Planning without a screen: pinboard, markers, and lists to keep the autumn organized
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by Verpakkingdeals.nl
7 min reading time
Three planning apps and yet the most important things are on a sticky note. Here's how to create a sustainable weekly overview with a small corkboard, three colors, and enough pens.
You have three planning apps, two shared calendars, and a to-do list that you don't even open in the morning anymore. And yet, the most important thing this week is on a sticky note on the side of your monitor. That's not a failure on your part, nor on the apps': paper has one property that software doesn't. It's there, whether you want it or not.
That will become noticeable from September: the school year is in full swing, orders are picking up, and weeks are coming where three things need to be done at once. A bulletin board and a handful of markers are then not nostalgia, but the quickest overview you can create.
Why a board still works and an app sometimes doesn't
The difference lies in visibility. You have to look up a task in an app; you come across a task on a board. This is especially true for work you share with a colleague or housemate: they don't open your app, but they do walk past the wall. Three situations where analog planning truly performs better:
Shared work in one place. A packing table, a kitchen, a counter. Everyone sees the same thing, no one has to log in.
Work with a physical sequence. Five orders that need to leave in a certain order go faster with five notes than with five lines on a screen.
Brainstorming at the beginning of the week. On paper, it's easier to cross out and move things than in a list that needs to stay neat.
And the opposite is also true: anything with a date far in the future, anything that needs a reminder, and anything you want to be able to access on the go, belongs in your calendar. Paper is for this week, not for next quarter.
The board: small and at the right height
A large, full board is unreadable; a small board forces you to choose. That's exactly the intention. A thirty-centimeter wide strip is enough for the five things that matter this week — the rest belongs elsewhere.
The Cork Pin Board LOVE 29x13 cm (€ 7.95) is such a size: wide enough for a row of notes next to each other, too small to become a collection point for old papers. Hang it at eye level where you do the work, not in the hallway. A board you only see when you walk past it, you won't read.
You need two types of pins: regular ones to attach notes, and a few striking ones to indicate what needs to be finished today. Boobie Thumbtacks - Funny Push Pins - 10 Pieces (€ 2.95) do that job perfectly and are immediately recognizable by their color as "this first". Choose for yourself if that model fits the space it hangs in — at home or behind the scenes is different from at a counter where customers come.
Where to hang it if you're not allowed to drill
In a rental home or shared space, this doesn't have to be a problem. Self-adhesive Hooks 6x6cm 10 Pieces (Sticker) (€ 5.95) support a light board perfectly. Two things determine if it stays put: a clean, grease-free surface and patience. Stick the hook, leave it alone for 24 hours, and only then hang something on it. Adhesive hooks don't adhere well to wallpaper, painted softboard, and rough plaster — there, a board belongs on a shelf or against a door.
Writing: one color is too little, five is too many
Color is not decoration, but information. Work with three: one for regular tasks, one for deadlines, and one for things that depend on someone else. More colors means you have to think about which one it is for each note, and then you won't use the system after two weeks.
For daily writing — lists, packing slips, notes during a phone call — you mainly need enough pens, distributed in the places where you work. One pen that's always lost costs more time than ten pens cost. Top Write Ballpoint Pens 10 pieces (€ 4.00) or the Topwrite Ballpoint Pens - 10 Piece Set (€ 2.00) are meant for this: put three by the door, three on your desk, and the rest where you forget them.
A weekly schedule you can stick to
The simplest system that works has three columns, and you don't need more:
This week. Maximum five notes. If it doesn't fit, it's next week.
Waiting for someone else. Everything you can't do anything about anymore. This column is why you know who to call on Friday.
Done. Move completed notes here instead of throwing them away, and throw them all away at the end of the week. It costs nothing and it's more pleasant than it seems.
Write one task on each note and put a verb in front of it: "call", "count", "send". A note with "Jansen" on it, no one will be able to place in three days, not even you.
For a shared workspace
If multiple people work in the same place, put initials on the notes and agree on who maintains the board. Not everyone, because then no one will do it.
The clutter around it
A board only works if the desk underneath is not cluttered. Therefore, give pens, a cutter, and your phone a fixed place so you don't have to search for them every time. A Desk Organizer with Phone Holder (€ 5.00) does that for little; if you want something more quirky, you can look at the Cassette Tape Desk Organizer with Tape Dispenser (€ 30.00), which immediately includes a roll of tape.
A loose roll of tape also disappears into a drawer; a roll in a dispenser stays where it belongs. A Tape Dispenser 17 x 7 x 7.2 cm (€ 6.00) with Scotch Crystal Tape 3M - 2 pieces (€ 6.00) is sufficient for that. Papers that belong together, you keep together with Staples 3000 pieces (€ 2.60) — a supply that will last you for years. And those who want to draw lines or tear off a strip of paper straight will find a Ruler 30cm (€ 4.00) useful.
Start small and let it grow
The biggest mistake with a new system is starting too big. A meter-long board, six colors, and nine compartments, no one can keep up with that. Start with one small board, three columns, and three colors, and see in two weeks what you actually use. If it works, expand with a second board at the packing table or in the kitchen. If it doesn't work, you've spent twelve euros and you know you're a screen person after all.
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