I’ve tried to tame the little voice and convince myself that ‘out of sight doesn’t mean ignore it’ but it didn’t work.

After I missed a few deadlines because I was too neat, I stopped filing work in progress. Now it lives on my desk or in my desk drawer ontop of my stationery.

If I have to move it I have to work on it.

In the end, it really comes down to what works for you – whether it’s your office or anywhere else in your home. The only reason you should deviate from your method (provided it’s a method that actually WORKS for you – leaving stuff in piles even though you know you can’t find anything does not work) is if you have other people who need to find things in your files as well. In that case you should respect your fellow man and come up with something that works for everyone.

Personally I like to keep everything on my desk neat. I have my phone, letter tray, adding machine, stapler, cup for pens, cup for paper clips, stamp pad, mini garbage can and computer on my desk and that’s it. (Sounds like a lot, but my desk is rather wide, although not very deep…darn cubicles.) I have sorters in my drawers and hanging files for anything I need to keep in my desk. I find I work better that way. When my desk gets amassed with stuff, it stresses me out and I can’t work very well. But some people thrive in clutter – let them!

This requires a little work in the middle of the day sometimes, but it beats the starting and stopping that happens when I don’t know what to do next or what I have on my plate

Two best reasons for a cluttered desk: a/keeps the boss convinced that you’re busy and prevents him from outsourcing your job
b/keeps competitors from using a logical path to search your files/tasks/projects and stealing your ideas/clients-a necessary security procedure in the event of burglars or landlords with friends who are your (or your boss’s) business competitors. BTDT!

nice little article

and five reasons why a messy desk is a good thing

1. It takes time to organize
2.Everything is in front of you
3. Searching through piles can help you make connections
4. Organization is a form of procrastination
5.Creative thinkers are messy

you can check the website i got that from here
http://ezinearticles.com/index.....;id=998415

Maybe it would help to clarify the term, “messy.” It probably means different things to different people. I define it this way:

There’s a desk that’s covered with papers, many in stacks, maybe some stuff spread out on other surfaces or even on the floor; this may appear messy, but could simply indicate work in progress.

Then there’s a desk (or entire office) that’s mounded with paperwork from the last several years which is mixed in with last week’s fast food containers, several partially-full coffeee cups, a hairbrush, a dog leash and other items unrelated to work, and a phone that rings but can’t be located; that indicates a level of messiness that I find distressing (i.e., the aforementioned accountant).

Yes, “Sherlock Holmes” could find anything he wanted based on the quantity of dust that had gathered on his stacks of books and papers. Yes, there are incompetent clean freaks. But, alas, the reality of life is that we all make judgments based on appearances, from our offices to our wardrobes. I go to a doctor who I think is brilliant, but if he’d shown up at my first appointment in raggedy jeans and flip-flops, topped off by a coffee-stained “Grateful Dead” t-shirt, I never would have stuck around to find out how smart he is! Would you?

Snotty? Absolutely. But with a purpose: if you don’t like being called stupid for being organized, don’t assume that people with some paper on their desk are incompetent. I’ve worked for messy geniuses and tidy incompetents, and vice versa. What matters to me is getting to the end result.

Forest for the trees, people, forest for the trees.

Also, I don’t agree with the notion that anyone is too busy to have a clutter-free environment. Like loosing weight, it’s a lifestyle change. You have to learn how to work differently than you did before.

Some people have a knack for knowing precisely where they left something – I’m not like that, so I keep my paperwork in file folders that are logically labeled and stored in alphabetical or numeric order. I do that not only for myself, but for those who come after me and may need to access that information. It made things a lot easier for my boss or coworkers whenever I went on vacation or took a sick day.

Tricia

It explain that a little bit of disorder often is better than the perfect order! An interesting, and well explained, point of view.

Simone