Clicking Pens Drive Me Crazy

The sound of somebody continuously clicking a pen or tapping a pen on a desk, drives me f*cking crazy. Most don’t even realize they are doing it, just an unconscious action that they do without thinking. They stop by my desk and while asking a question or waiting for me to look something up there is that noise.

click,click, click,click, click, click, click, click, click, click, click,click, click, click, click

or

tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap

Drives me crazy and often ends with me yelling STOP or threatening to throw a stapler at their head if they don’t stop (once aware some people think it’s “funny” to keep doing it, I don’t see the humour).

It’s like someone playing with a slinky. If you are the one playing with the slinky, it’s all good you hardly even notice the noise. If you have to listen to someone playing with a slinky for a prolonged period of time, you will end up yelling STOP at some point.

The noise gets under your skin and the annoyance factor expands exponentially until you just can’t take it anymore.

The pens are the same. All I ask is have some awareness. Try to restrain yourself, put the pen in your pocket, maybe leave it at your desk. I will lend you one to write with if you need it. Just don’t come and click (or tap) your pen at my desk, unless you want a stapler thrown at your head.

Perfect Binder For A Master List

I gave my friend a small green binder. It has colourful dividers and a patterned elastic to keep it closed. If you like stationary this is the kind of book you hold, admire, that you don’t want to use because it’s so pretty.

It’s been a month and I asked “Have you used the binder?” her answer “No”.

The book is special and so you don’t want to write just anything in it. So I suggested that she make it her master list book.

What is a MASTER LIST, you ask?

(or if you didn’t and don’t care, stop reading and come back tomorrow)

A master list is an idea that came from a book we both read years ago. It’s not an earth shattering idea, it’s just one book that you keep an ongoing list in. A list of everything. Anything can go on the list, books you want to read, things you need to do, places you want to go, courses you want to take, housework, shopping lists, reminders. You name it and it goes on the list.

So back to the green binder. For such an important list it should have a notebook or binder worthy of it. This is why I have mine in a grey binder, with a patterned elastic.

I also colour code the entries, have coloured dividers, under one I have a calendar, another has lists of books I want to read, movies I want to see, another trips I want to go on and courses I want to take under another.

I tried to move the list over to my computer but somehow it seems to belong on paper.

When you complete a task or move it to where it needs to be, you mark it off. There is a sense of achievement to flipping back through pages of tasks completed and a sense of anticipation looking at all the things still to do (or dread depending on the day).

I recommend it to everyone, to get a notebook and start a list, you’ll be amazed what shows up there. A map of where you want to go. Here is my binder and my coloured pens:

Start a list and let me know how it goes!