The Post-It paradox

Published Thursday May 15th, 2008

When little neon yellow reminders just aren't enough.

You'd think that the neon yellow Post-It would get my attention. "Call Joe", it says.

I don't know a Joe. I don't know one now, anyway. But I guess it doesn't matter. That Post-Its been on my desk for about three months. And the truth is, I don't think I've called him back yet.

The fact of the matter is, the Post-It has ruined my life.

At first, they were soothing little reminders stuck there to prod at my brain gently - "Don't forget to pick up laundry detergent" or "Get your mom a birthday card."

Soon, though, they began controlling my life - "Eat something", "Take a shower", "Laugh once in a while."

In all honesty, the Post-Its have taken over my whole existence - at home and at the office. I have Post-Its reminding me of the time of my aerobics class (you'd think after a month, I'd remember that one). Some are reminding me of important phone numbers (911, anybody?). I have Post-Its reminding me of passwords that I just can't seem to remember (i.e. Jackie123).

Recently, after my boss asked me why I hadn't sent him a report I had finished days earlier, I realized I didn't even notice the Post-Its anymore. They blended in so well with my environment that I completely overlooked the neon yellow sticky notes on my computer monitor.

Then, it hit me. Not only was I becoming overly-dependent on Post-Its, but they were wiping out my memory all together.

Nowadays, I need four Post-Its to remind me to do one thing. One afternoon, I had to return a movie rental and then get my hair cut. Knowing I'd forget both without a little help, I placed a Post-It on my car keys so it was the last thing I saw before I left the office. Sure enough, the minute that Post-It was in my pocket, I started heading home, bypassing the movie store and the salon.

Oy vey.

I'm getting older, but I don't think it's normal to be this dependent on Post-Its.

Since the Post-Its stopped working, I've had to move on to harder drugs: Outlook's calendar reminders. With pop ups reminding me of everything from appointments to routine hand washes, I just can't function without it. I'd schedule my bathroom trips this way if my bladder wasn't so unpredictable.

But even the Outlook calendar seems to let me down. I click on the snooze button, just as I do in bed every morning, and think that I'll remember that I have a meeting in 15 minutes. But no. I'm shocked when my 10 o'clock rolls in, apologizing that they're 17 seconds late, and I'm still wrapped up in the last project I was working on.

Meeting? Right. Cue the pop up. "You are 17 seconds late to your meeting."

I've decided to quit cold turkey. No notepads, Post-Its. No crackberry or Outlook's calendar reminders. Just me and my ol' noggin. Not the best team in the world, mind you. But it's worth a shot.

Why am I telling you all this, again? I'm sure I jotted this down on a Post-It somewhere. Let me sift through my notes and see if I can remember.

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