The Idea Room – White Markerboard Wall Plan
If you’ve read my January Monthly Income Report, you’ll know that I’m in the middle of a move. I’m actually going to try and keep this post short because I have to go to our old apartment and re-paint some of the walls back to their original color.
Bah!
Anyways, as stressful as the move has been so far, one of the things that is driving me forward is that in our new place, I get my own office! It has always been my dream to have my own home office where I can close the doors at times and really CRUSH IT.
Don’t get me wrong – I was able to make things happen in my existing workspace (which is equivalent to the size of a port-a-potty), but my new 9′ x 12′ space will definitely be conducive to making loads of progress on my existing businesses, this blog, and all of the future projects I have in store.
The Idea Room
About a month ago, when I was watching Teen Cribs on MTV (yeah, I’ll admit that…), I saw this huge house which was owned by an internet marketer who I had never heard of before. One particular room had “white markerboard” covering every inch of every single wall, and they called it the “Idea Room”. In it, the internet marketer and his teen son draw on the walls and brainstorm new business ideas and strategies.
Um, awesome!
So, I’m going to install some white markerboard in my office too, probably on at least one entire wall, maybe two. As much as I love brainstorming with online tools such as MindMeister, there’s just something about writing ideas on a wall where I can see them every time I go in the office. It will make me want to follow through and implement. Furthermore, if I ever end up doing video courses for whatever reason, I’ll already have a board behind me that I can write on.
So how much does white markerboard cost?
Not as much as you probably think.
An entire 4 foot by 8 foot sheet will only cost you $13 at Home Depot. Definitely a small price to pay for the amount of progress that could be made as a result of installing these bad boys, in my opinion. Plus, it might be fun to take Keoni into the office and help him with his math homework too.
I’ll definitely keep you updated. You can be sure that once the office is finished, I’ll do a quick video tour for you to check out. Until then, here’s to your online success!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Posted on : February 5th, 2010
Related posts:
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- 3 Questions You Should Ask Yourself to Find That Passionate and Profitable Idea
- 5 Reasons Your Next Big Idea Might Fail
- Snapshots Of My New Office
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54 Comments (Click Here to Leave a Comment Below)
I just moved my office and had the exact same idea – and am going to implement it this week. Since leaving my old company I kind of miss the big whiteboards in the boardroom. Thanks for the tip on Home Depot – better then the expensive ones at Staples.
I made one from the directions on this site: http://www.white-boards.org/
You have to be careful when erasing. The coating on them is not that thickness. If you rub too hard with the eraser it will weardown and then not erase.
Jessica
What a great idea, just remember to use the correct type of pen.
We already have a scribbler in our family, my daughter regualry draws on the walls, so make sure you have some suitable cleaner just in case – something like actone (nail polish remover) should do the trick.
Andrew
a trick to get permanent marker off a whiteboard is to scribble over it with a whiteboard marker then rub off. works wonders!
I am keeping an idea diary for this purpose. Whenever any good idea or thought comes i instantly wrote it in my diary. I keep this diary and pen never to my laptop. I always enjoy writing ideas in my dairy rather than in notepad or wordpad.
As this post is regarding ideas i have a website to share here, http://www.ideas4all.com/ here you can share your idea with everyone and get your idea even rated. This is a new website so there are not lots of idea but i like their concept.
Warm Regards,
Azad Shaikh (The Internet Geek)
Hey Pat,
“Great” White Marker Board is an awesome tool to have for generating ideas, strategies and almost everything. I have few marker boards hang around my “work room” three walls.
I wrote my 2010 goals, objectives, mini achievements and anything that come along the way. You can have a To-Do white board too so you can check once every tasks has been achieved.
Cheers
white boards are the ultimate idea tool for me, ive always dreamed about having a strip of white board all around my office (future office
) and also it may come handy if the desk can be used as a board too ( More is better:P)
Definitely the white board is the way to go if you are doing “how to” video’s. Gets your name and face out there more.
