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May 25, 2005
Are You a Messy-Desk Person?
When I read Norma's post on Monday, I took a good look around my desk and realized that I am in disorganization hell. No, seriously. The severely aged Post-its on my computer screen are beginning to huddle (are they plotting an escape?). The dried flowers on my desk (circa Valentine’s Day) blend right into the colorful mix of old mail, assignments and company paraphernalia. And I’m afraid to lean on anything other than my ballpoint-tortured wrist pad -- lest a hidden, uncapped writing instrument stab me.
But before I go on one of my rampant cleaning sprees, I take a moment to relish in my cluttered workspace. Then I do some research. And you know what? There are a whole lot of messy-desk people out there. And it is especially interesting to learn about the traits of these people when compared to those of non-messy office dwellers.
According to a recent study by Ajilon, messy-desk people (let’s call them MDP) tend to have higher salaries than non-MDP; specifically, while 66 percent of Americans making $35,000 or less per year are self-described neat freaks, only 11 percent of those earning above $75,000 claim the same. Also, the more educated tend to be messier; only 16 percent consider themselves neat, whereas the percentage for non-college graduates is 29.
Some other MDP-related findings, according to the study:
- 56 percent of women claim to keep their workspace organized, versus only 42 percent of men.
- Northeasterners are more organized than their Western, Central and Southern colleagues; 59 percent of them keep their spaces streamlined, versus 50 percent of those in the Central US, 48 percent of Southerners and 46 percent of Westerners.
- Whereas 60 percent of 18-24 year olds keep their spaces organized, only 36 percent of workers ages 55-64 claim the same.
The study also relates that your coworkers may be judging you based on your messiness; if you take three people sitting around you, for instance, one doesn’t care about your messiness, one will judge you for being messy and the last would say it depends on who you are.
Well, as good fun as a messy desk can be, I think mine’s about due for some cleaning. Let’s see. Sort, file, set space and purge (Ajilon’s suggested steps). I think I can handle that.
But don’t let the tidiness fool you; I’m still down with the MDP.
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Comments
Now tell me... Is this a legitimate interview question? Is it okay for an organization to refuse to hire (or fire) someone because they are (or aren't) a "messy-desk person"?
Just curious.
BTW, I'm a modestly-messy-but-hate-to-be-too-messy-desk person. My email folders are another story.
-- Jack Krupansky
Posted by: Jack Krupansky | May 25, 2005 6:10:57 PM
I'm a messy desk person and I'll admit it. I know people judge me based on this--how can you not? It's like someone with wrinkled clothes, you can't help but see it. Even knowing this, I count on people knowing I'm a person that gets a project completed to overshadow what my desk looks like. On most days there are so many things that have much more urgent priority, that when it comes to getting one of those done or filing, filing always loses. It doesn't get something "marked off" my list. There are days I get to catch up, but on the many days where I've already worked 10-12 hours, I don't clean up-- I just leave and get home to my family.
Posted by: Deborah | Jun 5, 2005 7:29:44 PM
In neurolinguistics people learn from mostly three sensory modes. Those who have messy deks are probaly more tactile oriented. Which is my case. However if I file, I do not see what has to be done so I will tend to forget it. In about two weeks I will clear and sort things.
Once I worked as an assistant with a MDP. We had to find ways to learn each other's system. So if you have an assistant and that person needs to work with the stuff on your desk, she should have some kind of organization that both of you can work with. Dumping all in a drawer does not work.
The sign that says "a messy desk is the sign of a creative mind" can be countered with a neat desk is a sign of obsesive personality, or just boredom.
Posted by: Busybucket | Jun 7, 2005 12:11:59 PM
The messy desk thing has always baffled me. Anyone with a job is a mechanic of some sort. I would not take my truck to a slob for repairs if I percieved he had tools scattered from hell to breakfast. Why? I can reasonably expect the internal workings of my transportation to resemble his work space when it is all said and done.
Likewise, a paper-flow mechanic involved in data storage and retrieval should develop a righty-tidy system for many reasons, not the least of which are accuracy and efficiancy.
Having said that, my boss is extremely wealthy and pretty much a slob in these matters. So what? He doesn't do it for a living.When he comes to me, I had better produce, and quick! I say if that is your trade,
drop the excuses and nail down a neat, quick work environment free of sloth and clutter. Or, better yet, get deep enough pockets to hire it done. I predict you will not hire a slob.
