Pretty much every office in the world has these little sticky papers. You probably even have your own little stack nearby, right as you’re reading this! They keep us organized, on task, and up to date.
Post-it notes are addicting. They’re fun and childlike, and it’s because they’re a little game. You write your note, and then you get to peel off each little square of paper. Not only that, but they STICK to something. What’s not to love? Kids love Post-it Notes, so do adults!
Post-it Notes have shaped the way we communicate. Think about their small size. You’ve got a limited little space to communicate a thought, note, idea, or memo. Are they the precursors to Twitter’s 140 character limit, perhaps?
If you need to create a fast and agile to-do list, these little canary-yellow flags might be your best choice. Each Post-it Note is a task, and when all the tasks are lined up neatly on the wall, it’s easy to see how much work you’ve got in front of you. When you’re done, throw it out. Need to move it to tomorrow? MOVE it to tomorrow! You’ll be amazed at how much fun it is to get stuff done.
Katie,
would love to have a larger picture of your guys’ post it note wall…
The more post-it notes you have on your wall/laptop/desk, the less efficient they are. At least this is from my experience.
Unfortunately, post-its are nowadays used everywhere, even in the development of a work breakdown structure (they are discussed in this article). Again, 1 or 2 post its is OK, more than that and you’re asking for trouble!
Jason, you should just come down here, dude. Let’s do lunch.
PM Hut: We’ve been using a specific, disciplined system (Hinge) for Post-it Notes quite some time, and it works beautifully. The problem isn’t with the note itself, it’s with using them haphazardly.
We’ve tried dozens of online project management and task-tracking services, and none of them have worked as well as Hinge does for us.
Nice article. I wonder if you would share the principles of HINGE. Do you simply use for project management and use separate CRM and Financing systems, and if so how do you ensure something is not lost/overlooked?
I’ve looked at many PM packages out there and tried half a dozen or so – not one of them does what we want! Currently we are a mix of post its, studiometry, google mail, etc etc etc!
Thanks for the post guys :)
AB
Yes! We have some ideas for how to share HINGE, so keep in touch with us for some details. We’ve had several requests recently, so we’re working on putting together something that illustrates our process. To answer your other question, yes we have separate CRM and financing systems, and making sure that something isn’t lost or overlooked (at least on my end) is all a part of my general calendar. Thank you for reaching out to us!
If you like using sticky notes, check out nxtnote.com. They did some work for us with their system based on sticky notes. This bit of technology really improves the process from brainstorming to action plan. -JB
We often use Post-it notes in our naming process and in our strategy workshops. It’s a great way to allow everyone access to contribute ideas, thoughts and in our case brand name ideas. After a week of briefing we have a whole window full of sticky notes with potential brand names. You can see where I’m going with this. Go Post-it notes!