A whole wall covered with a white board would be awesome!
Yeh whiteboards are awesome. We had them on every wall of my old work.
But now im nomading around and have a 10″ netbook and a 6″ notepad. serious productivity kills. Its has its advantages tho
I love whiteboards…I first saw it in Frank Kern’s video and want to have one for myself.. for now all I have is iPhone’s Notes app. It’s useful for keeping some ideas there but I’d prefer whiteboard…
…lol….it’s funny, Pat….we’ve been moving, as well, the last few days….and, just before we left my old place, Julie said “Hey, hun, maybe you should think about getting a whiteboard so you can write all your ideas on….”…..
….pretty funny….
Can you tell us the name of the marketer?
Great idea, just helps to get it out of your head.
In high school I had a 4×8 whiteboard that I would use to draw computer networks on and loved it. My parents got rid of it when I moved out, but anyway, I had to get another one about 6 months ago that I do my math and programming assignments on. It’s really nice to be able to get off of your butt and stand on your feet. Ideas can flow a lot more that way.
Only 13 bucks at home depot for 4 by 8 sheet? That’s awesome!
Are you moving into another/bigger apt or a house?
The whiteboard is of course a great idea, we could all sit here and fill up comment space saying that but I’d like to know how will you take an idea and put it to work?
Whiteboard —> mind map —-> Market testing —-> split testing —> product/service creation —-> ???
I’d like to see what plans you have and how you plan on bringing them to creation from the use of the whiteboard.
Great job btw, I see myself saying that more and more since showing up on this site. You’re doing phenomenal
Do it Pat! I need a whiteboard, but already have a blackboard type thing on which I tack on any ideas, print outs, etc.
Definitely need that kind of space!
Hey you know I think they sell markerboard paint, so you could do the whole wall/room that way if you wanted to. If I had a markerboard I would just be overcome by the urge to cover it with smiley faces or play hangman
Jackie,
Great tip about the paint. I did not know they made it. Here’s a how to link
http://www.chicaandjo.com/2008/01/30/using-marker-board-paint/
OK, here’s a wrinkle.
I like the fact that magnets stick to my white board at work. I guess you could take a steel panel and paint it, then attach it to the wall.
Maybe too much work!
Pat must be painting, no replies yet
I love the idea, I just need to talk my wife into it. It does not quite go with the home decor scheme.
If it were a wall in the garage, tool shed or tree house it would be thumbs up.
I have one of those exact home depot sheets hung up in my place in San Diego, my roomie and I installed a curtain rod + curtains over top of it, worked out great! Lots of long nights gesturing at million-dollar ideas, haha. good times.
curtains would be a good way to disguise it when I’m not “working” good tip
Interesting, I just wrote a post earlier about my white board I have in my house. My white board is about 4 foot wide with my goals that I am trying to accomplish for the year.
As for the MTV cribs episode you mentioned about, I remembered the father had a computer desk with a bike machine attach to it. A great way to type and bike at the same time.
Anyways, good luck with the move.
-Brian
Awesome! That will be cool to have your son learning his math and alphabets while you continue to build your empire. Good luck with the move!
I have a home office that over time reverted back to a guest room. Time to de-clutter and reorganize it back into my office again. Great tip on the white board, $13 bucks I can afford that.
I have one in my office, it’s the best at visualizing and seeing progress.
ALTHOUGH: I was just at Home Depot a few weeks ago and saw they actually have paint now that makes whatever you paint with it a whiteboard. Not sure how good it works but I was wanting to try it out on an entire wall. Would be WAY easier than attaching marker board.
Good luck.
I like the idea but I would probably go for a blackboard wall vs. white and stinky pens and all. You could even paint the entire wall with blackboard paint (if it’s a smooth surface). Just a thought. You could have another wall that was of corkboard for collecting pictures, drawings and inspiring things. Could even frame it so it looks really cool. Anyway, have fun decorating your new space!