Posted by: airboyhoss | Jun 8, 2005 8:45:47 AM
What kind of jobs fit well for MDP?? I'm serious. I'm having to make a career change and I'm not that organized, though I am creative, great with people, do enjoy organizing events, ironically-and have a BA and a BS (IOW, I'm not slow!!)
Posted by: browngirl | Jun 8, 2005 3:14:02 PM
I just discovered something about myself from reading this article and these comments. It is true, a messy desk person is creative. I am a neat freak to a certain extent, however, I occassionally, have a messy desk. When you are a creative multi-tasker, I think it is a little difficult to keep everything immaculately tidy. Plus, I agree with the boring thing. If you are too tidy, you are probably a little uptight and boring. This is no excuse, however, to be a total slob. I think a good balance between the two is good. However, I believe you get more done, and can think clearer when your desk is neat.
Mixed emotions!!!
Posted by: nshillingford | Jun 10, 2005 8:33:44 AM
Worked in a design office for years.
Management was always on us for having a "messy" workspace because they wanted to bring clients through to show them what we could offer. AT the time we were turning out 6-8 projects a week on a consistant basis supporting a salesforce of 60. My take was, if there wasn't a slip of paper in sight when the client came through (or Upper Management for that matter) there was the expectation we weren't being productive.
I'm not sure how they expect everything to be neat and clean when plotting, copying and collating 24x36 size sheets. Of all the other offices, we had the highest productivity rate and customer satisfaction so I don't think they could complain too much.
Posted by: papermonkey | Jun 10, 2005 12:52:02 PM
I don't agree with the numbers from the original article. From what I've seen in the corporations, the higher level manager you are, the less messy your desk is. If you see a person's desk with only a laptop and a few decorations, he's probably at least a director. :)
The other thing is, the MDPs are usually technical people into details, good engineers, never good managers. Which is consistent with my first observations.
So if you want to climb the coporate ladder, better start cleaning up your desk. :)
Posted by: exMDP | Jun 11, 2005 1:23:45 AM
I worked for a brilliant man, very successful. He was a great leader and able to laugh at himself, but never at others. He kept a very messy desk. His thoughts on the matter were "a clean desk is a sign of an empty mind".
Posted by: JaneinMinnesota | Jun 14, 2005 10:56:07 AM
I tend to have things piled on my desk during the day on those things I expect to work on. They are not flooding the gates, but are at the ready. So, is the glass half full or half empty? I tend to think half full, meaning my work is ready and waiting and is a constant reminder of what I need to accomplish during that day. Close of day my desk is cleared, leaving on meaningful files in proper file holders on the desk. I knew of one Admin whose desk was "a sight for sore eyes" but when you went to her for something, low and behold! - She reached for the appropriate pile, scanned thru it and there it was! But, the outer image is what others grasp. Just as someone described going to a mechanic - but then if you knew he knew his stuff and fixed that vehicle like a charm - would you look at it as their "tools of the trade". Matter of opinion I guess, but at the end of the day it's nice to see the top of the desk or work space.
Posted by: Ter | Jun 14, 2005 11:24:59 AM
I to am of the messy sort and at a job I had in the past was "wrote" up for having it that way. When I asked what difference did it make if my production was was to par, was told by my supervisor "It just did not look good" I never lost anything on my desk. Have 30 years work expirence, married for 28 years, four children, have owned two companies and have juggled all with sucess. But the job I have now, my father was in the hospital, and a co-worker took it apon herself to cover for me. Went into my office, did not understand my system and "cleaned" my office. Needless to say, when I came back I could not find anything. So if you don't know the desk, stay away....
Posted by: A WALKER | Jun 14, 2005 12:17:34 PM
Some people just say 'F*** It' and I think thats really cool if you can stand the mess, I give you two thumbs up. I wish I could say that but I only stay messy for about a month and then I turn into 'Mr. Clean.'
Posted by: Tara Holmes | Jun 14, 2005 1:24:27 PM
I'm educated, THAT'S why I have a messy desk! A-HA!
Posted by: Tim Brown | Jun 14, 2005 1:25:42 PM
Being a Rceptionist/FedEx Admin/Meeting Room Champion/Office Answering Service/Billing Rep for 62 companies, I have no choice than to have a mess on my desk!
