Sigh.
Back in August, I was featured at Kittling: Books’ Scene of the Blog feature. Kathy had asked for a photo of my blogging space earlier in the year, and she had impeccable timing, because I had just cleaned my office when I received her email.
I pulled out the picture today, because it’s such a great reminder of what my office can look like:
But right now I am deep in the midst of my busy season with work and deadlines, not to mention doing NaNoWriMo last month, and I’m afraid you can’t even see the color of my desk. And the two cabinets at the very front of the picture are buried under an avalanche of page proofs, books, and my little one’s art stuff.
I’d take a picture but I don’t really want to immortalize the state of things as they are right now!
So I thought I’d re-post this picture of what my office can actually look like, as a sort of inspiration to myself. And just maybe, I’ll be able to get around to cleaning it this weekend. We’re having a tapas drop-in party in a week and a half and it would be a Very Good Thing if the office was tidy(ier).
Yes, I’d be happy even with tidier.
I’ve tried to be more organized – I even toyed around with the Get Things Done system once. But unfortunately, it didn’t stick. It’s funny, too – I have a whole shelf full of books about getting organized.
I just wish someone would write a get-organized book for pilers, because that’s what I am. I pile. Everything.
What is your work area like? Do you get as messy as me, or are you very organized? Or somewhere in between? Are you a piler?
And if you’re organized, I’d love to know how you do it (especially if you’re an organized piler, if that’s even possible) – any how-to-get-organized tips that work for you would be appreciated!
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{ 26 comments… read them below or add one }
Is your desk messy? The Mess That Is My Desk http://msbookish.com/the-mess-that-is-my…
I’m definitely a piler!
Generally the piles are organized–i.e., I’ll have a pile of stuff to file, a pile of books to review, etc., but sometimes they spill over into one another, and when there gets to be TOO MANY piles, then it just looks like a mess…like right now.
.-= aquafortis´s last blog ..Writers: Opportunity Knocks =-.
I tend to pile things up too. Luckily, I have a roll-top desk, so as long as the piles aren’t too high I can just close it! However, the mess does get to me. Maybe your next project can be the book for organizing the pile makers.
I am a master piler. I have piles for work. Piles for mss in varying stages of success. Piles for kid stuff, piles for ideas, piles for bills and piles for my piles. I even pile things up in my filing cabinet rather than hang the files on the hangy things.
Thankfully my office is in the basement and my piles are kind of out of site.
I have faith in you on organizing your disorganization. : )
.-= Cat Woods´s last blog ..Tense about Tenses =-.
I’m a piler. Like Cat, I even pile things in my filling cabinet.
I was really hoping to see your desk now, so I wouldn’t feel so disorganized.
.-= Cathryn´s last blog ..Murderous Intent =-.
I can’t stand clutter at all, yet my workspace stays cluttered – mostly with notes to myself. Cut yourself some slack and enjoy this time of year.
.-= Kathy´s last blog ..Wondrous Words Wednesday =-.
Aww. I wanted to have the side by side comparison! It is so hard for me to keep desk clutter down, but I have found a few things that help me keep my book notes into control.
.-= Nicole´s last blog ..Locked In, by Marcia Muller =-.
FLYLady calls those Hotspots because soon they flare up into 5 alarm piles o junk. Her solution is to spend 15 min. a day (or however much time you have to spare at the end of your day) “putting out fires.” Set a timer and go. You will be amazed at how much you can get done in 15 min. Try it once and see what happens.
.-= Petunia´s last blog ..Review: Breaking Her Fall =-.
I’m a terrible piler. A nice tidy looking pile (or 10) is about as clean as it gets around here. It’s funny because at work I’m the most obsessive compulsively organized person around, and I get really grumpy if things aren’t in their places and chaos is beginning to break out. I must use it all up there, because by the time I get home, I’ve got no desire to organize or tidy at all and, as a result, most of my own personal space looks like a total dumping ground half the time!
.-= Megan´s last blog ..Wild Roses by Deb Caletti =-.
Count me in as another piler! I don’t have an office at home – I have a laptop. Everything is in the laptop. I do have bookshelves pretty much everywhere.
Now at school, my piles are kind of scary. The kids even know that I organize by pile, and when I’m looking for something, they ask if I’m going through the right pile
.-= Jemi Fraser´s last blog ..Pay It Forward =-.
Okay, I have to admit, I am a stickler for a clean desk. Err–on the surface, at least. Most of the clutter from my desk ends up in the DRAWERS I have, which become nightmarish.
Good luck getting everything under control! Maybe you should ask for some drawers for Christmas, lol.
.-= Cass´s last blog ..Confession: SURPRISE!explained =-.
Same here. I’m a total piler and my piles are tipping over. I have these turtle stickers on each corner of my desk and my 2 yr old keeps shoving aside papers and books trying to find them.
