The humble post-it note is known the world over and has adorned many a textbook, work table, kitchen unit or computer through to featuring heavily in numerous works of art and having a digital incarnation created for your desktop. It is enduring in it's simple functional purpose and unrivalled as far as concept and execution are concerned. This is what has made it probably the second most iconic piece of stationary second only perhaps to the equally humble and ingeniously designed paper clip.

The post-it note came from auspicious beginnings, the sticking device being used initially for adhering a book mark to a hymnbook. The glue itself was developed in 1968 by a chemist at 3M, the manufacturer of the official 'post-it', and after at first garnering little interest was first applied by a fellow colleague in it's non-secular usage in 1974. It took until 1980 for the first release of the official branded 'post-it' note in the USA followed by Europe in 1981. The iconic yellow colour arrived due to a neighbouring lab having a surplus supply of scrap yellow paper. Now numerous colour options and sizes have become available but it is the 7x7 yellow post-it that endures. In the early 2000's they manufactured the super glue post-it that stuck even firmer but personally I have never had need to use it as the old fashioned post-it serves me well.

So what makes it so popular? The genius behind the post-it is it's simplicity and the fact it actually works. By having brightly coloured paper, these handy little notes are very easy to spot, even from a distance. They are the right size to be noticeable but not cumbersome. Being built into a block pad makes it easy to have alot with you in a very transportable size and they are easy to remove and use. Take one off and the remainder of the block remains pristine. Put it back and it's a different story, but this was never the intended purpose. The paper curls a little when away from it's block but remains firmly flat when applied to a flat surface and does not come off until it is physically removed or has been there for a very long time and the stick has worn.

The other enduring quality is that not only do they stick well, but they stick without leaving a mark and when they stick for the first time, they do so very well. I don't believe they are intended for reuse but even this is possible... Even if after a few uses they begin to lose their stick. It is also a very convenient way to quickly set yourself a reminder and it can be stuck to any surface. You can quickly and simply set yourself 10 reminders if you wish on any surface with the same result.

There is a fairly hefty downside to the post-it however and that would be that it promotes waste and a throw-away culture. Once used, they are discarded and they tend to be used so frivolously where other more environmentally friendly options might be available (chalk board anyone?). I have personally been guilty of a vast build up of small yellow notes in piles and have gasped at times at the sheer waste of convenience. Being a hoarder, I do tend to keep them in case that information may prove valuable to me at a later date (mostly for work with phone numbers, etc... Rather than the 'remember to buy milk' note!). Post-it do make notes now from recycled paper but I find these are not as readily available as the standard ones.

The post-it lost it's patent in the 90's so there is a flood of imitators around. The trademark still exists though so If you want the real deal, stick with post-it (pun intended). I have found the glue to still be better than with any of the competition... But maybe that's sentiment talking.

Use post-it, but use it wisely and not wastefully. Think of the environment.