New idea - working well for a building site manager

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jez Jacko
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Jez Jacko

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A good friend and business associate of mine recently had a great little idea that has helped him in his day to day business of managing his work flow and delegation of work to site workers.

Firstly, I introduced him to GTD about a month ago and he has had nothing but praise for the system (even the guys he works for can’t understand that everything they throw at him, he tends to cope with ease)

The problem as you can imagine is the deliverance of NA’s to the site workers. I think we call this DELEGATION. What he has done is create a large bundle of blank laminated business cards that he uses to write NA’s on to with permanent marker pens.

What he has found is because the workers all have wallets (who doesn’t) they keep tend to keep his instructions (other than bits of paper thrown about which obviously isn’t practical in this environment).

Also due to our wonderful English weather, these can be written on and read in any condition so there is no excuse for illegible soggy post it notes or pads being a problem.

He simply retrieves the cards when NA’s are done and wipes them clean for re-use (using builder’s wipes that have an active ingredient that dissolves the permanent marker SO MUCH FOR PERMENANT).

I am using these blank cards myself now as they are quick and easy to write on can be kept in a wallet and just thrown into my in basket when ever I reach the comfort of the office).

I did mention to him you must have a large wallet to keep all these cards. NO NO, I simply have a big box of them whenever I need some more I throw the used into my inbox and grab a handful more.

Jez
 
3 1/2" x 2 1/4" note cards

That is a good idea. Does any forum member know where we could buy, for instance, credit card sized plastic cards?
 
You can buy blank business cards at any office supply store such as Office Max. Look in the section where they keep blank forms to be printed on computer. All you have to do is buy those, seperate them, then bring them back to the same store where they can laminate them for a small fee. You might be able to have them laminated first, but I think that would make them harder to seperate afterwards.
 
Blank Business Cards

I've tried those but they have jagged edges, are surprisingly expensive, and still are not credit card sized.

Maybe we need to find the supplier of those fake (thin) plastic credit cards attached to advertising mailers. Then we wouldn't even have to laminate them and they'd automatically outlast paper.

I frequently carry homemade credit-card-sized cards which I cut from ordinary file card stock, but the edges bend and fray after a few days of carry. They make terrific note cards, though. A corner rounder with a small radius helps protect corners from early damage.

I haven't carried a wallet for many years, opting instead for a credit-card holder with a money clip on the other side. That explains why business card sizes are too large -- my holders are built exactly for the standard set by credit cards.
 
Re: 3 1/2" x 2 1/4" note cards

Marc Veeneman said:
That is a good idea. Does any forum member know where we could buy, for instance, credit card sized plastic cards?
Click to expand...

I'm going to guess a hotel supply company might have them. Don't they use similar ones for the hotel keys?
 
Hi again,

If its any help, my friend simply bought his own laminator machine and credit card sized pockets - Also contact any local printer and get them to make some for you. Remember your not paying for printing - so they are quite cheap.

Jez
 
Re: 3 1/2" x 2 1/4" note cards

Marc Veeneman said:
That is a good idea. Does any forum member know where we could buy, for instance, credit card sized plastic cards?
Click to expand...

I would start with a business/office machine store or company. Check with one who supplies machines to hospitals.

At the psych hospital I worked at, whenver someone was admitted our computer would send the info to a "card imprinter machine" (don't know the exact name of the machine) that would imprint the info onto credit card sized plastic cards. They were just like credit cards, but without a magnetic strip. We would get boxes of the blank cards from the same place we got the machine.

After reading the above idea, these cards would be PERFECT for something like this. They were shiny on one side, and matte on the other, and you can get them in different colors. Don't know how expensive they were.

Hope this helps!
PsychTau
 
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