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Learn the History of Post it Notes - The Invention and its Creative Uses

By Shreya PatroSeptember 19, 2022
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Post it Sticky Notes - Now Leave Your Message Creatively

For more than 40 years, the post it notes has aided individuals in increasing their productivity, improving their communication, and finding new, original ways to express themselves.

Even so, these items were far from definite in the beginning, despite how commonplace they now are. Humans have introduced many ways to communicate and place their message, and one such is the post it notes or post it sticky notes. Sticky notes are dependable companions that remind us of errands we need to run, office chores we must complete, and assignments we must not overlook. Your imagination might be blown to realize that these little pieces of yellow paper were created entirely by accident after receiving so much use!

But have you ever given a thought who invented post it notes? Moreover, how creatively it can be used? Right from its invention till date, the stick notes underwent many changes. We now take through its journey.

The Discovery of the Post it Notes

The answer for who invented sticky notes is Dr. Spencer Silver, a 3M scientist who was researching for some adhesives in the 3M lab. During the procedure, he came across an odd adhesive that adhered to surfaces but didn't connect firmly to them. Microspheres, as they are known, are what Silver discovered. They maintain their stickiness while having a "removability property" that makes bonded surfaces easy to separate. He attempted to create a super-strong adhesive but instead created a super-weak one.

It was a fix without a problem at the time! Dr. Silver had a brand-new creation, but he was unsure of how to use it. He marketed his new creation within 3M over the following five years, but unfortunately there was no purpose for it.

Dr. Silver's 3M coworker Art Fry was performing in his church choir in 1974. The bookmarks he used to indicate his location in his hymnal kept falling out, which annoyed him. He tried some of Dr. Silver's adhesive on his bookmarks after recalling it. It performed flawlessly! He could move and reattach the bookmarks without damaging any of the pages, and they remained in place. Since, the value of these long sticky notes became more important.

They formed a partnership with Silver and started creating a product. They only recognized the full potential of the concept once they started leaving messages on their fresh notes to be seen by others in the company. The 3M team used canary-yellow scrap paper from a nearby lab when they first developed the product.

How Can You Use Post it Sticky Notes?

Learn the History of Post It Notes

How Can You Try Out These Post It Sticky Notes?

Sticky paper notes are undoubtedly useful for letting you jot down notes to help you remember things. Do they serve other purposes, though? Of course they do! Make a note to yourself to remind you to ask a friend or relative to join you in participating in one or more of the activities. You can even use these long sticky notes in your office or even in your workstation. Here are few other ways on how you can make the best use of post it sticky notes:

  • Cleaning Up Your Keyboard

If you thought that these sticky notes are only used for message purpose, then you can go step ahead. The sticky but not overly sticky sides of the squares are perfect for capturing tiny dust and dirt particles that accumulate on your computer.

  • Color Coding Your Family

If you frequently send your family handwritten notes, give each member a unique hue. Then, without even having to read it, they will know it is for them when they notice you have left a message.

  • Bookmarking Page

Art Fry was seeking for a way to mark pages in his hymnal when he came up with sticky notes ideas. The paper scraps his choir group was utilizing at the time proved to be insufficient because they kept falling out of the hymnal, causing the ensemble to get lost.

Post it notes are ideal for use as bookmarks because the adhesive strip secures the marker and protects the pages. It's recommended moving the sticky paper notes around if you find that you need to use many bookmarks. Finding the desired page can is challenging if they are all adhered to different pages in the same manner.

  • Color Coding Tasks

Another unique sticky notes ideas that can be productive for reading and learning is color coding task. Color coding is useful for highlighting the items that need your attention initially since using color makes it possible to distinguish between information at first sight. The several colors that sticky notes now come in allow you to organize things according to subject groups, importance, and/or scheduling considerations.

By using sticky paper notes, you different tasks and grouping similar ones together makes learning more effective since it eliminates distractions and helps you concentrate on the subject at hand.

  • Brainstorming Ideas

By promoting free thinking, the brainstorming technique encourages you to let your ideas flow. Whether used in a group setting or individually, it is a noteworthy learning technique. It is a terrific approach to come up with ideas from related concepts and a great way to solve issues.


Brainstorming is a common method for coming up with ideas in an office setting. Using long sticky notes can help you to put down your ideas. Use a wide surface, like a wall, to organize your ideas by using sticky notes of different colors. Even better, you might arrange your post it notes like a mind map, which is a terrific way to come up with ideas.

Conclusion

3M, the leading supplier of office supplies and medical equipment, continues to create and distribute post itnotes.  These post it notes are not limited to personal use, but for official use too. From corporate events to trade shows, you will find these post it sticky notes in every official use. Sticky notes, is the prime example on how accidental invention can bring massive change in our lives.