Living and working with an untidy desk

It is often suggested that we work better in a tidy environment and – specifically – if our desk is tidy. Some companies and organisations operate a ‘clean desk policy’, partly for the purposes of ensuring compliance with data protection protocols, but also in the belief that it encourages better work practices and enhances productivity etc.

I believe that this is almost certainly correct.

I think I am much more focussed and work more effectively when my study is tidy and my desk is clutter free. There are fewer distractions, I know where things are (because they are in their correct place) and so I do not waste time and energy hunting for that one bit of paper with vital information on it, or wondering where I put that book I need to consult. They have all been put into their rightful place or filed appropriately and can therefore be easily accessed when required.

Excellent!

Except I cannot do it. I will tidy my desk, arrange my study, complete my filing, and put books back on their shelves. It lasts for a day and then it all begins to go awry.

Right at the moment my desk is not as bad as it has sometimes been, but it is a large desk and (apart from my laptop, a small shelf of commonly accessed books, and the usual phone, penholders and such like) has three piles of papers under paperweights, a coffee cup (empty) , my wallet and mobile phone, a couple of things that need to be put away, a not quite finished jigsaw and a pile of books I am reading or need to read. Actually, up until a few moments ago there was a second pile of books which I was about to consult in preparation for the services tomorrow... but that pile got accidently knocked off my desk, breaking my printer’s paper tray in the process...

I am full of good intentions. I can tidy everything up. I know where everything belongs. But it does not last. Why can I not maintain the tidy study and clear desk that I want to have?

But what is somewhat more alarming is that I have come to realise that my desk is a kind of metaphor for my life. I struggle to maintain order and things get very messy all too quickly.

So here’s the dilemma... do I keep trying to get – and keep- everything in order or do I learn to accept that I live with a messy desk... and – indeed – a messy life?