Life as I Know It; Family; Lifestyle; and Healthy Living!
How’s your desk - at home or work?
Published on January 11, 2006 By foreverserenity In Misc

I’m sitting at my office desk right now and it looks pretty cluttered. I have a poster board with pictures of family, and various telephone numbers and a print out reminding me to “Calm Down---Shut-up—And Quit Trippin”! Yeah, sometimes I need to be reminded! LOL!

Then I have the various files sitting haphazardly awaiting my touch. I also have three framed pictures, one or two stuffed mascots, some figurines that were a gift from a client who visited with us recently – a coffee mug, I don’t even drink regular coffee or coffee for that matter often! And a Witch doll, yes a Witch! I call her my good witch and she’s smiling too.

Also on my desk is the telephone, my computer, printer and several CD’s because I enjoy listening to my music. I used to have a lot until I came to my senses and copied most of the songs into my RealPlayer Library.

My desk might be messy to someone else but I know where everything is. I know I have to clean it a bit though because the dust has built up on it and I’ve been in and out during the holidays. I’ll get around to it eventually.


According to Alijonoffice.com who conducted a survey “What does your desk says about you?” about 20 percent of workers say they are messy and 21 percent say they are “neat freaks”! I don’t consider myself to be messy, no really, I don’t.

Some other facts I learned from the survey were:

56 percent of women say they are organized and neat while 42 percent of our counterparts, the male of the species, say they’re neat too. Hmmm, I wonder if that goes for at home too. Women do we believe that? We’re talking the same man who drops his towel on the floor after a bath, right?


OK, OK, to be fair some men are pretty neat, so neat they’re the “Martha Stewarts” of their homes. My hats off to you guys.


People from the Northeast keep their a lot more organized than we who live in the South or those who live in the West.

The older you become the messier you are. I don’t know about that. Are they sure it’s not the other way around I wondered. Kids are messy, pre-teen, teenager, college age….messy!

People who are more educated and who make more money are messier than those who are not well-educated or those who earn less than $35,000 a year. Interesting!

Well, I do plan on cleaning up my desk a bit as soon as I get some of the work load completed. But in the mean time if you want to yours before mine, the quickest steps to take according to Alijonoffice is

Sort – yep, you’re going to have to do it, sort through the piles so you know what’s what!

File – put the stuff you sort into some sort of filing system

Set spaces – that means finding a place for everything and this will mean you won’t have a messy desk again!


Purge – throw the stuff you no longer want away. And keep doing it on a regular basis!

I’ll try, I really will! New Year, new rules!



To read the article in more detail, here’s the link:

Link


Comments
on Jan 11, 2006
I wouldn't call myself a neat freak, but I do like things to be neat when I can help it. Nothing in my house is ever really "dirty".....just untidy. There's a big difference between dirty and messy. My desk is messy because I always have paper and cups and office supplies on it, but I do try to wipe it down with Windex every couple weeks. I heard (I think on Oprah?) that many people have more germs on their desk than they do in their toilet! Ew. How many times do I see people eating a handful of chips straight off of their desks. Would you pick up food that fell in toilet and put it in your mouth? (OK maybe I'm being a little dramatic but statistics don't lie!)
on Jan 11, 2006
Would you pick up food that fell in toilet and put it in your mouth? (OK maybe I'm being a little dramatic but statistics don't lie!)


Hahaha Jenny you made me laugh at this one. But you're right. The amount of germs on our desk that doesn't get cleaned as often.....I don't wanna think about it!

I like to clean up too as often as I can but sometimes things stay messy for a while until I get to it.
on Jan 11, 2006
My desk is small so there isn't a lot of room for things to pile up. They do though but I probably clear it off at least once a week. In general, I try to balance Clean enough to be healthy and messy enough to be happy. That's my motto.
on Jan 11, 2006
In general, I try to balance Clean enough to be healthy and messy enough to be happy. That's my motto.


Good one!

I think we all try to find a balance somehow.
on Jan 11, 2006

I am not a neat freak!  I unclutter my desk about twice a year?  But I know where everything is.

Until I file it!

on Jan 11, 2006
At the moment, I'm using my son's metal desk so haven't got a pull out tray for the keyboard. It sits on the desk so there isn't much room
for anything except the puter, keyboard and monitor. I do have a ceramic square vase holding pens, and a framed pix of me and mom.
Alongside the pix is a miniture statue of a dog that looks like my little doggy.....
Oh and a light and kleenex. For all those tears I shed reading some blogs.

