I’m the MD of Comms Express and have worked in the IT industry for more years then I’d care to remember. For every one of those years, I’ve seen innovation after innovation. The industry I joined all those summers ago has changed immeasurably.
These changes for the most have been for the good. One can only imagine turning back the clock and returning to the days of yore. No internet, no PC, no iPad and no smartphone. Heaven forbid.
However for all of these fantastic achievements I’m not ready to give up a mainstay of my working day. More than any other this trusty companion helps me keep abreast of all that I like to achieve in any giving day. Flashes of inspiration are sketched quickly and ready to pass among the Comms Express team. Thoughts, often random, adorn my desk. A patchwork quilt of ideas some ready to be knitted into a form and some abandoned. No thought is discarded however until scribbled down.
Messages from home. To do lists that dare not be forgotten. Phone numbers. All make up a rainbow pattern.
What is this trusty companion I speak so fondly of? It is the Post-it note of course! This re-adherable piece of paper is a mainstay to my day at work. I’ve no penchant for a particular colour, the louder the better, plenty of colour choice means that the latest message will stand out amongst the cacophony of colour already dispatched on my normally clean desk.
Both the standard size and also the thin strips both play a huge part in the successful running of Comms Express. Rather bizarre you may think that such a simple and non-tech tool could have such an impact on the day-to-day running of my company. For me it is the immediacy of the Post-it note that is the key to its success. The Post-it note and the tech run seamlessly together. Like brothers from a different mother, their simpatico is key. A quick note is eventually transferred to my PC or iPad once it’s passed the 24 hours test. I.E. if it’s still on my desk it could be a stayer.
But what of the Post-it note. How did it come into being? Well, I’ve done a little digging and pieced together the story for you.
In 1968 Dr Art Fry, a scientist for 3M, Spencer Silver was working on a formula for a reusable adhesive. However, the glue didn’t appear to be strong enough. It wasn’t until 1974 Art Fry a colleague at 3M understood the benefits that the Post-it began its embryonic journey. After a few false starts, in 1981 the trusty Post-it note was launched. The original colour of yellow was also a happy accident, yellow scrap paper was to hand during the development and that was the first colour upon its launch.
So my old school vote goes to the Post-it note and Messers Fry and Silver.
