week and it started to become a mini competition.
In this way it would equally work for household delegation of jobs, where you had tasks for each person, and you could see at a glance what was needed to be done. You could also add rewards for finishing a task.
Use 4 – Dividers for notebooks / books
I love to read, and often find articles and ideas for this website or for my other work in the books I read.
However, I don’t always want (or can’t as they aren’t mine!) to write on them or fold the page over etc….. – so a great way I’ve used a lot is to simply add a post it note to the page and let it stick out at the top or the side a little.
I also add some words to the post it note so that I know what I was thinking when I bookmarked the page.
Great for when studying, or when reading cookbooks to mark recipes that you want to try etc….
Use 5 – Quick and easy shopping list
You can stick some post its to the back of your main food cupboards, and when you run out simply add that to the post it note. When you come to do a shop – or are going out to the shops, simply take the post its off the cupboard and you have a ready made list.
Use 6 – Daily TO DOs on the run
I use this trick a lot when I am having a day running around doing errands.
As I have a large diary then I don’t always want to carry this around, as I sometimes want a lighter and smaller bag with me – understandably.
This is fine, apart from the TO DOs that I need to remember when I am out and about.
So I simply write the TO DOs on a post it note and stick on the inside of my purse if I am out walking, or on the mirror on the visor of the car if I am driving.
That way the lists are easy to check, and I know that I won’t miss anything.