.-= Debbie´s last blog ..Dark Visions: Vol. 2-3, The Possessed and The Passion =-.
My work area is trashed too. I have books EVERYWHERE!
.-= Ladytink_534´s last blog ..This’ll Be the Day That Someone Dies =-.
I’m a piler too. I have piles everywhere, although I always know what’s in them and they’re related. Piles of books, piles of papers, I even manage to pile the dishes in unsteady ways (according to husband). LOL. Glad I’m not alone!
.-= Meghan´s last blog ..Review: Daisy: The Life and Loves of the Countess of Warwick, Sushila Anand =-.
I keep 4 empty banker’s boxes in the garage. When people are coming over, all the notes and papers go in, and they go into the car. Piler? who ME?!!!
.-= rhapsodyinbooks´s last blog ..Review of Monk’s Hood by Ellis Peters =-.
I’m a piler too, but I can usually find things. Once though I lost a book called “How to Get Organized in 14 Days.” It got buried shortly after I read the first chapter; it turned up only several months later. Seriously, I need professional help.
.-= Beth F´s last blog ..Clear Off Your Shelves: Wrap Up =-.
You have such a nice workspace! I think you should post a “messy” picture so we can see the difference
.-= Stephanie´s last blog ..Showin’ Off my Shelves: Shelf #4 =-.
Count me in with the messy pilers. My entire home office looks like a tornado just went through it. I have boxes – donations, good intentions, etc. – and books everywhere. My filing pile gets really high sometimes although I try to file while my slow computer boots up or turns off. Like Mehan I also pile dishes until I wash them and that irritates Dave. And don’t get him started on my piles of magazines, please!
.-= Barbara´s last blog ..Media Hooked on Wrong Side of White House Crashers =-.
I bet my desk is worse than yours. I left it behind me (upstairs) three years ago and has used my laptop downstairs ever since. I may do something about it some day, but not in the dark winter time. Perhaps one summer ….
But one of the disadvantages of a huge, old vicarage is that I never succeed in tidying up all the rooms at the same time. I may begin in one end, but then something happens (visitors, holiday, influenzas, a pile of essays to mark …)
.-= Dorte H´s last blog ..Gunnar Staalesen and Fallen Angels =-.
Hey, another piler here! Hmmmm….we almost all have books and piles in common. Someone should do a study…
I second what Petunia says. My best strategy is a good old egg timer. You set it for :20 minutes and go! Start sorting and going through things. Now the rule is that you can not go beyond the amount of time you set for yourself, so if you said ten minutes, fifteen mintes, twenty minutes, or whatever, that’s it! You have to stop when the bell goes off. The magic is that once you get going, you will find yourself looking over at that timer and as the minutes tick down, your pace will pick up. You will be amazed at how quickly you start doing things and how much you can get down in three minutes. But, don’t just believe me, try it! (I do this when it comes to cleaning the bathroom too. Yuck. But I get it done quickly!)
I also am a piler – except that my piles tend to be extremely messy unorganized piles. I pile books and papers and backacks and gloves and dishes and reall anything, even if it normally couldn’t be piled. I pile it.
I wish my desk could look as clean someday as yours does in the picture. At least you have that to look at as inspiration.
.-= Audrey/brizmus´s last blog ..Blog Tour Review: A Note from an Old Acquaintance by Bill Walker =-.
I used to be a horizontal, top of the desk piler too. Then we went on the road in this RV and that sort of thing is impossible unless I want those piles flying all over the place while driving. Now my piles tend to be in file folders (the kind that are closed on the sides) and tote bags. Those are much easier to clean out and either save or throw/give away. My method is similar to Jill’s banker boxes. I suggest you do one of these during the next month and just enjoy the holiday season. The other solution is to just shut the door. Well, I guess you could just clean it all up but where’s the fun in that.
.-= Margot´s last blog ..Look What I Found: Some Light Reading =-.
I follow you on twitter so came here to say hi.
I am an author and admire your office.
My files are in several places, so yours looks more organized.
.-= Terra´s last blog ..children’s book giveaway God Gave Us Christmas & God Gave Us Love =-.
My desk alternates between looking like yours in this picture and being a complete disaster. I think messes just mean we are too busy being creative to clean and organize!
.-= Kathleen´s last blog ..Sunday Salon – A Very Productive Week =-.
I have a filing cabint and every WIP has its own folder – this feels very grown up. And I have a bookshelf for each WIP, where i collect my research materials. Adding to them is very satisfying. Oh and I still need to make piles,,,
When Kathy emailed me my desk was a mess. I keep meaning to send her a photo for her feature, but my desk never get tidy enough!! One day I’ll amke the effort, but at least you don’t have to worry about producing another picture for her!
.-= Jackie (Farm Lane Books)´s last blog ..Flowers for Algernon – Daniel Keyes =-.