By about 10:00 am, I have just about every task for the day competing for space on a bench type desk. In between phone calls, courier deliveries, sorting mail and client requests, I spend the rest of the day just "getting things off my desk".
After working at this job for over two years, I have come to the conclusion that following a "plan for the day" or a "things-to-do-list" is a waste of energy. I find that just staying focused on one thing until it is completed is the only way to function here. Each day has a completely different set of variables.
I just got done filing out an Electronic Procurement Form to purchase one of those ticket dispensers you see at most delicatessen counters. When a client's number is called........
Thank goodness I'm having surgery in 2 weeks!
Posted by: Michele R. Wendland | Jun 14, 2005 1:35:47 PM
I once worked with somone that thought having a messy desk meant job security and having a neat desk meant they did not have enought to do. My desk gets messy during the day but before I go home each night I put everything away. It makes the next day start out better when my office looks organized when I get in each morning.
Posted by: Lu | Jun 14, 2005 1:40:26 PM
I like having my work on my desk so that when I leave at night I can pick right up where I left off the next morning. Whatever I'm working on at the time is on my desk. When its finished (sometimes) it gets filed, but not until I'm done with it. Plus I have neat stacks of manuals, etc. all over my desk and then I work on top of these (sort of) but when I need to refer to something its right there on my desk and I don't have to get up and look through a shelf for the right manual.
Posted by: Sally | Jun 14, 2005 3:31:14 PM
Funny thing; my desk is usually messy. I try to clean it up, but it ends up taking a least a day and in a week it's right back into its more natural state. My desk believes in entropy - "left alone things go from a state of order to disorder".
But my computer files, that's a completely different story. My computer filing system is relatively concise, sub-directories are used often and are reasonably logical. I do not have a hundred items floating around on my "desktop", and I keep my eMail in-box below 100 letters at all times and usually below 50.
I have seen "neat-desk freaks" who's computer files are a disaster. Since 95% of all of my work eminates from the PC, keeping that "desk" clean and organized has far greater impact on my productivity than my "real" one. Oh, BTW, I never miss deadlines!
Myles M.
Posted by: Myles | Jun 14, 2005 5:05:11 PM
Looks like to me this is an article written by someone trying to pass herself off as intelligent and is relying on the MD Syndrome.
Personally I think a messy desk is a sign of a lazy person. There are few things worse than asking someone for something and they say 'I've got it here somewhere'. Of course, messy to one person is organized to another.
Posted by: bubba | Jun 15, 2005 12:46:32 PM
I disagee that a messy desk has any relation to creativeness, education or ability. In my mind, a messy desk indicates a serious lack of organization skills or a lack of cabniet space. If you have any interaction with customers internal or external, a messy desk presents a negative image. Being a slob is not a measure of intelligence!
Posted by: Wannabedirector | Jun 15, 2005 1:18:20 PM
I am curious about the people in the 6 figure range those that have messy desks and those that don't.
Posted by: hector | Jun 15, 2005 1:45:29 PM
I MUCH prefer tidy, but when things get busy I don't always have time to put things away. I have a small work area, so I operate like a sailor, with a place for everything & everything in it's place. I have a spiral notebook to write notes in every day & hold various papers for current projects, & then there's my Pile, folders for current projects. My Pile is the equivalent of my Windows desktop. If it's happening, it's in my Pile (which includes my carrying bag). I LIVE to move folders from the Pile into the morgue (filing cabinets).
My boss, by the way, is a total neat freak (which I like). My last boss was a TOTAL MDP (read: SLOB). Both great guys, mind you. Bottom line is, I don't put too much stock in statistics, because, as my huband loves to say, Correlation Is Not Causation.
He's an MDP too. Big time. Takes great pride in it. Oy.
Posted by: Reg | Jun 15, 2005 2:00:50 PM
Clean desk people tend to focus on a single task. That's a quaint thought, but not reality in today's world. When the phone rings, you need to switch gears. If you spent time putting the previous task away, you'd never get anything done.
I think a clean desk is a sign of prestige, much as having clean fingernails means that you don't have to get them dirty. As far as productivity, a clean desk means that you don't have to take distractions, (you probably create them). It's nce, but not realistic.
