I haven’t sat at my desk for months. Not because I haven’t been working, I’ve just migrated to the couch for the summer. My desk has stacks of loosely gathered clutter and it rather overwhelms me. Reading Leo Babauta has made me analyse my work area so much that I can’t concentrate at my desk – which sometimes works against me, after all, clutter is my middle name.
When I lived in Bathurst I had strewn on my desk jewellery, photos, books, CDs, the pill, business cards. And I was happy. My clutter served as visual reminders of what I needed to get done. But now, I am neither here or there.
Clutter is great if you’re constantly looking for inspiration. I’ve read many bloggers that dedicate posts to inspiration walls. Looking at photos can change your mood. If you’re a negative thinker, a great quote could snap you out of your bad thoughts. Clutter, when done correctly, can act as a reminder of warm occasions and change your train of thought to happier things:
Post-tequila shots while playing Uno. That's how we roll.
New Years Eve 09. Clearly, my brother and I are breaking out the moves.
The downside of clutter is that you’re always jumping here and there with your visual reminders.
I’ve become a believer that a clear desk encourages a clear mind. Through a year of training myself to focus at the task on hand, I can no longer watch T.V or talk on the phone while I’m writing a blog post. It’s all or nothing. They say women can multi-task, that’s bullshit. I have the multi-tasking skills of an amoeba.
Personally, I accomplish more when I take down things from my wall and see only the black varnish of my table. But it took me a while to realise that everything has it’s place. For Tash Clutter Jayasinghe, it’s a constant up hill battle that I’m glad I’m fighting.
Understand when I say workplace, I imply somewhere that you work, which more often than not, can mean the couch. As long as you can work, I’d count it as an office.
The majority of my readers work from home, a magnet for clutter. I’d like to hear if you prefer clutter or clear work areas and why.
I like your style Ms. Constantine!
I would love to have a clear workspace, but I’m a messy messy person and prefer to have everything within reaching distance. My workspace at the moment is a 3 seater couch. One seat for me, and two for the mess.