Handy, or what? (3M Post-it Note Pads)

Member Name: thespurs

Product:	3M Post-it Note Pads
Date:	16/01/06 (533 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Versatile, Long-Lasting, Handy

Disadvantages: Not Cheap

-Introduction-

Post-it notes are one of those inventions that most people will have come across by now and they will all have had some use for them. They have now been around for 25 years, 3M are celebrating the 25th anniversary of the humble Post-it note. In its time it has become widely respected on a global scale and enjoys massive annual sales. I have made the most out of Post-it notes since I first came across them and they have been vital in my remembering of important daily tasks for the past few years.


-What is a Post-it note?-

The Post-it note is now available in so many different sizes, colours and denominations that giving an exact definition isn't easy. The most common Post-it note are those that are about 3 inch by 3 inch squares. They come in pads of about 100 sheets. Each sheet has a small strip of special semi-adhesive glue across the top, on the back. It holds the pad together, but once the individual sheet is torn away from the pad it can be applied to almost any surface. It will stick to wood, paper, glass, metal, plastic and pottery/crockery etc.

They are very versatile and are used by many people for different purposes. The main use of a Post-it note, is to serve as a reminder or a hint for someone. They will note down important things that need to be done, write down a phone number for future reference or even parts of a shopping list.


-History-

The Post-it note came into being more by chance than anything else. A man named Dr Spence Silver was assigned by his company 3M to research new acrylate adhesives for their vast range of sticky tapes. In the process of doing so, he found something that was quite different and seemed to offer a lot of potential. The glue substance would take the form of thousands of tiny circles. They couldn't be dissolved or melted in anyway which seemed odd. Each particle was very sticky on its own and that was a great plus point. Dr Silver now needed a use and a purpose for his notes and this came in the form of Art Fry. Again, purely by chance Art Fry stumbled across a use for the newly discovered adhesive. Art was annoyed that his bookmarks kept falling out of his hymn book in church and he thought of a sticky book mark that could be easily removed and reattached, without leaving a mark. This was the start of the Post-it phenomenon and many products sprung from the single book mark like Post-it note.


-In the Office-

They are used in the office to make note of the many tasks that people may have to complete and to store information in an easy way. I have seen my brothers use them in their office and the Post-it note is integral to enabling to get everything done. If they take a call, the use a Post-it to note down all of the details and they then 'queue it up'. They have a system whereby the very latest note goes at the far end and that will be the last in line for being dealt with. Using Post-it notes gives you quick and easy access to vital parts of information and once you have dealt with it you can simply discard it and move on to the next.

There won't be too many offices where you don't find Post-it notes. I think that they are great tools for staying organised and keeping on top of things. I would say that in some cases, it can look messy if you have lots of notes scattered around the place and you can look very unorganised. Some people don't arrange themselves and put each Post-it in the relevant place and it can then take a while to find them. The thing that I find with Post-it notes is that they all look the same and if you have hundreds of them it may be difficult to find the relevant one. In the office environment, I feel that a Post-it note is an indispensable tool in keeping organised and up to date. It is a fantastic invention that has changed office life in many ways.


-In the Home-

The Post-it Note may be used in the home for many things such as shopping lists on the front of the fridge or for little reminders of things that need doing around the house. Again, using my brother as an example, he has a 'to do' wall. He makes notes of all of the things that he needs to do including anything from booking a dentist appointment to remembering when to renew his Travelcard. It is by his front door so he can have a quick look every day before he goes out and has a snapshot of things he needs to do. We have a set of Post-it Notes that we write things down on that we need from the supermarket. The most common place for posting these is on the fridge, because they then get noticed easily. It is such an easy way of remembering what to do and you can add and remove the Post-its with ease.

I have used them for revision in the past, noting down key words and sticking them to walls all round the house. It is on advice that teachers have given me that I have started to do this. They have suggested to the whole class that having various key or trigger words for particular subjects spread around the house, means that you can learn more. They are always in your face and you can't help but think about the word and what it means. They should trigger off certain things in your brain and it will show you how much you know and what you need to learn. I have found this to be a great revision tool and the Post-it notes are a great part of it. They can be applied to the wall without damaging the paintwork or leaving a mark. If I was to use paper and Sellotape, the paint would get damaged and Dad would go mad. It also allows you to move them around easily and this can be good to just to get a different perspective.


-Product Range-

As I have already mentioned, there are numerous different types of Post-it notes and similar products now available. The standard size note that I have mentioned (about 7.5 x 7.5 cm) is still the most widely available and used size. They come in the traditional yellow colour, blue, pink, lime green, purple and orange. They come in pads of 100 and they are sold in packs of 12. The standard yellow ones cost £9.99 and the other colours £10.49 from Staples for the first two packs that you buy. The price comes down if you purchase more. They can be found at euroffice.co.uk for £8.59 per 1200 which is great value.

There are various other products available in the range, including the rectangular Post-it Notes that are about double the width of the normal size. These cost £11.59 for a pack of 12 x 100 sheets at euroffice.co.uk. I recently purchased a set of 2 x 2 inch notes that are really funky and have been very handy in organising various files that I have. They can also be purchased in the shape of arrows, hearts and speech bubbles and I think that they look rather funky. We tend to use the speech bubble shaped Post-its and these cost £2.19 per 225 sheets at euroffice.co.uk and each set includes three different colours. This can be helpful as you can allocate each colour for a certain area e.g. shopping, housework and banking for example. You can also buy Post-it flags. These are used for filing and they mark certain pages so that you can easily get to them. There are also various dispensers and holders available, these are mainly aimed at people working at desks who need easy access to their notes and flags.


-Conclusion-

All in all, the Post-it note is one of those most helpful inventions that many people can use to their great advantage. I think that the innovation that took place between 25 and 30 years ago to give us what we have now was fantastic and it has produced many benefits. I can't recommend it enough to people, although I would suspect that many people will have already used them in their lifetime and come to a decision as to whether they like them. If by chance you haven't used them yet, then I would recommend that you give them a go and see. They can be seen as expensive by some people, but if you use them purposefully then they will seem like good value in the long run. There isn't really too much to say aside from the fact that these are a wonderful tool for keep on top of all of the things that you may need to do.

Summary: Found in any good office