Posted by: Jon | Jun 15, 2005 2:51:45 PM
I sometimes wonder if in fact I do have a desk. I cannot stand my desk to be covered in whatever umpteen projects I am working on at any one time. Every so often, I will get completely disgusted and clean my desk. It looks so nice and shiney, I wonder why I don't keep it this way. By noon its covered up again. Quite the viscious cycle.
Posted by: andy | Jun 15, 2005 3:43:47 PM
I try not to be a messy desk person,there's only one problem: after clearing and filing all of my seemingly unnecessary clutter, I find that I need at hand every single folder,contract and etc... that I believed should not be on my desk,in the chair in the corner and on the floor. So, in conclusion I feel much better reading about the "messy desk club", I was beginning to feel as though after all of my years of trying to explain the method to my sanity to my boss where filing is a defeated purpose and everyone else was doing it, I can direct him to this site. Thanks guys I'm in for life!
Posted by: njchick | Jun 15, 2005 3:44:33 PM
The messiness of my workspace is a direct correlation to the number of tasks I am working on at any given time.
That said, when there is time between projects, I take great joy in shoving *everything* off the desktop, then sorting through the pile and filing things away that aren't immediately necessary. That day or two with a clean desk makes me feel pretty good... but it never lasts.
I'm not sure where that places me in the survey... messy desk person, with occasional attempts at recovery?
Posted by: Jonathan Murray | Jun 15, 2005 3:49:04 PM
Jonathan, I believe we are all soldiers in the eternal war against entropy.
Posted by: Reg | Jun 15, 2005 5:46:31 PM
What does it mean when your "hard-copy" desktop is messy, but your virtual/computer desktop and My Documents folder structure is ultra-organized? I guess it reflects the two sides of my personality.
I wonder if there are any "alter-egos" of me out there, with messy computer desktops, but ultra-organized non-virtual desktops...
Posted by: kraester | Jun 15, 2005 5:51:54 PM
Many years ago I was a USAF Lieutenant who worked for an MDP Major who worked for a neat desk Lt Colonel. One day the Lt Col left a note on the Major's door which stated "A cluttered desk is the sign of a cluttered mind". To which the Major responded, attached to the note posted to the Lt Col's door "If a Cluttered desk is the sign of a cluttered desk then what does an empty desk signify?"
I am an MDP. The vast majority of it is trade publications or manuals or proposals or other documents which I was given copies of. I am also the one everyone comes to when they are looking for something because I know, usually within 10 seconds or so, if I have it, and where in that mess it is located. The neat freaks on the other hand have either filed it somewhere they cannot now quickly locate or trashed it. Like the copy of revision 15 of the capital budget plan that is now up to version 37.
I also have to agree with Sally. The computer is a different story. I am not as disciplined as she, but when my inbox gets to 100...
Posted by: Richard | Jun 15, 2005 6:01:46 PM
All this mind assessment stuff is man-made garbage. What this so-called "messy desk" personality indicates is a "cluttered mind" and symptomatic of laziness, a person who is overwhelmed with work, or it could be symptomatic of AADD (adult attention deficit disorder). If the latter is true then the onus is on management to regulate that person's work load as being overwhelmed with work is counter-productive to effectiveness. Question: would you lie down for brain surgery with a doctor who is overwhelmed and/or has this "MDP"? I dare say NOT!
Posted by: Winston | Jun 15, 2005 7:45:12 PM
Is it a coincidence that the majority of self-proclaimed "neat freaks" who added to this blog are also the most judgmental? AADD, lack of organizational skills, MD Syndrome... Feels like name-calling to me. In a time when multitasking has become the norm, messy desks come with the territory. Frankly, after having put in a 16-hr day, I think it more productive to go home and relax than to add another couple hours to clean up my desk just to take everything out again in the morning! If only my desk could act like Windows. My computer is well organized - pretty much like my brain :-) and thanks to a scanner, I’ve reduced the number of articles or reference material I need to keep around. But ask me for anything on my desk and you won’t have to wait more than a few seconds. As for my staff, I know they appreciate the fact that I’ll always fit in the time they need to listen or brainstorm. Our clients? The conference room is the only clutter-free area by mandate (well the bathrooms too!). Years ago, I remember being very annoyed with this person who would start clearing out her desk 45 minutes before quitting time. Today, I have little patience with people who cannot handle more than 1 task at the time - be it with a clean or messy desk. Finally, this educated-creative-messy Director knows which one of you she'd hired and those who wouldn't get a second interview. Cheers!