I really need a real computer desk.
on Jan 11, 2006
--The older you become the messier you are.--

Well I must've been born old because I been messy since childhood. My desk, if you were to see it you would say it's extremely messy, but I do know where everything is at all times so I would say more organized chaos than clutter.

I only have one rule for cleaning my desk, Clean every February 29th.
on Jan 11, 2006
My desk is clear... It's a corner desk, so not very big. I have stacks of notebooks, bibles and study guides on a file cabinet to the left of it (that acts as a table too). My printer is on a tray to the right of it with my Dayrunner binder sitting open to this month on top of that. I'm pretty organized with my desk.

The rest of my house...well... that's another story. *grins*

Check out flylady.com, FS... talk about purging! Dang... go look her up!
on Jan 11, 2006
I always keep an organized mess. It may look untidy but I know here I can lay my hands on anything at a moment's notice. I really hate it when somebody "cleans up" my space (home or work). grrrrrrr This is one issue when I DO bite.
on Jan 11, 2006
I grew up in a large family living in small houses so my parents instilled the idea of 'a place for everything and everything in its place' because we didn't really have the space to be messy. I've carried this over to adulthood to the point where I've been accused of being anally retentive in the past. These days, I would say I'm not so bad. The way I see it is life and living is more important than making sure the carpets are spotless or there is no dust on the bottom shelf of the bookcase (believe me, I once was this bad). Maybe this is why we get messier as we get older; we see the value of spending time doing things we like doing rather than cleaning. Mind you, I'm still not a fan of clutter.
on Jan 12, 2006
I have the ever popular "organized mess" at my work desk... yes, it does look a tiny bit cluttered, but if I need something, I know where to look for it... I am trying to be a bit more tidy, though...definitely an improvement from years past.
on Jan 12, 2006
am not a neat freak! I unclutter my desk about twice a year? But I know where everything is.
Until I file it!


Somehow we always do don't we!


and a framed pix of me and mom.
Alongside the pix is a miniture statue of a dog that looks like my little doggy.....


That's so nice.


I really need a real computer desk.


I hope you get one Trudy!


so I would say more organized chaos than clutter.


I like that! And I use that termonology sometimes too! Hehehe


only have one rule for cleaning my desk, Clean every February 29th.


Aw Chris....you're a riot!



My desk is clear... It's a corner desk, so not very big. I have stacks of notebooks, bibles and study guides on a file cabinet to the left of it (that acts as a table too). My printer is on a tray to the right of it with my Dayrunner binder sitting open to this month on top of that. I'm pretty organized with my desk.


Now your desk sounds fly! I have two dayrunners...so far I've not seen them...they've ran off somewhere.....really!






The rest of my house...well... that's another story. *grins*


Ha, I can relate....my four year old decides she likes her way of cleaning better than mine. I clean up and everything is in its place...she cleans up her toys and her toy bin by emptying them all over the carpet! We repeat that cycle everyday! So far she's winning!


Check out flylady.com, FS... talk about purging! Dang... go look her up!


I will, thanks!


I always keep an organized mess.


That's better than outright messy! So it's the same for most of us, organized chaos!



really hate it when somebody "cleans up" my space (home or work). grrrrrrr This is one issue when I DO bite.


Me too! And I know when someone's been messing with my stuff too! Annoying...grrrrrrr.....



carried this over to adulthood to the point where I've been accused of being anally retentive in the past.


I think I can relate to this. At home cleaning is pretty much a constant for me. Everyone stays out of my way.



These days, I would say I'm not so bad. The way I see it is life and living is more important than making sure the carpets are spotless or there is no dust on the bottom shelf of the bookcase (believe me, I once was this bad). Maybe this is why we get messier as we get older; we see the value of spending time doing things we like doing rather than cleaning. Mind you, I'm still not a fan of clutter.


Ditto....hahaha...ditto! Clutter is ok as long as it doesn't stay that way for months on end. And I've been guilty of that too. When I do get to it and purge, oh what a feeling



I must be delirious, so happy to get rid of clutter! I'm suffering from a cold right now, so it must be the medicine....


I have the ever popular "organized mess" at my work desk... yes, it does look a tiny bit cluttered, but if I need something, I know where to look for it...


Welcome to the club!


am trying to be a bit more tidy, though...definitely an improvement from years past.


Yep...an improvement!
on Jan 12, 2006
Clutter for me... I wouldn't notice if a dead elephant was in the doorway as long as I could get around it.
on Jan 18, 2006
Clutter for me... I wouldn't notice if a dead elephant was in the doorway as long as I could get around it.


Hehhe, some people are like that. There are times when I do that where my little one's toys are concerned, until one of us pokes a foot or almost trips!