I am an absolute nerd about productivity. And I want to tell you about the biggest productivity hack I’ve discovered in the last couple years.
The best part about this productivity hack is that it might as well be free. I get my sticky notes from the dollar store and they last me at least a month.
So, that’s $1 per month to drastically improve my productivity? Sounds like a pretty awesome deal, right?
Here’s how it works.
How To Use Sticky Notes To Boost Productivity
Writing things down makes us more likely to accomplish things. I don’t know the science behind why. But I do know that it is a fact.
Note – this can also be done with 3×5 note cards which is how I started out using this hack, but I’ve found that using sticky notes and getting to remove a sticky note each time I accomplish a task has made the whole process far more rewarding.
How the Process Works
The process is simple. You write down different things you need to accomplish on a sticky note (one task per sticky note) then put the sticky notes up on the wall or somewhere prominent. For example, mine get stuck to a picture frame behind my computer monitor.
Each time you accomplish a task, you remove the sticky note and either throw it away or place it into a “Get Stuff Done” jar (my preference).
And that’s pretty much the process. I know, very easy.
One thing to mention here is, do your best to break the item down into it’s smallest possible component. The smaller the task, the more likely you’ll get it done. I’ve discussed this at length in a different article called 5 minutes that I recommend reading if you’re wanting to give this productivity hack a try. This part is important, you want to be doing a lot of pulling sticky notes off the wall. It’s a psychological thing and it creates momentum and “little wins” which are critical here.
How the colors work
You probably noticed that the photo above has primarily 3 different colors. Blue, Yellow, Pink. Here’s how to use those colors to be more productive.
Blue
Blue represents items that are of low priority. These (for me) are things that I want to get done within the next 30 days or within the current month.
Yellow
Yellow is a little bit warmer of a color. I think about yellow as not critically important, but also not something I want to put off until the end of the month. So, yellow represents things that I want to get done within the week.
Red
As you can probably guess by now, Pink or Red represents an item that is important to get done that day. So anytime something pops into your head as something that needs done today but you can’t do it right now, that’s where this color sticky comes in.
How the Placement Works
As I mentioned before, these sticky notes need to be placed in a visible spot. Not in a closet. Not in a notebook. But on the wall somewhere near your desk or where you spend your work time.
For placement, I recommend a top-down approach. Put the blue on top, then yellow, then red. This is just my recommendation and what feels most natural to me. You can handle this however works best for you.
Now, I know you’re probably rolling your eyes thinking “Oh my goodness, this is so simple it’s stupid.”
And to that I would say, “You’re right! It’s so simple that it’s incredibly effective for boosting your productivity!” And once you get good at it, it really starts to help you map out your day, week, and month.
I know there are a million apps and websites that do this same thing but with “more functionality” and more “junk”. In today’s age, the real superpower is the ability to keep things simple and keep them effective. This productivity hack will allow you to do just that.
So there you have it. Now you know how $1 spent at your local dollar store can give you a full month’s worth of a productivity boost. I dare you to try this. It’s an amazing way to get more done, and I promise you it will make you more effective.