I’m Doing This Weird New Thing With Sticky Notes
Posted on Feb 9, 2011 in Productivity | 9 comments
Organization is my addiction, especially in my office. Getting work done in a disorganized office just isn’t going to happen for me. In fact, when Kristin King wrote about her Dirty Little Office Secret on Inkthinker, I was both shocked at the existence of her pile and impressed that she got even one line of work done with it sitting next to her.
Finding a task management system has been the Holy Grail of my freelance business. I’ve tried everything from Remember the Milk to ManyMoon. I even tried this new one, Apollo, that seemed so promising I watched my email for an hour waiting for the invite. But in the end, it had the same problem: too complicated for what I want and missing the little things that I need to function. (Apollo is still young though and I’m watching the development to see where it goes. There are some interesting things in the works.)
So I always slink back to Google Tasks, even though it kinda sucks. Maybe they’ll finish all those improvements they’ve been promising me since before Christmas some day soon. Until then it’s an awkward system at best.
But a couple of weeks ago, I whipped out these tiny sticky notes I bought ages ago and started writing my tasks for the day on them. Then I stuck them to surface of my desk next to my laptop. As the day goes on and I finish a task, I rip it off and crumple it up. For some reason, that is the most satisfying crumple I’ve ever completed. I’ve also noticed I’m more productive when I can switch between tasks after long blocks of times. So if I’m halfway through a long article and I need to do something to break it up, I can break up the monotony by completing a quick task. And since the sticky notes keep disappearing, there is a visual confirmation that I’m getting stuff done. For now, the stick notes are working and I’m surprised that something so simple can make me feel so productive and organized.
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Sticky notes on the WALL I could do. Sticky notes on the surface of my desk, though, would drive me batty! I guess one freelancer's sticky notes is another freelancer's pile.
I'm with Kristen on the Sticky notes on the desk. I need the space to keep my notepad handy.
Instead, I have a small white board put up on the wall next to me which has sticky notes on it.
Sticky notes are great because you can just let your brain relax..your project is there on the note and you'll see it if you glance over. You don't have to log in or check a site, the Sticky note is right in front of you. What could be more satisfying then chucking one in the trash after you've completed the use for it?
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I think that might be it. Because it's right in my face and being able to touch the notes makes me feel like I have control over them. Or, I'm just weird. Probably a little bit of both.
I used to do sticky notes, but they ended up being a list, so I switched to a notebook. I've toyed with Outlook and other PDA apps, but having to type things in seems to take more time than writing it down. Maybe I should invest in the tiny sticky notes and carry them in my notebook.
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I don't know about that but let me know how it works for you. But I had the same problem with the list. And for some reason, the list would grow instead of shrink. I think the reason the stickies are working for me (right now) is that the system is so simple.
By the way, I want to note that I of course didn't make this up. I think i read it somewhere like Lifehacker or something a long time ago. I had to. There's no way I just woke up one morning and thought "Sticky notes! That's the answer to my problems!" We'll see how long this lasts though.
I don't want to reach for the whiteboard, though. The notepad is on the other side of the laptop. I have no idea why I need to jot down notes all day but I do. Then when I look at them at the end of the day, I think "Did I really write that down?" Sometimes it's just stuff like "be better." Who needs a note to remind them of that? I do, I guess.
Way to kill earth Princess, way to kill earth.
Ha! I was waiting for that one because I did think about the paper I'm wasting. But then I remembered that I walk or take public transportation about 99% of the places I go so I think I've built up some Kill the Earth Credits. That's my story and I'm sticking (a note) to it.
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