Actually, the Rapid Solving book is a pretty good one. I just graduated with my M.A. in Critical & Creative Thinking at UMass Boston and it was a technique that was used in several classes on multiple projects. The professors really latched onto it. It’s a very handy way of brainstorming and organizing ideas.

Another tip: Post it notes are also excellent if you are scheduling an event of some kind and have multiple sessions/speakers going on.

Use a white board or big post-it sheets on the wall to mark out the calendar structure (day or week). Then use regular size post-its to mark out each session or speaker. Place them on the calendar so you can easily see and re-order as needed. This allows you to see the big picture and to be able to make sure your topics/speakers won’t conflict with each other.

Right on!

My girlfriend just facilitated the scheduling of an academic year of lectures using a huge-ass piece of butcher-block paper and over 200 index cards.

It’s amazing how much easier the lo-fi route is for large, mungible, chaotic projects.

Oh, you’re going to enjoy the Rapid Problem Solving book - a few simple techniques for organizing thoughts, alone or in groups. The stuff can be done with index cards using pins or magnets, as well, which is my own preference, since post-its can really do fall off the wall pretty easily, and really can’t be used for long-term display, or ongoing changes. Project planning, storyboarding, laying out a writing material, braintstorming… lots of applications.

Personally, I am up to my eyeballs in packing to move house. I use color coded post-its for labels on boxes. One color for each room in the new place. I fold them in half and tape them to the edge(top meets front) of the box so one note is visible on both the top and front of the box. Post-its are a great way to label boxes because they can be easily removed to avoid future confusion when the box is reused.

I prefer to stick a stack of post-it notes in the back, and when I come across a section I want to take notes on I take a post-it and slap on the page. I prefer to use the really small post-its as they tend to be sufficient for a single page of a book.

I also use the orientation of the post-it for extra bits of information. If I want to mark an interesting quote, I “underline” the quote horizontally with the sticky part of the note. If I want to mark an interesting section, I align the sticky part of the post-it vertically in the margin.

This makes it pretty easy later on to find quotes that I liked, as I just have to look at pages with post-its on them, and the location+orientation of the note tells me what I found interesting.

To quote my first contribution to the wiki:

Note that Post-It adhesive leaves a residue and is also acidic. If your Moleskine is for daily use, you may not care, but if you are using it as a diary or long term sketchbook, you want to avoid the use of Post-It or similar temporary adhesive products. Reference: http://orpheus.ucsd.edu/preservation/postits.html

Obviously, for most books it doesn’t matter whatsoever. But it is worth knowing for those few books that are valuable or otherwise long term items. I use post its all the time… but I now avoid putting any on or in my collection of golden age pulp magazines and other collectables.

Here’s one if you’re a student: If while reading your textbook at home or in the library and you don’t quite understand something, write your question on a Post-It and stick it in to whatever you’ll likely to bring with you into class. When you get an answer, scrumple up the Post-It. Particularly suited to Science subjects where the answer will be ‘Because of X’, not ‘Well, how does it make you feel?’ as it would be in, say, English Lit.

I have post-its (and pens) stationed all over the house so that whenever I remember something I need to do or have an idea, I don’t have to interrupt what I’m doing to go put a note in my inbox. When I finish what I’m doing I take my post-its with me and stick them in my inbox. Works especially well in the kitchen for generating shopping lists.

I’ve got a flap on the inside of my wallet where I slap a PostIt Note any time I need to remember to call someone or to pick up items from the store on my way home. Incredibly low tech, but it works for me!

—jason

On the subject of Post-Its, Rake Magazine, a Twin Cities-based free monthly, did their cover article this month on the history, the man, and the social impact behind those little yellow notes. A really good read: http://rakemag.com/features/detail.asp?catID=61&itemID=20620

Post-Its are good in a lot of places that index cards also work. Last year, I was given a really large project where each sub-area was a project on its own, but with horrible interdependencies. As I realized this, I finally wrote each sub-project on a Post-It, stuck them on a whiteboard, and created “generations” of dependencies: the left-most column had no depednecies, the next column depended on the left column, the next depended on a combination of the first two, etc. Then I was able to draw on the whiteboard itself to detail the relationships. This made explaining matters to management much more straightforward. I could have done it with index cards but they have a tendency to not stay in one spot on a desk as you’re moving their neighbors around.

Just a thought - Having not read the Rapid Problem Soving book (and having only glanced through the pages that Amazon makes available), it seems that the techniques noted for Post-Its might also work well with some software applications, such as Tinderbox or Curio. This might be a good way for those that want to go the virtual route (though there is still something to be said for kinetic involvement in thought process).

Taking off from the Hipster PDA, I call sticky notes my Hipster IMs! I now keep a bunch stuck inside my planner for personal reminders or to hand out. Here’s another tip - I taped a few library pockets to the inside covers of my planner as well - good for holding stuff (just watch out for small stuff falling down into the bottom of the pocket!).

Two good post-it applications from people more famous than me:

I read an interview with Martin Scorsese where he said he got his best ideas at night. He would wander around his house with a pad of post-it notes. When he got an idea, he’d write it down and slap it on the wall. In the morning, he’d pull down the post-its and start writing.

My results- interesting way to brainstorm while in procrastination mode. I often tell myself I either have to write or clean the house. Post-its on the wall is a good way to get ideas down while cleaning.

Mystery novelist Jane Langton does her outlines with post-it notes - the tiny ones, mostly. She tacks a long piece of butcher paper (the kind they sell in rolls at Staples) on the wall and sticks the post-its to that. She is also an artist, so she includes little pictures of scenes and such. She likes the paper because she can move the post its around as much as she likes, and the project storyboard can be rolled up and archived or moved to another workplace. (Note: make sure sticky edge of post-it faces the direction the paper will be rolled in.)

