My Big @$$ Whiteboard: The Old School Small Business Tool That Never Goes Out of Style

Technology has brought us tool after tool to help us work smarter and organize our businesses.

But that doesn’t mean we should look at “old school” tools as irrelevant. Sometimes they’re as good a choice as (or better than) tech tools. At the very least, they can complement your use of tech-produced apps and programs.

My favorite of all time old school tool is my whiteboard.

I’ve got a big @$$ whiteboard in my office that I use as a tangible dashboard of sorts. While I capture nearly everything I write there by electronic means as well, there’s something gratifyingly earthy and real about holding that erasable marker, taking physical action to add content, and having my notes always present within my peripheral vision.

On my whiteboard at all times you’ll find:

A short list of my most qualified leads/prospects.
My “Projects in Progress” list that shows everything I’m working on or have lined up (with start dates and due dates).
My list of payments due from clients (ie. invoices recently issued w/amounts and due dates).

Again, I have all of the above housed somewhere on my laptop, too, but putting it on my whiteboard is a constant reminder of all I can be thankful for (opportunities, loyal clients, and the blessing of making an income doing what I love). And of course, it helps keeps me on course .

There are plenty of ways to put a whiteboard to work in your business. Here are some additional ideas:

Daily “to do” list (I use a smaller whiteboard in my office for this purpose.)
Weekly meeting list
Inspirational quotes to motivate you
Doodle therapy
Ideation and concept development
Physically erase away negativity – write something (or someone) on your board and vigorously erase or cross it out. (Seriously, it feels good.)

Do you have a big @$$ whiteboard – or one of more modest proportions – in your office? I’d love to hear about how you use it!

By Dawn Mentzer
Another Insatiable Solopreneur™ post