There are many inventions in this world, originally just to solve some small problems in life, as ordinary as a smear of mosquito blood on the wall. But someone accidentally used it in other places, and instead made it as essential as a cinnabar mole on the chest.
For example, the post-it post-it note, which was invented more than 40 years ago, was probably used to copy down temporary phone numbers and addresses for hotel guests; it was a guy with a poor memory who wanted to write down something anytime, anywhere; Or it was just a tool for the roommates living under the same roof to communicate with each other in the era when there was no WeChat.
Later, post-it notes became a must-have for everyone to travel at home and open a store. Because the blank has no presets, is small, can be pasted repeatedly, and is portable, the functions of post-it notes in most people’s work and life mainly include: memos, labels, notes, messages, etc.
Today’s people are not satisfied with taking it as a note, as long as they are given an unlimited amount of post-it notes, they can play with flowers.
1. Art collage
2. Gather ideas
3. Team Synchronization Kanban
Think like a post-it note.
Like all other tools, it’s not because of “it’s a stack of small pieces of paper that can be posted everywhere” that really makes Post-it notes widely used, but the teamwork thinking behind it.
1. Encourage every idea to be seen
In teamwork, every idea has value, and a single, seemingly meaningless post-it note may be the beginning of the next inspiration. When everyone’s seemingly unrestrained ideas gather into a “pool”, many unexpected ideas may be generated in the free combination. We don’t argue about right or wrong, but emphasize the possibility and creativity of all, so all ideas must be treated equally – written on a post-it note and placed in front of everyone.
2. Encourage visual systems thinking
When we are thinking, we sometimes construct a looming picture in our mind, and then tease it out into abstract words or words. Post-it notes provide a special thought carrier: you can write or draw on it, turning those unclear ideas into simple schematic diagrams. Arranging and combining post-it notes in front of your eyes is the visualization process of analyzing and synthesizing thinking.
3. Encourage concise, direct expression
When people discuss in language, in addition to expressing opinions related to the topic, they are often mixed with personal expectations, emotions and communication habits. With keyword-style post-it notes, your core ideas can be presented in the easiest way. This not only improves the clarity of ideas, reduces ambiguity, but also improves efficiency, presenting the largest number of ideas in the shortest time.
4. Encourage variability and flexibility in collaboration
In the process of collaboration, there will always be many changes that cannot keep up with the plan, so the ability to iterate quickly and adjust flexibly is very necessary. We need to change our thinking from complete, macroscopic to conditioning, modular. At this time, the small and reusable post-it notes become the “container” for this way of thinking. We use it to learn to reorganize, organize, and replace ideas on the fly, and the results of thinking can also show visible changes as the process goes on.
Simply put, post-it notes help us “think with our hands” through small pieces of paper, and change the process of thinking from closed, personal, and stream-of- consciousness to transparent, open, systematic, and focused. The focus is to reduce misunderstandings, so that the synchronization rate of teamwork will increase slowly.