MY LIFEHACKS #1

OVER 15 YEARS AGO, I got chatting with Paul Billington about design ideas and lifehacks, and he told me that he always carried with him a small pencil from Ikea, or one of those small pens from the bookies, and one of those small square Post-It Note pads.

This was genius to me.

I was so convinced that I immediately started this habit, and have thanked him ever since.

My pen is a Fisher Silver Bullet Space Pen – one that is small (94mm) but good quality; it doesn’t feel cheap. It’s always in my right side trouser pocket. Always. It has a great form factor or fiddle-with quality — that in itself is a bonus de-stress device.  This pen writes underwater, upside down and onto surfaces that are no good with ordinary everyday pens.

I don’t feel right without this pen, and I have lost a couple over the years. Those periods without having my pen on me are so weird – and very short due to my impatience to return to normality.

The partner  to the Silver Bullet is the square Post-it pad. Butternut is the colour apparently. These are brilliant, and the sticky section makes then far better than diaries or bound notepads like Filofaxes.  Brand new pads are too thick to carry around, so I usually pull off a thinner pack.

So what do I do with this pen and paper combo? — Well, really, the question is what would I do without them on me at all times. I have walked around, snagging jobs, scribbling notes and comments and sticking them right where the problem is. I have even decorated houses in Sweden by sticking notes about colours to paint walls, and other instructions.

In traffic incidents, I have left notes on windscreens. If I visit someone who is out, I leave a sticky message saying I called. Notes to neighbours, memos to the self. I take orders for drinks (and food) at bars and restaurants. Really, this is so useful – I’ve even scribbled “Out of Order” for things I come across, just to help the next guy along.

I developed a system at work for recording jobs and tasks allocated to people. These could be unstuck and repositioned to reflect urgency and priority.  I have used the wall behind my desk, and I have used an A4 sized notepad to stick in tasks, notes and messages – and rearrange them as I wish.

At home I carried on with this office notepad system, such that if I post a  note to remind me of a refund I am expecting (for example), I can unstick and carry it forward each day and onto each page until the matter is resolved. I don’t always throw them away – just score through to show they are resolved. I have notebooks full of them as a record.

My habit is to date the note at the top with a completed date on bottom. I have experimented with different coloured post-its in the office, but ended up with different coloured pens. It has helped me keep track of the schedules of my children and when bills are due. It is such a simple and easy way to get organised.

These days I use a lot of features and apps on my phone and other devices – but I still have to rely a lot on my pen and post it system.

Everyone knows I always have them on me, especially my children – who have always loved drawing little pictures when bored.

Everyday I thank Paul for this idea that really did change my life for the better.

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