Poppin Sticky Memo Ball Review: Color-Code in Style

If a messy desk is a sign of genius, I might be one of the smartest people out there.

Everywhere I’ve worked, whether in an office or my own house, I’ve begun with the purest of intentions to keep my desk clean and clutter-free, only to weigh the time and energy cost of constantly putting things away just to pull them out again the next day. Spoiler alert: Most of the time, it isn’t worth it. One of the biggest, ahem, sticking points in my decluttering process is the sheer number of sticky notes I use. Classic Post-It brand notes, sticky notes shaped like flowers, novelty pads, tape flags—all have a place in my office supply arsenal.

I write everything by hand, with a pen. And I mean everything. Not only in my paper planner but also on the sticky notes I have in nearly every room of my house. I have them in the kitchen, in my nightstand, in the car. And I always will, as it’s been scientifically proven that writing things down boosts learning and memory, since writing by hand activates more wide-ranging connections in the brain.

I love my Notes app as much as anyone else, but if I type something into it that I need to do in the future, I not only have to remember that I did so but also hope I titled it with something searchable. If I write it down on a sticky note, I will not only remember, but I can stick it exactly where I know I’ll see it. Doctor’s office unexpectedly calling while I’m in another room? Sticky note. Reminder for my husband who’s still asleep and doesn’t have his phone set to silent, so I can’t text him? Sticky note. Sticky notes for my kid. Sticky notes for my friends. Sticky notes in my car, in my garage … It’s an infallible system.

However, the worst offender of sticky note detritus is by far my workstation. If I receive any kind of actionable instruction, whether it’s in a meeting, an email, a Slack message, or via a phone call, it’s immediately written down on a sticky note and slapped on my planner or, if longer-range, pinned to the wall above my desk, which is lined with felt bulletin board wall tiles from Amazon and currently looks like the pelt of a disappointing piñata.

However, I hadn’t really thought much about what those notepads were doing for my space visually until I saw the Poppin’ Sticky Memo Ball, the 4.5-inch dodecahedron that looks something like a girly soccer ball but is actually a desk ornament you can put to use. This is the sticky note stack made into decor.

Back to School

Photograph: Kat Merck

The Sticky Memo Ball originated not in a boardroom at 3M, nor in the brains of Romy and Michelle, but at Rochester Institute of Technology. Each year, the STEM-focused school holds a design initiative called Metaproject, pairing companies with RIT students to create products focusing on the theme “Design Is One,” the official philosophy of the school’s Vignelli Center for Design Studies. (Named in honor of Italian designers Lella and Massimo Vignelli, the latter of whom is known for his modernist designs incorporating geometric shapes.)