Thanks everyone for your comments! It’s cool to see that a lot of you either want to install some kind of writing surface on a wall, or already one in place. I’m super stoked to put it to good use already!
The paint that turns a wall into markerboard would be cool, except the surface of the wall has a kind of texture to it.
@Jenn – a blackboard is an interesting idea. I don’t want to use chalk, like I mentioned, but maybe a white pen on a black surface would be, kind of like the same thing that you see in a lot of restaurant and coffee shop menus (with the flourescent writing). Hmm…it might make the room super dark though. We’ll see. The cork board is a good idea too
@Stephen – yep, I’m super busy, which is why I can’t respond to each comment individually per normal. I apologize about that!
@Scottsdale Boot Camp – thanks for the tip!
@Rayan – excellent idea! The desk that I ordered is actually black glass, so a white dry erase marker would be pretty awesome. Hmm, lol.
Thanks everyone, as always, for your comments and the gift of your time. Cheers!
Pat, I noticed a smaller amount of comments than usual on this post. I wanted to share with you a great post by someone who gets a gazillion comments on his posts. Maybe it will help you too:)
http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/tricks-to-get-more-comments-on-your-blog/
In the middle of painting and moving out, so I can’t reply to each and every comment per usual. I literally just left my own reply from my iPhone because I wanted to drop by and see what people were saying.
I hope everyone here can understand that
Thanks Nick – I’ll be sure to check that guy out
We’ll let you slide this time
Hopefully this wasn’t mentioned in a previous comment, but have you thought about putting metal behind the whiteboard? This way you could use magnets to hold up stuff very easily. This might depend on how thick the whiteboard is but would be very cool!
Gizmo is so cute…..
Pat-
First off congrats on the move. Secondly, I think a whiteboard is an excellent idea. I am a very visual person and there is just something that works well for me by writing it out and being able to see and edit ideas when you want. I also think having your own office space will be awesome for you. You will be surprised how much more focused you can be when you have a set space for things. I recently converted one of my spare rooms in my house into a makeshift studio. This has allowed me to finally play and practice my bass guitar in a much more consistant fashion. I also am in the process of making a better workout space in my basement so I can get more focused on working out daily versus only a few times a week. My point is having your own space earmarked for tasks allows you to be much more focused and therefore efficient in reaching your goals.
Damn, 13 bucks is a really good price for a 4 X 8 foot. I spent the same price for a little 2 X 3 – shucks!
Either way, dry-erase boards are great to have for ideas. I actually woke up this morning with this whole system planned out (if you have to know: it was an insight I had about a tool of psychotherapy) and I just had to write it all out on my board.
Great idea! I’ve heard of a few people doing that and it always seems to work well… maybe I get a mobile one since my office location always changes.
Cool idea, Pat, especially for people who are very visual and need to see their ideas mapped out.
Awesome, Pat.
I would love to do the same in my new apartment but I don’t think the landlord would be too happy
. I’m going to get some big whiteboards instead and stick those up.
Will share some pics once it is all finished.
– Glen
Maybe a whiteboard is what I need? I always have pen and paper with me and scribble tons of notes. I have notebooks full of them. It’s crazy! I go through them all the time and make new notes and cross of finished ones. Whiteboards… I wonder where I would put one of those? I can almost smell the markers now…
Hey Pat
Heres another option – mobile whiteboards!
I’d seen whiteboard rooms in use while consulting for ABN Amro in Holland and thought “I need to kit out my home office with whiteboards too”. Only downside, I was consulting at the time so foresaw that the board would become out of date while I was on client sites… and long term would then fall into disuse.
I then saw a solution on the Dragons Den program (UK) – Magic Whiteboards http://www.magicwhiteboard.co.uk – Sheets of reusable whiteboard paper that adhere to walls using static. Roll em up and take them anywhere.
They are a great option for those on the move or those who don’t wish to damage walls. Downside – work out pricier than the regular board.
Rod
Very cool idea!
