"If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?" - Albert Einstein
I have kept a messy desk
my entire life when I think back all the way to when I first had a desk. I
think it was third grade when it started. My teacher liked to play tricks on
the class when we were away; wrapping the desks in plastic wrap and turning
them over, and so on (he blamed a paper spider that hung from a light). One
time he filled my desk with thousands of dried beans. I left them there for the
remainder of the year…
In graduate school my desk
was in a block with three of my greatest friends and we were all such a mess
that one could not see where one desk ended and the other began.
Now I find myself in a
professional setting as a real Intern Architect and I cannot seem to break the
habit. I’m going to go ahead and blame the fact that I work on no less than
four projects at one time, but really I can’t seem to function any other way.
Donning my cubicle I have
pictures of my friends, my husband and our travels. I have memories from
graduate school that I never want to forget and quotes that inspire me when I
have time to read them. I have honors and accolades from my diploma to winning
2nd place in the Chili Cook Off last year. I have a page of red
lines that is so colorful it looks like modern art and renderings from 3dsMAX
reminding me that I probably already forgot what I learned.
My desktop is ever
changing from piles of drawings to specs to details and product samples that
rotate on an hourly basis. There is always at least one coffee cup (at the
moment there are three), a bottle of water and a ball jar coated with a day old
smoothie. If you move enough paper you would generally find anything you might
be in search of, except for a pen. That is the one thing that is never where I
left it.
Forbes Magazine recommends
that I set a weekly appointment to clean and that if I don’t keep clean others
will view me as something I’m not. You can ask anyone I work with that I get my work done and
done well. Just because my desk is unorganized doesn’t mean my planner is. I
prefer to read the articles stating that a messy desk is a sign of genius. If
that is actually the case then I work with mostly geniuses. If you are of the
same messy breed search for the topic on the internet and you will find loads
of validation.
What are your thoughts on
a cluttered desk? Messy mind or brilliant mind?
Mess and clutter isn’t the
only thing I am an expert in, though some may disagree. I am an expert Intern
Architect. What does that mean exactly? It means I, like other Intern
Architects, go through the days learning more than our brains can handle,
striving to be the best while keeping our sanity (and our loved ones) and
strangely always wanting more. Someday I will reach Architect status, but not
until I can find my pen…
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| Copyright Liz S. @ Shive-Hattery |
Just stumbled upon this through the Website. This is fun. Keep it up! :)
ReplyDeleteUmmm...a good deal of the clutter in your photo I believe is mine. There should probably be a rule about letting two geniuses share a cubicle. Want to borrow a pen though?
ReplyDeleteThose people with overly clean and organized workspaces should be viewed with suspicion. Do they not have enough to do? Are they afflicted with debilitating OCD? Or they might be witches. Keep a close eye on them...
ReplyDeleteI could tell you that as you get more experience, get that registration, and get a little longer in the tooth that you will learn how to effectively organize that desk so that it will be neat and orderly and that you'll always know where that pen is. I could tell you that...but that would be a lie!
ReplyDeletea messy desk is a sign of a BUSY desk owner...not that I speak from experience, or do I. Let's just remember a known genius made an excellent point regarding his fellow counterparts.
ReplyDeletethank you great blogger! looking forward to more!!
Isn't it just a sea of messy up there? :)
ReplyDeleteGreat Blog, found you through Buzz. I know all about the messy desk, and I must say that while I like the look of the clean desk, I feel much more at ease when I have a few piles of paper laying around. :) And I'm convinced that my desk eats pens.
ReplyDeleteClutter is often due to several reasons: 1) Procrastination, 2) Inability to prioritize, 3) hoarding. None of these is a positive mental trait.
ReplyDeleteThe one exception is when an object is of such importance and size that it cannot be easily organized. Those blueprints, for example, are always going to be large and unwieldy. Perhaps technology will allow us to eventually work with blueprints in a completely virtual environment. I personally am trying to eliminate all paper in my life so that everything I have is digitized. I refuse to accept anything on paper anymore, or else if forced to, will scan and destroy the original document.
With that said, try not to keep more than one or two of anything. Ask for digital versions of all content. Set up a common area to read blueprints in. And ask management to purchase an industrial strength scanner (with sheet feeder) so that you can get rid of paper.