Select-an-Effort: Display Boards

We are almost at the end of “Select-an-Effort: Organizing Tasks for 2023.” This month has gone by so quickly. Have you tried any of the challenges? Which was your favorite? For the final project of the month, I’m suggesting you turn your attention to the display boards in your space.

There are a couple of places that people tend to tack items up on display, including bulletin boards, refrigerators, walls, and computer screens. Visual displays can be anything from inspirational to functional to humorous. Common items in these areas are:

• Photographs
• Invitations & Save-the-Dates
• Cartoons
• Children’s Artwork
• Passwords
• Schedules
• Quotes & Inspirational Images
• Reminders

The challenge is that most of us are better at adding to these surfaces than we are at removing from them. Today is the day to refresh these locations.

Ready to get started? Here are three options:

Low Effort

Select a display area to work on. Remove one or two pieces that are obviously out of date, torn, or otherwise no longer wanted. These items are probably made of paper, so you can recycle them. Remember that photographs cannot be recycled, so those should go in the trashcan. If you want to keep an item for sentimental reasons, either move it to a memorabilia bin, or take a photograph and then let the original go.

Medium Effort

For a better result, remove everything from the display. Go through the same process of removing things that are no longer wanted or needed. If you take everything off, you are likely to get rid of more.

Once you are finished sorting, reload the items you decided to keep. You can read my full tips for creating an attractive display board here.

High Effort

If you want to significantly improve your display board/area, after sorting everything, and before reloading, take a few minutes to reimagine the space. Ask yourself if there is anything new that you would like to add. Since this is the start of a new year, it is a great time to add some fresh photographs, new quotes, or inspiring thoughts. Perhaps there is some updated information that you would like to have more readily accessible.

If you are working in an area that primarily holds children’s artwork, think about how to improve the look of your “art gallery.” Is your current location sufficient, or would you like to relocate it? If you want to tape items up but don’t want to ruin a wall, consider using painter’s tape or washi tape.

If you board is looking tired or mismatched, consider jazzing it up with some attractive push pins. There are many options available to meet a variety of tastes.

If you have a computer monitor (or two) covered with sticky notes, ask yourself if there is a better approach for storing this information. After all, a password that is sitting in plain sight isn’t exactly secure.