clutter

What does your desk environment look like?

Does it add to your feelings of overwhelm and frustration?

The answer for many people is … YES!

Yet, for many others, the state of their cluttered desks and offices just … is.

They’ve grown used to it.  Or ignore it. Or choose to live with whatever negative energies it might be triggering in them.

Some claim that they need the chaos to thrive. That it, somehow, enhances their abilities, creativity, and stamina. Sort of what Samson’s hair did for him.

They revel in being productive in spite of it … or because of it.

Others fear what they may lose if their areas were cleaned with junk and obsolete notes and files discarded, and organization imposed on the useful items remaining.

A solid foot in both camps

Personally, I’m guilty of not always doing what I preach. I LOVE working in a clean and tidy environment. Yet, there are many periods throughout the year when neither my home, nor my home office, are showcases of organized brilliance and clarity.

Perhaps “guilty” is not the most accurate term to describe how I feel about the often messy state of my environment. I only sense guilt when a particular mess creates negative energy that manifests in feelings of overwhelm and frustration.

Yet, sometimes certain messes, which might look to others to be an overwhelming disaster in the making, produce  a sense of pride and achievement in the making. Such as when I’m waist deep in organizing buckets of notes and reference items that are all part of a project that’s finally moved from idea to a bonafide work-in-progress.

Ah, yes!

Now there’s a mess I can embrace and live within for an extended period of time!

Your messes — your feelings

Not surprisingly, one of the first things many of my clients want help with is tackling the overwhelm and chaos of their environments. They yearn for clarity yet are fearful of what organization and tidiness might do to their innate creativity and resourcefulness. They often most fear their assumed inability to keep things clean and tidy once they commit to change.

Many question their sanity in even thinking about an attempt to bring order to the chaos.

After all, there are often others to blame for the state of the clutter and chaos. Right?  Hmmmm.

Productivity and success with a heathly dose of clutter on the side

In my world, you aren’t likely to succeed without some disorganization and clutter along the path from time to time. Recognizing messes for what they are and are not is an important factor in your journey to success.

Perhaps it’s time to take an in-depth look at how you can be productive in spite of … or because of … the messes cluttering your environment.

In the meantime, take a look at the state of the work environments of some other famous and not-so-famous folks by clicking HERE.  That link will take you to an article on LinkedIn – Where I Work featuring 50+ Places Where Great Ideas Are Born.

I invite you to share your own experiences … and the various clean / messy states of your own work environments in the comment section below. It’s a wonderful way to get and give encouragement and support to each other.