Posted by: Carol | Jun 15, 2005 10:42:00 PM
I am a MDP, but like many, I know where my stuff is. One of my problems is the physical layout of my office, which sucks. I have ordered all new furniture, made to my specifications and with what I need. It will help hugely. I recommend low hutches above the desktop where you can veritically file stuff. I am getting two of them, one on each side of the room. It should make a huge difference. Another problem is what the hell do I do with all the post-its? They grow on my desk. I know where everything is, but no one else can find it!!
Posted by: Lance Mertz | Jun 16, 2005 3:10:47 AM
I certainly cannot speak for everyone, but can tell you where I fall with this issue.
I'm a 35 year-old Director in charge of 600 employees and all the functions that support those employees. I have an MBA and earn over six figures. I am a MDP. There is too much to do for me to constantly clean my desk.
On the flip side, my email and electronic files are immaculate. Electronically, I'm very much "on top of it." If you need something done, it needs to be in my email inbox (not on my desk, not in my voicemail, not in my assistant's inbox). That's how the world revolves for me.
For client visits, I clean my desk and office to make sure they look professional. During a regular day or week, however, my desk is overrun with sticky notes and financial reports.
My wife calls my office at work the "sloppice". If I don't keep my home office looking professional, she'll clean it for me. Of course, it puts me in a state of disarray when she does this. So, I keep the home office tidy because she prefers it that way.
That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.
Posted by: Crimson | Jun 16, 2005 6:34:24 AM
Everyone,
Don't worry about a clean desk, a messy desk or the same in your PC. As Steven Covey says, "First things first".
Worry about your Board of Directors "offshoring" your jobs or your dept. or your corporation "right sizing". These things should be a bigger priority than your silly desks!
Be aware of what is going on in the global economy. Corporation jobs are shrinking just like the steel workers went through 25 years ago. Stand up for yourselves,your families, lifestyles and incomes.
Posted by: Jim C. Lewis | Jun 16, 2005 7:32:40 AM
My desk is always messy, I don't like it. The senior VP of the company I work for says "your desk is messy because you try to do too much at once".....Not to toot my own horn, but I'm everybody's goto guy for most things, so I tend to get a lot of extra emergencies heaped on top of my normal work, which leads to a messy desk. So back to what the senior VP has said, he is right in a way, the sad part about it is upper management doesn't recognize this as a problem, requiring either hiring more "goto people" or a re-structuring so certain people do not get inundated with too many emergencies which overwhelm their desk.
I feel your desk is just an extension of the workspace that is in your mind, and if you have too much going on and not enough space, whether it be your mind or your desk, its going to get messy.
Posted by: Dave Hill | Jun 16, 2005 9:12:43 AM
Yup, I'll admit I'm an MDP. But like many of the others who have admittd this, I'm (I believe) reasonably intelligent, articulate and successful.
I don't have any earth shattering observations on this subject, but I was reminded of an old office adage much quoted by a comptroller (is this significant) I once worked with. She used to look at my less than pristine work surface and say "A cluttered desk, indicates a cluttered mind" and she could be right. What then, does an empty desk tell you?
Posted by: Alex | Jun 16, 2005 9:34:56 AM
I clean off messy desks for a living. All are brilliant busy people. The problem is that they don't know what to do with a piece of paper when they finish with it or want to get back to it later. Stacks of paper grow and sprout new stacks until their desk becomes unproductive. Clean desk vs messy desk is not the issue. Creating systems that work for the individual is the issue. Keep your desk manageable!
Posted by: evelyn the organizer | Jun 16, 2005 11:52:18 AM
I work for someone who is extremely messy and I must admit it drives me completely insane. Once in a while I have to go in there and clean, bacuase it just grosses me out. I understand that some people are messy, but yet they know where everything in there mess, but not this guy. He is a big scatter brain and that's due to his mess. He always loses and forget things, whenever I give him a document to review I have to make copies becuase I know that I won't get them back. I personally believe that the neater your space is, the more organized your thoughts are and you are better able to tackle a task. It's been almost three years now and I have attempted to get him organized, but it is useless. The way I see it now is that if you need me to get something from your desk and you are not here you'll just have to wait until you get back. BTW the guy is a super smart engineer, but if he were more organized I believe that it would be conducive toward his success. Oh well, wishful thinking that one day he will change.
