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Chaos theory
Before you start reading this post, take a look around you.
Are you sitting at a desk?
Yes? Keep reading.
No? Okay.
Picture yourself at your desk, or whatever your most frequent work environment might be. Then keep reading.
What do you see around you (or in the picture in your head)?
Are you fairly organized… or awfully messy?
Are you awash with files and papers, or is every sheet neatly stacked and filed (or even paperless)?
Are you stocked with carefully chosen office supplies… or would you need a few days to find a pen?
Are you tripping over cords… or wirelessly going about your business?
Are you surrounded by photos and keepsakes… or would the FBI have trouble tying you to anything they found there?
Are you sitting by a window or lit from overhead… or does a dusty desk lamp provide you with just enough glow to make out your mouse pad?
Are you air conditioned to a perpetual state of AWAKE!… or cozily outfitted with your trusty Slanket?
Are you wondering why I’m asking all these questions?
I’ve found — after working in a series of different office environments, with fairly different sorts of teams, and a long list of unique personalities — that the state of someone’s desk (while not always a reflection of their state of mind) often hints a bit at how they operate.
After reading Matt’s post from a couple weeks back about the soundtracks people listen to at work, I found myself wondering if the way I organize my environment is similarly telling.
If I have stacks and stacks of paper lying around me, does that mean I’m disorganized — or do I subscribe to a form of organization that only I understand?
If my lunch containers are stacked up around me, does that mean I’m too busy to leave my desk — or that I need to structure my day more effectively?
If I’m surrounded by scores of gadgetry, does that mean I’m ultra-connected to the world around me — or that I’m perpetually distracted?
I’m betting that most of us have a solid defense for how we manage our space — or if we’re disgruntled with what we see, that our environmental chaos speaks to frustration with something bigger than the thick layer of Post-Its trying to take over our monitor.
Or am I reading too much into appearances (and your collection of keyboard-side coffee rings)?
Tell me:
What is your ideal working environmental work state? Are you in the midst of it now?
Do you think your surroundings reflect how you feel about your work and your career in general (or even your employer)?
Are you stressed by proximity to other environmental work styles?
Does your environmental style have an impact on the work you turn out?
And if you don’t think much of your current environment, what can you do (and are you going to do) to change it?
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I have a half-organized, half messy desk. I clean it at the end of the day, so I start each day fresh. I do trip over a lot of cords though …
I think what my desk says is that I am organized enough not to lose anything but I’m passionate enough to lose myself in my work.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Meg Fowler, Michael Eads and Sametz Blackstone, Sametz Blackstone. Sametz Blackstone said: Does your work environment reflect how you feel about your work? @megfowler's wants to know what's on your desk: http://cot.ag/c2f6SC [...]
My desk is currently incredibly messy. I’ve let the chaos collect and will (honest and true) attack it tomorrow. The piles do have some logic, but don’t expect me to be logical about the logic.
On top is a recipe for gelato di frutta (will make that tomorrow as well) alongside a note to revisit warbyparker.com to look at glasses frame and below that is actually the real work stuff: an in-process listing of potential funding sources for a mental health guide. And my iPhone sits in isolated splendor on the other side of my desk.
None of this stresses me, nor does it indicate my state of mind or attitude. It just is, and I kinda enjoy it. But it’s time to organize again and be neat and precise for a bit. Actually, it all amuses me. If I weren’t working at home, though, I probably would have succumbed to self-criticism and cleaned this all up a while ago.
But, I must admit, if I saw this mess on someone else’s desk, I might be concerned that they might not be someone I want to work with.
My desk is remarkably like my head: I keep a few big piles where I collect useful things. Occasionally I go through them and weed out what I don’t need any more. I keep what I need out and at hand all the the time. When it gets dusty enough, I clean it.
Interesting…I didn’t think I was so anal-retentive until I read this. My immediate desk space is SUPER organized…everything must be just.so. But on the other side of my desk I have complete chaos. I’m sure some therapy would reveal something deep and mysterious about it all.
I look at the photos of organized desks in magazines like Real Simple and Martha Stewart Living, and I long for the kind of desk that has a few precious objects, a streamlined selection of office supplies, a bulletin board with tasteful images looking down from above, and my MacBook, in pristine condition.
Currently, my ACTUAL desk has papers, files, a box of environmentally friendly tissues, a travel mug I never use, a latte, a glass of ice water sweating a damp ring, a mostly empty bottle of Vitamin Water, sunglasses on top of a stack of newspapers, my giant purse, two laptops with two laptop sleeves, and an assortment of Moleskines and lip gloss in various shades.
Chaos. But an accurate reflection of my head.
My desk totally reflects who I am! It is pretty organized; everything has a file and a place. Part of it is out of necessity for the projects I work on, most of it is my own desire to be able to find things quickly.
Having said that though, it’s not *super* organized; there are a bunch of things that I don’t have a place for scattered all over the desk. Periodically I’ll get annoyed that things are a little out of control and do a massive cleaning up.
I do like to have pictures and other “fun” things around the cube; it just seems right when one spends so much time in it. But it’s not haphazard, and not messy.
I’ve also seen first hand how badly a messy and disorganized desk/cube reflects badly on the person it belongs too. It went from cute quirk to real reflection of their working style, and that is never a good thing.
A report on my desk would be pretty boring, but this topic made me think of my dad whose approach to organization has at times consisted of giant cork boards covered with hundreds of little scraps of paper and business cards with notes and phone numbers- often written in pencil- as well as clipboards with long hand-written lists on yellow lined paper. When he travels he brings an index card in his pocket with his contacts and flight info. Though an avid Apple user, he’s never adopted organizational software. What appears to be chaos is a perfectly orchestrated system that gives him tangible, visual direction for running his daily life. Granted, he has been self-employed his entire life!
My office (irrelevant to whether I am at home or work) is a mess. I have put a lot of thought into a shameful discrepancy of mine; I can be so detail oriented it hurts, but when it comes to organization of stuff I fail miserably. As I sit in my home office & look around I am surrounded by scads of paper in semi-piles but not really–and I’ve always been this way. Now that I’m getting mentally prepared to be a mom and I’m thinking of all the things I do that I don’t want to pass on, crappy organizational skills is a big one. I think to overcome my messy habits I’m going to have to dig deep. I’ve noticed that I tend to leave stuff around the house (probably drove my mom crazy) by just dropping it wherever I’ve finished using it. And I married a man who’s worse at it than me! (We’re quite the pair). Seriously though, I don’t like the fact that I feel ashamed about my habits and I hate that our house is always a cluttered mess. My pledge is to bring more awareness to my use & drop habit and to make a home for any stuff we have to facilitate some change. We could never have a house like this with little ones running around. Thanks for your thought-provoking post. I definitely appreciated it. Ali : )
..nicely put!