Sunny’s statement depends on whether the desk is disorganized from the view of an observer or the user. Some desks can truly be disorganized, but some appear that way due to the nature of the work. The user’s layout looks like chaos yet is logical and efficient to them.
I used to keep my office at work very organized. Anyone would be able to walk in and find the data for whatever projects I was working on. The problem was that people did just that and would use data that was not ready for publication then get mad because I determined for one reason or another to discard some data (instrument issues, reproducibility issues, and other quality control issues). I found that messing up my system and making my office look haphazard prevented that. I was still organized, it just didn’t look like it.
I always had a cluttered desk, my whole career. I knew where everything was, so I had no problems.
One day toward the end of my working career (I was 71) we had a visit from headquarters.
We had been told to clean up our desks and work areas because the CEO might come through on an a casual walk thru/inspection.
Well, there I was, working my ass off as usual because I LOVED my job (I never let my bosses know that), when a group of people came into my office/cubical area.
Yep, it was the CEO and the upper level managers of the local branch.
The CEO looked pretty young. It turned out he was actually 55 – our company was privately owned and worth multi billions of dollars – it was a family thing.
He looked at me, looked at my desk, and said, “A cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind.”
Now, at that stage of my life, I felt like I was above the law. I had been tinkering with the idea of retirement (I did retire at 73), and I kind of didn’t care what happened work wise. I did truly love my job, but I wouldn’t miss my job that much if I lost it.
So I looked at him, right in the eye, and asked, old man to young Turk, “So, what’s your desk like?”
He answered, “Oh, my desk is clean – not cluttered at all.”
I immediately replied, “Well, an empty desk is a sign of an empty mind.”
He did a double take, and then stepped back a little and whispered to a manager in the group, and they then had a little tete-a-tete.
Finally he turned back to me, laughed, and said, “You get a pass on this one.”
And the group moved on, and no one ever came back to speak to me about it.
For decades i’ve been looking for a magazine glossy color photo of Richard Branson of Virgin Airlines.
He was cross-legged on the bedroom floor next to his bed of his London flat with all of his work paper arrayed about him..he had his corded phone to his ear as he is when he’s in the mood to call randomly one of his airliners. He’d ask the flight attendant to give the phone to someone, they’d go to a random passenger, slowly hand the phone over, and intone, ’It’s for YOU..’
David Huie Green LoveJoyAndPeace almost 4 years ago
“I have an esoteric filing system,”
aKG1 almost 4 years ago
Sunny’s statement depends on whether the desk is disorganized from the view of an observer or the user. Some desks can truly be disorganized, but some appear that way due to the nature of the work. The user’s layout looks like chaos yet is logical and efficient to them.
Orcatime almost 4 years ago
1 Teacher: 30 Students. 1 Assignment: 30 grades.
jagedlo almost 4 years ago
Like father, like son…
nicewriter almost 4 years ago
“An empty desk displays an empty mind”
elliel203 almost 4 years ago
Some also say a disorganized workspace is a sign of genius…miss smartypants
Ellis97 almost 4 years ago
I’ve been pretty stressful, so my desk ain’t in the best shape.
artmer almost 4 years ago
Yes. I don’t tell you where to put the knives and forks, so mind your business.
Michael G. almost 4 years ago
Careful, Frank. Answer in grammatically correct sentences; twenty-five words or less! :op
Rhetorical_Question almost 4 years ago
Mug shots of students on the wall!
LadyPeterW almost 4 years ago
“What is normal for the spider, is chaos for the fly.” Thank you, Morticia Addams!
ajr58(1) almost 4 years ago
“A clean desk is a sign of a sick mind.”
Holilubillkori Premium Member almost 4 years ago
I pile em up and file em once a month…lol :^)
Jimmyk939 almost 4 years ago
Eye of the beholder. If you know where everything is on your desk, it’s not disorganized.
poppacapsmokeblower over 3 years ago
I always heard, “An empty desk means a cluttered mind and a a cluttered desk means an empty mind.”
pchemcat over 3 years ago
I used to keep my office at work very organized. Anyone would be able to walk in and find the data for whatever projects I was working on. The problem was that people did just that and would use data that was not ready for publication then get mad because I determined for one reason or another to discard some data (instrument issues, reproducibility issues, and other quality control issues). I found that messing up my system and making my office look haphazard prevented that. I was still organized, it just didn’t look like it.
christelisbetty over 3 years ago
Is it really disorganized if you know where everything is ?
asrialfeeple over 3 years ago
If a disorganised desk is the sign of a disorganised mind, of what, then, is an empty desk?
RonBerg13 Premium Member over 3 years ago
I always had a cluttered desk, my whole career. I knew where everything was, so I had no problems.
One day toward the end of my working career (I was 71) we had a visit from headquarters.
We had been told to clean up our desks and work areas because the CEO might come through on an a casual walk thru/inspection.
Well, there I was, working my ass off as usual because I LOVED my job (I never let my bosses know that), when a group of people came into my office/cubical area.
Yep, it was the CEO and the upper level managers of the local branch.
The CEO looked pretty young. It turned out he was actually 55 – our company was privately owned and worth multi billions of dollars – it was a family thing.
He looked at me, looked at my desk, and said, “A cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind.”
Now, at that stage of my life, I felt like I was above the law. I had been tinkering with the idea of retirement (I did retire at 73), and I kind of didn’t care what happened work wise. I did truly love my job, but I wouldn’t miss my job that much if I lost it.
So I looked at him, right in the eye, and asked, old man to young Turk, “So, what’s your desk like?”
He answered, “Oh, my desk is clean – not cluttered at all.”
I immediately replied, “Well, an empty desk is a sign of an empty mind.”
He did a double take, and then stepped back a little and whispered to a manager in the group, and they then had a little tete-a-tete.
Finally he turned back to me, laughed, and said, “You get a pass on this one.”
And the group moved on, and no one ever came back to speak to me about it.
spaced man spliff over 3 years ago
Happy Valentine’s Day. Be sure to wear red or you’ll get pinched. And drink red beer.
cosman over 3 years ago
For decades i’ve been looking for a magazine glossy color photo of Richard Branson of Virgin Airlines.
He was cross-legged on the bedroom floor next to his bed of his London flat with all of his work paper arrayed about him..he had his corded phone to his ear as he is when he’s in the mood to call randomly one of his airliners. He’d ask the flight attendant to give the phone to someone, they’d go to a random passenger, slowly hand the phone over, and intone, ’It’s for YOU..’
Enter.Name.Here over 3 years ago
The saying I heard and go by is:
“The most creative people often have the messiest desks.” I am the embodiment of that true statement.
techie_42 over 3 years ago
Darn. you made me take a good look at my home office. Yuk.