The driver of tomorrow is not thinking Green...

The driver of tomorrow is not thinking Green...
He's thinking Classic. (click on photo)

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Jun 29, 2009

On a lighter note...

I was going to blog on the news report of the website from Canada, with 4 million members, based solely on HELPING a person find someone to cheat on their spouse with... but you know, I just can't handle that issue today and I'm sure most of you are sick of it as well. Give us a break.

So this got me smiling today. Why? Because - here's my confession - I AM A MESSY DESK PERSON! AND I KNOW WHERE EVERYTHING IS! AND SOMETIMES, IT FEELS GOOD TO LOOK AT MY MESS!

Yes, I have come out of the closet. (Oh, that's not a revelation to those of you that have worked or lived with me?) The more I get to know my disorganized children, the more I love myself. And I was smart enough to pair myself up with an equally unorganized partner. Even better. Only.... well I won't comment on his pile.

We both are the "creative type", which apparently breeds clutter because our minds work better under pressure..... sure, it does.... (which doesn't explain those brief moments of unbelievable peace I feel when the counter is bare or I can see the desktop.... I'm sure it's delusion.)

This is obviously written by one of those annoying organized people, peering down their nose over their glasses at my "pile". Hmpf - but the ending sentence gives me the clearance - to be ME!

http://management.about.com/cs/yourself/a/MessyDesk081202.htm

What's Wrong With A Messy Desk?
Clean or messy doesn't matter. Effective does.
By F. John Reh, About.com

The war on your desk

Every day more and more information is thrown at you. New mail, reports from various committees, invoices, proposals, and more all hit your desk several times a day. You are too busy to deal with it right away so it just begins to pile up. Your desktop begins to look like a war zone.

The problem here is not that your desk is messy. The problem is that important stuff gets lost. It either gets buried by new material coming in, or it is in the new material, but is not noticed. As a result, you spend too much time on things that are simply urgent rather than those that are important.

When your boss wants to know how soon she can have that report for the Vice President, you don't want to tell her you didn't notice the memo she sent you requesting the report. Nor will your boss be thrilled to hear that the layout for the new product line is late because you set it aside and it got covered up and you forgot about it.

Some people will tell you the best way to solve this problem is a clean desk. Others say messy is okay. Who's right? Neither. And both.

Cluttered desk, cluttered mind

Not too long ago, there was a popular expression 'a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind.' That expression gave rise to an entire industry designed to help business executives clean their desktops as a sign of their mental acuity.

No doubt you have seen movies where the boss sits in his office atop a downtown skyscraper. He sits behind a glass-top desk with no drawers. The only adornments are the impressive pen set for signing important documents and a telephone or intercom so he can give orders.

On the other hand

Many people see nothing wrong with piles of paper covering the desktop, even spilling on to the chair seats and office floor. They quote adages like 'a cluttered desk is a sign of genius' and 'a messy desk is only a sign of a messy desk.'

We all know someone whose desk is that way. You don't see how they can even tell if the desktop is metal or wood. Yet, when you ask them for something, they go right to a pile, leaf through 2 or 3 sheets, and pull out what you asked for.

What works for you

Both sides are correct. The issue is not which is correct. The issue is which will make you more effective. There are a few fundamental guidelines that apply to both approaches, but the key is to work in a manner that allows you to be most effective. Almost everyone needs to get rid of some of the clutter atop their desk, but having no more than a single item on your desk at any one time won't work for many of us.

Many people are working on several projects at the same time (or almost the same time). Creative types feel the need to have inspiration surrounding them. Detail-oriented individuals need volumes of reference material close at hand. Some people feel the piles of work make them look busy and, thus, keep them safer in times of layoffs. Others feel a clean desk shows how efficient they are at getting the work done. What is important is to do what works for you.

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