When a product is successful for decades, it’s not by accident. First brought to market in the 1970s, Post-it Notes have been hugely successful and can be found in nearly every office—as well as plenty of homes. With that said, you may not find that you are getting the most possible value out of them. If you don’t have a plan, you can simply end up with a scattered collection of random notes, making it difficult to get things done. To help you make better use of this valuable tool, here’s a guide on how to use Post-it Notes to organize.
One Note, One Item
For starters, consider using each note for just a single, actionable task that you need to get done within a specific period of time. For instance, if you need to send an email to someone by the end of the day, you could write that task on a note and place it somewhere prominent on your desk. If you were to crowd that note with five or six different tasks, none of those tasks may get the attention it deserves. Work through your to-do list one at a time this way, and pretty soon you may find that everything has been wrapped up successfully.
Attach Colors to Tasks
Like most people, you probably have an assortment of different tasks that you need to complete during the day, and those tasks probably fall into a few different categories. To keep things neatly organized and to help you be more productive, try this post it note organization system: use specific colored sticky notes to correlate with specific tasks.
For example, you could use one color for emails you need to answer and another color for meetings that you are going to attend. Fortunately, Post-It Notes are available in a wide array of colors, so you should have no problem assigning one shade to each of your task categories.
It’s okay if you aren’t able to organize all of your tasks into specific categories at first. That job might be a little more difficult than you expect. Instead, work on developing this habit gradually, writing down different ideas for categories as you go. When you start to pay attention to the types of tasks you seem to repeat over and over, you can make a category and start to get those jobs under control with your color-based sticky note organization. It may take a few days, or even weeks, to build the habit—but you should be able to settle into a system that works for you.
Find A Spot
While sticky notes are a great organizational tool, it’s not exactly ideal to have them scattered all across your desk throughout the workday. They may cover up other important items, or they may just make your workspace feel cluttered and make it hard for you to relax. To avoid this outcome, you need to have a space which is dedicated to the use of Post-It Notes.
This might be one side of your desk where you don’t usually need the workspace for anything else, or it may be a file stand near your computer screen. Whatever the case for you, find a spot where your Post-It Notes can land, and stick with that spot day after day.
Immediate Removal
One of the keys to learning how to use Post-It Notes for organization is to get rid of old notes as soon as the task written on the note has been completed. Keeping old notes around is only going to confuse you, and you’ll quickly wind up with more of them on your desk than you can manage.
If, for some reason, you would like to keep the old notes as a way of tracking what you have been doing, or for some other purpose, you could find a spot to store them away. Pick a drawer where they can be stacked neatly, or find a small container to hold them.
It’s up to you to figure out what you would like to do with the sticky notes that have been successfully completed. Just be sure not to leave them out in your workspace where they can distract you from moving forward.
Inform Others of Your System
If you work in an office with other people, it’s a good idea to show them your Post-It Note organization system and explain how you keep track of your notes. That way, when they need to ask you to do something and you aren’t around, they may be able to leave you a note and organize in a way that fits within your system. Or, if you are out of the office for a few days and they need to find something that you are working on, understanding your organization system could be a big help.
Also, by showing others how you are getting organized with Post-It Notes, you might be able to encourage them to do the same. This is particularly powerful if you are a manager or business owner and you have employees to train and help improve. Organizational skills are lacking among many workers, and helping your team take a step forward in this area could benefit your business as a whole.
Whether your employees decide to use Post-It Notes or some other method to get organized, setting a good example is smart. When someone at or near the top places a priority on being organized, that is going to signal to others that organization is something which is valued in the business.
Get Organized With For My Desk
Now that you have plenty of ideas for how you can use Post-It Notes to work toward a more organized life, it’s time to make sure you have enough on hand to get started. For My Desk carries a big selection of sticky note options, so please feel free to browse our pages and pick out the products that suit your needs. We also carry a wide range of other items that can help you improve your organization. Thank you for taking the time to visit our blog, and we look forward to serving you!