Posted by: Fernanda | Jun 16, 2005 5:04:06 PM
I disagree with the whole MD syndrome nonsense I think it just depends on a number of things. For starters a persons work load should be considered. Many offices are filled with those who have disasters of a desk all the time with or with out a heavy workload. While consistently tidy employees will not worry about the stack of haphazardly strewn documents and attack each piece of the messy desk pie as they should encounter it. They just so happen to be CONSISTENT. We have read about some of our most successful people in the world and found some of them are obsessive complusive neat and tidy completing the same routine day after day.While some are messy not only in their business lives but also in their private. My desk is never a mess everything has its place nothing is forgotten in a file in some drawer. I have a very busy day ,tidiness is just my way. Maybe messy deskers work better in these conditions, or maybe they just like to make excuses for themselves. How many times have you walked into an office and the man behind the desk asks you to "Please excuse the mess." Me? Countless times.What's there to excuse if it shows just how on the ball you are? If it's the intelligent thing to do let us all do it, after all let's not forget about the brillant man with unkempt hair who proposed the theory of reletivity. That is why there are so little of them it is a blessing. Those who are naturally neat have it easy. It is far easier to be messy and have the contents of your desk where you can see it. just like babies, out of sight out of minds. Maybe it is their inability to multitask in that sense, put it away and remember it at the same time, that's just too much work.
Posted by: crystal | Jun 16, 2005 6:50:12 PM
Might I also add I have noticed these messy deskers say they have immaculate pcs they wonder why that is. Well I believe I have an answer.To fix pc clutter the solution is just a click away. (No manual filing needed so go ahead and relax in office chair and click away.)
Posted by: crystal | Jun 16, 2005 7:14:02 PM
It is well known that those having a low intellect ability need to know where things are while people with a faster reaction cak keep lots of objects at the reach of their hands.
Studies of that type have been conducted in many countries over the last 50 years and all are reaching the same conclusion.
As a conclusion, I am an intelligent person, and my boss hides very well that he is a genius.
Posted by: Mark | Jun 16, 2005 7:26:42 PM
As a consultant it would be nice to have a clean desk but I believe it is a function of how much work you have. It is only when there is not a huge push or management clearly perfers neat desks that I spend the time to clean. The job is much more important and I am ussualy working 70 to 80 hours a week. Why would I want to bill a client for a half hour of clean up time. Friday evenings after I clock myself out I straighten up a bit.
Posted by: John | Jun 17, 2005 9:38:08 AM
I wasn't in any sort of corporate office setting or anything, but I used to put up sale signs and do markdowns for a retail store. There were anywhere from 6-8 of us in the same office, with just four desks between us, and one computer.
I kept my half of my desk as tidy as I could--I did keep the week's work on the top of the desk though--and I usually got done what I needed to do before everyone else did. I also have no problem multi-tasking when necessary, whether the desk is a mess or not.
My desk (which is in my bedroom) at home is another story. It, and the room it's in, are a mess 10 months out of the year. I tend to clean it every six months or so, and then I forget to fold the clean laundry, leave piles of junk on my desktop (when uncontrolled, I'm quite the packrat), scatter textbooks all over the floor, what have you. It makes it difficult to concentrate on anything, even for a minute or two when I'm multi-tasking.
So I keep both desks clean as long as possible, but I usually have more luck with the one at work.
Posted by: DSDragon | Jun 17, 2005 11:36:37 AM
I work in engineering and you are trying so hard to meet your deadlines that "messy" is the usual state.
I also once had a coworker who was so organized, he kept two pencels in his perfect desk drawer which he sharpened alternately so they would always be the same length. He would spend an hour each morning organizing his papers. He got fired because he didn't produce. My neighbor's wife would line up the food in little rows in the kitchen refrigerator. When you opened the pet food cupboard you were greeted by a chorus line of cat faces just like in a grocery store. Avoid these people
when you can.