I had a setup in my office, where I propped up a flipchart in landscape orientation. I used it to make large mind-maps and such. Had to ditch it because I needed a large photo/video-booth, but it was cool to work with, while I had it.
behance sells Idea Paint which allows you to paint on a whiteboard. http://www.creativesoutfitter.com/Products/IdeaPaint/16 – I know quite a few designers who use it
Nice idea, I actually might go buy a whiteboard soon. Right now I have papers all over my desk covered with ideas, half of them get lost in the mess. This would probably look a lot cooler and be more functional.
That whiteboard paint looks awesome, but I think my landlord would be mad at me for painting his walls! lol
Pat,
What if the writing on the white boards gets erased? Or how will you find time to transcribe all those notes and mind maps into the computer for archival purposes? What I’m leading to is that you really should check out these Smart Boards (no affiliate link):
http://www2.smarttech.com/st/en-US/Products/SMART+Boards/Front+projection/
You can interface them with your computer, save all your scribbles, and even collaborate with others across the world that have them! If you’ve got the funds for one of them, that is.
Hope your relo works out well.
Steven, those are super cool. My kids school has one in each classroom. I think they are tax dollars well spent. I 2nd your motion sir
Nick – I used them briefly in Grad school. Wish I had more of an opportunity to play with one. They’re NOT cheap though.
Great idea for brainstorming. A white board would work much better than my notepad I am using now!
I love having lots of space to write. Sometimes though my ideas come a little to fast, and I get excited so I have to use a voice recorder. I love those moments though when you get really fired up about an idea that just pops into your head. I would love to have a room covered in white board and other materials to brainstorm.
I forget what book I was reading, but there was this inventor that made a room in his basement that had nothing in it but a chair, table, four walls, paper, pen and a button. The button would turn the lights off and on. He would sit in the dark until he came up with an idea. When an idea jumped in his mind, he would hit the button and start writing as fast as he could. He would repeat this process for hours until he got the answer he knew he was looking for. Cool huh?
Hey Pat –
you’ve got some great stuff going here with your blog – many thanks for the info!
I heard it said that the 2 best productivity tools for business are a big whiteboard and a 2nd computer screen…
There are 2 guys from Babson who are launching a company making White Board Paint! That way you can make entire walls or rooms easily writable – not sure on the company name or if it’s out yet, but a pretty cool ‘disruptive type’ of product.
Agree, having a whiteboard could be a great way to jot things down.
FYI…I saw the episode as well, he’s not an internet marketer at all. He’s some fancy inventor. He had a secret room, electronic toilets, the most insane computer set up I’ve ever seen. The guy does a ton with inventions and electronics and stuff.
I definitely like this idea of a whiteboardmarker covering all the walls of a room or just a few of the walls. I am actually a person who can actually recall things better if I have written them, so this is really a very great idea! Thanks for sharing.
Working at a college has definitely kept me in the collegiate mindset even though I am in a professional career. This idea of a white board “idea” room is genius! By dealing with uber smart faculty on a daily basis I am constantly reminded of my inept gray matter and having something like an “idea board’ would really help me keep up!
Also, it should come as no surprise that all faculty and intellectuals use a white board/ chalk board during their teaching for the ease of notation and thought processing.
Maybe Apple really is onto something with the Ipad….maybe it is just a mini version of a mobile white “idea’ board…
Pat,
Saw your blog a week ago for the first time…read about the white board at Home Depot and went to check it out. I found it in the lumber section, wheeled it up to the register, and it’s already hanging on my wall! Cost me a whopping $10.98! Yeah!
Thanks Pat! I’m working on my first digital product (almost done) and you gave me a burst of inspiration! Keep it rollin’!
Todd
While I don’t have an entire wall installed, I do have a whiteboard in my home office, and it’s awesome. It’s true that once you see ideas written out in big letters, you get really motivated to take action.
I had thought of doing this, however my office is in my dining room. The kids would just have way too much fun with it, so this is just one of those ideas that waits for the home office. I’m planning for a new home office next year.