My results - when working on a project with an outline/timeline, this is a good method. You can also draw horizontal lines on the paper for team members, completion stages, etc. and move the post-its back and forth between them.

The Post-It note book is better than I expected; it’s kind of a distillation of a lot of different “visual thinking” techniques, arranged around a particular tool. It seems to map well to index cards, especially if done on a horizontal surface, like a worktable …or the floor. :)

Not to knock it, exactly, but I was disappointed with the book Rapid Problem Solving with Post-it Notes. Perhaps having recently The Mind Map Book, and having recently played with both “Personal Brain” and “Free Mind” software set my expectations unreasonably high. I thought networked maps got short-changed while undue attention was paid to hierarchical tree shapes and sorting.

Post-It Notes are great for capturing and communicating thoughts and ideas, for yourself or in collaboration with others. But there are so many good ideas in the earlier comments that I wanted to contribute a slightly different use of Post-It Notes: Whenever I drill a hole in a wall, I fold a Post-It and attach it to the wall directly below the drilling area. The adhesive connects with the wall and the rest of the note forms a little horisontal “shelf”. When I drill the hole, the dust collects on the shelf. Just fold up the Post-It with the dust inside and bin it. No need to bring out the vacuum cleaner for a drilling job again.

Post it Notes are the same size as 3x5 cards. I peel off about 12, stick them to an index card, and add that to my Hipster PDA. Works wonderfully for always having a post-it.

I’ve been waiting for the obsession to progress from index cards to sticky notes. And now Fred comes up with an idea to combine the technologies. Two great tastes that taste great together!

I use 3 sizes of post-its, the index card size, the square ones and the small square versions.

I have put a few of these each into my moleskines. On the backpages where there’s also the address booklet/foldout flap, you can stick the index card size to the address booklet’s cover. On the opposite side i have put the square ones and above these snuggly fit two times the smaller ones….

I use the square ones for smaller daily to do lists that i can easily stick on the outside of my moleskine with the non-sticky side facing the elastic binder, so it wont come off…

The indexcard size is good for bigger notes etc while the smallest are good for handing out contact details etc.

Aha - I was wondering if I was the only one to think “Hipster PDA? Sounds a lot like a pad of Post-its to me”. Specially with the advent of Super-Sticky Post-its.

Like a 3x5 but can be stuck in books, or on the outside of my briefcase, or on the edge of a shelf above my desk, or …

Ha ha, Jeremy. Yes, I sort of agree. I started using the “hipster pda” for club business (pres. of club @ school) and for class reminders and work reminders.

The problem was I never looked at them. Post-its can go anywhere. In my binder, on my wall, in my clairefontaine (yes, I know, not a moleskine). I have a system that works perfectly: see-it —> do it!

I used to use knotes on my computer. I believe there is a sticky note program for the Mac as well. It was nice having multiple desktops as well as notes to let me know what I had to do. I had one for projects I was working on, one for phone numbers I just received, etc.

I’ll definitely look into getting some real Post-Its for non-computer notes I make.

Just wanted to share how we used to refer to post-its long ago: they were called FLYNs, which stood for “f*ng little yellow notes”.

One time I slapped an “out of order” Post-It® note on the glass of the vending machine at work. Someone then moved my note directly over the coin slot and told me that a Post-It® note should be used to deliver a message to the precise location where it will have the greatest effectiveness.

GH

I love using Post-it notes to organize my articles and presentations, writing down keywords on individual notes and rearranging them until they make sense. I like using thin strips for keywords and larger notes for storyboards. I like being able to see everything at a glance and rearrange things without having to navigate using a keyboard or a mouse. Post-it notes are a great way to put together impromptu presentations, too. Just stick them onto the back of a folder and peel them off as you discuss the points; that way, you don’t forget to discuss anything. Great stuff! I should add a pack to my Geek Survival Kit (a pack of 3x5 index cards and a black gel pen).

I love Post-it(r) notes.

I found a great, simple use for the Super Sticky variety while packing for a recent trip. There are always things that have to go in various bags at the last minute, whether it’s a clothing item still in the dryer or something you have yet to pick up at the store, etc. Just slap on a Post-it(r) note telling you what items still need to be packed in a particular suitcase, laptop case, etc.

Hi! I just found your site via a random, random, random linkage and saw this post. Thought you might get a kick out of this scrapbook layout I did:

http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/pg.asp?cmd=display&layout_id=538836

Yeah, I think we’re both probably demented yet brilliant. :)

Peter Davidson’s comment reminded me of my last move. I used sheets of Avery permanent labels, the kind that go through a laser printer. I printed my name and contact info on the labels, in case the box got lost (or in case the moving company mixed it up with someone else’s stuff). The labels were color-coded by room, of course. It worked very well.

RE post-its: I do the same thing Phil Gyford does and highly recommend it. Also, I like to put a 3x5 post-it in the front of my notebook. I position the post-it so it’s taller than it is wide, and then I use it to make my tasklist. Must as I love my Treo, I find this post-it system works better as a tasklist.

Which reminds me: Anyone know of useful pre-printed post-its? Best ones I’ve found are Russell & Hazel’s. They have a To-Do list: http://store.yahoo.com/russellandhazel/rhponotodose.html

and a post-it with a “Date Bar” on the left. Great for time-sensitive tasks: write the task on the post it and circle the due date on the left. http://store.yahoo.com/russellandhazel/rhpostitnotes.html

I’d love to know about other pre-printed post-its folks find useful!

I’ve been meaning to order some of these:

TO DO TAMER stickies http://www.juliemorgenstern.com/webstore.html#tamer