Posted by: chastua | Jun 17, 2005 12:22:16 PM
I read this in the newsletter over a week ago and have since been paying more attention to my desk and my co-workers desks around me, and I think I've finally reached some conclusions, at least as to how my organization seems to work.
I work in a small, laid back environment where about 10 of my co-workers and supervisors each have their own space or cubicle. I've been there for almost a year and know each employee and their work ethic. In my organization, the messier the desk, the harder the worker. The people who ineveitably are expected to do the most work and have more and more responsibilities added to their job description, seem to have the messiest desks. So at least for me, to a rational extent, the appearance of one's desk doesn't come with a stigma of an unorganized or sloppy worker, it actually seems the opposite.
Although I respect everyone I work with, some of my co-workers definitely work much harder than others, and are valued as more important employees to my supervisor. For instance, one co-worker who has the most responsibility and the most work expected to be done on a daily basis, has the most overwhelming desk of the bunch. She does not have to meet with clients, however, and as long as it works for her, no one seems to judge her for it including our supervisor. Ironically though, she is the most diligent and organized (mentally) co-worker I have. She knows where everything is, she is very ahead of the game, and everyone sees her messy desk as a reflection of the workload she is expected to undertake.
For myself though, I find my desk in shambles from time to time and I would like to find a way to maintain organization. I try to block out some time weekly to just organize and sift through the papers, but this is my first job with my own space and I'm findng that I tend to end up making piles and giving up too easily. Does anyone have some organizational ideas that I can try to implement into my daily lifestyle, that won't take my time away from meeting with customers and that I can easily put into practice. From time to time, I have to meet with customers in my space and I don't like the idea that they may think I'm unorganized and overwhelmed by my job. I wish there had been a required time management/organizational course I was required to take in college!
Posted by: Christie | Jun 17, 2005 11:30:39 PM
MDP people.
99% of the junk on your desk is unnecessary prinited e-mails and documents that you can easily view on your computer. We are moving towards a paperless world. You are the ones pulling the rest of the wolrd behind. I am curious to know the age group for the MDP. I am sure most of them are the "old" generation.
Posted by: Murmintoh | Jun 18, 2005 9:02:19 AM
From Proverbs: "Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean; but much increase comes from the work of the oxen." I have come to simply dusting around the stacks, and throwing the trash out. Every few months, I file.
Posted by: David | Jun 20, 2005 3:03:50 AM
Some people are neat. Some are not. That's about it. I mean, I'm no more intelligent when my desk gets messy than when its neat. hmmm...
Posted by: jenm | Jun 22, 2005 4:48:15 PM
From the $35,000 range to $75,000 range, I'd expect to see people have more on their desk simply because the higher paying job is probably requiring more. However, when you go from $100,000 to $300,000 I think you'll find much neater desks. People in that range are usually being paid for doing a few specific things. They are much more focused in what they do, so they will tend to have cleaner desks.
Posted by: Productivity Blog | Oct 8, 2005 12:50:07 AM
I am a Pro-messy desk person. i do cnc programming and my desk it a mess all day every day, well mostly, and i get a ton of work done. my desk is so bad that through out the day is spreads onto the desk of our second shift programmer and when he gets to work in the afternoon i has this pissed look on his face when he sees his desk. well to cut to the point, out of all the work that gets done in a day, I do 70-85% of it. this is with guys comming in the ofice and asking me too look at stuff for them all day. the other programmer is here at night with only a few people in the shop and they dont ask for stuff from the cnc department. I think that neat freaks need to have a clean desk because they cant keep track of as much in their head and they get confused very easly, but im not saying that this is the case 100% of the time.
Posted by: leon | Oct 13, 2005 3:40:34 PM
I used to have a messy desk at my last job. I was extremely busy there, comfortable with a culture of job security for messy desk people (MDP). Wrong, I was part of the downsizing. I temped for a long time and noticed that most MDPs disliked their jobs. The neat desk people (NDP)were usually in accounting or graphics. The admins who were NDPs were always accountable for anything and kept their papers online or in the database.
At my new job, I file everything away, throw out the excess and efile the huge documents. MDPs say, "You don't look busy. Can you help me?". Of course I obliged but now I'm refusing b/c when I go to their desks, papers are falling off but you don't see MDPs filing them. You do see some taking 2 hour lunches on company pay. And when a mtg approaches, MDPs can't find their copies, which are sitting right in front of them or enclosed on email. Other MDPs are engineers, scientists and doctors and I can understand the chaos but they usually can find any document among their mess. I'm not saying that all MDPs are bad. It's just a personal choice.
