The Post-it Note – Daydream-inspired Stationery

Did you know that the world-famous Post-it note was the result of someone having a day-dream?

One Sunday morning in 1974 a man called Arthur Fry, an engineer working for the company 3M, sat in the front pews of a Presbyterian church in the USA.

A regular member of the church choir, he was in the habit of inserting little scraps of paper into his hymn book, so that he could quickly find the words he needed during the service. Unfortunately, the pieces of paper would frequently fall out and cause Fry to lose his place.

But while listening to the pastor’s sermon, Fry began to daydream and mull over his bookmark problem.
He remembers having a “aha” moment when he thought, “I really need a little bookmark that will stick to the paper, but will not tear the paper when I remove it.”

That inspiring thought later became the yellow Post-it note, one of the top five best-selling office products in the history of modern stationery!

It’s not surprising that 3M were very keen after that to allow their employees to spend time in productive daydreaming, even encouraging walks, naps and games of ping-pong as part of the working environment.