Post-It Possibilities

I’m presently preparing a presentation for a conference that will be held in May.  I’ve placed a large piece of chart paper on my wall and have begun attaching Post-It Notes, on which I’ve written points that I intend to make during my presentation.  Later, I’ll move and re-group these small points into larger groups that represent larger concepts.  As I wrote and re-grouped, I became more aware of how easy the Post-It Notes made this process.  I also began to think how indispensable these little colored pieces of paper have become to my productivity.  Here is a few ways that I’ve been using them:

• Planning points and sub-points in presentations
• Bookmarks
• Posting goals on my bathroom mirror so I’ll see them everyday
• Creating seating charts on clipboards
• Scheduling teachers and classes
• Masking off completed areas of paper forms before copying to create a new “master”
• Labeling desk areas for sorting stacks of paper (File, Action, Refer, Trash, etc.)
• Writing Hall Passes that stick to clothing
• Leaving notes on doors of parents whom I’ve missed during home visits
• Writing next actions on the paperwork that constitutes my current project so I don’t have to start all over or try to remember where I was.

These ubiquitous small yellow, blue, and pink papers have become essential in my daily professional life.  What “tool” has become essential in your professional life?

Comments

[B. Jones]

I use www.protopage.com as sort of an online version of Post-Its. Of course sometimes it's better to have a tangible setup, but Protopage's benefits are great.

No cost, customizeable colors and backgrounds, HTML support, RSS feeds, search boxes, built-in calendar, multiple pages, accessible from anywhere, etc. It's been really useful.

(note: I don't work for these people, I just enjoy their product and have used it in a similar manner as the post-its in the above post)

[Matthew Cornell]

I've been reading this book, which you may find useful:

Rapid Problem Solving with Post-It Notes
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1555611427/qid=1138049723/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-5618779-6170439?s=books&v=glance&n=283155