After having to eyeball many 2 foot stacks of paper when starting my new job, I have changed my work ethic to keeping only the vital information and putting the excess away or in the trash/recycling. I am a reformed MDP to a NDP because I work more efficiently without clutter. I meet deadlines on time now. I never lose a document and I have more room to work. I am much happier at work.
Posted by: Mae | Jan 18, 2006 3:01:35 PM
Interesting article. Going to a brief on the 5S organziation system this morning, anticipating the topic of cluttered desks to come up.
32% of statistics are made on the fly, and all that. This one says clean it up so you get a raise: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/236527_cleandesk15.html while this one says educated and rich people don't need to worry: http://www.ajilonoffice.com/articles/what_does_your_desk_say.asp
My personal take is, like anything, keep the end in mind. the end goal is NOT a clean desk. The only sitaution where a clean desk would be the objective would be in a furniture store. However, beeing efficient and fidning what you need within 30 to 60 seconds or less is an end goal. Whatever it takes to do that, great.
Peronsally, I am progect orientated, and have about 4 major projects on the go at any one time. These projects are strewn across geographical regions of my desk. I comply with my self-imposed time limit, but it's not the most attractive thing in the world.
I gauge it on efficiency. What is the cost in time of maintaining a neat desk vs. the cost of in time of having things at the ready? It takes me longer to go to maintain the file cabinet than it does to filter through the geographic area of my desk. There are times when that is no longer true, at whioch point I do need to do a bit of sorting.
Just my unrequested thoughts after stumbling across a bunch of great comments on an interesting topic...
Posted by: Chad | Feb 22, 2006 5:31:36 PM
Everyone that was at the top of the corporate ladder and also successful and productive at their job, had a messy desk.
Everyone who got there because they knew somebody, nepotism, were not productive and were incompetent as a rule. They usually had an empty desk, an empty office, and an empty mind.
Posted by: Observer | Mar 12, 2006 10:50:22 PM
I thoroughly enjoyed reading about MDP and NDP. I do not make six figures, as I am an English teacher, but I have a very messy desk. I try to keep my classroom organized for the students. They turn their work into neatly stacked trays by class period. I find I generally have several "projects" going on at one time like many of the other responders, and digging folders from the filing cabinet is not my style. I found it is handy to have the metal file holders on my desk to keep folders I use often close at hand.
I am also like many other MDPs it seems, in that I worry others will think my messy desk is a sign of laziness or an inability to organize. While I don't want to promote this inaccurate judgement, I find that there aren't enough hours in the day to clean my desk on a daily basis. I tutor after regular school hours so I work at least ten hours a day in my classroom and another hour or so a day outside of my classroom. There must be time to spend with my family.
If only I had a secretary...
Posted by: Lisa Owens | Mar 24, 2006 12:38:08 AM
I use to have a messy desk area until I purchased a small, inexpensive yet powerful desktop scanner from Canon. Now I simply scan all my incoming important documents and have cleared up and organized a large section of my desk.
Posted by: Document Imaging Services | May 1, 2006 4:49:10 PM
Messiness is next to Godliness.
Posted by: Rob | Jun 19, 2006 9:46:01 PM
I work for an extreme MDP; unfortunately I also share office space. My own tiny work area is kept neat. However I fully expect the local fire department to condemn the office as a hazard if they ever see it.
My office mate is "not a vertical person"; translation - files, papers, mail (including checks and bills) spread horizontally on every surface, including the floor, in the office itself, on waiting room counters, treatment areas etc. Any flat surface is fair game. End result: we ALL end up playing "find the folder" which costs the boss our time and his, not to mention loss of income from charges not posted or errors corrected in a timely manner. The MDP absolutely FREAKS if any of us tries to organize (e.g. put in piles, forget filing) and tells us we'll have to live with it. If I had a nickel for everytime I asked "do you have so-an-so's chart?" I could retire early. The MPD's spouse confirms it carries over at home, too.
Posted by: Floretta | Jun 1, 2008 2:28:45 PM
