Do you keep a messy desk?

wonkatalia

I went through a bit of a cleaning and organizing streak last week at work.  I filed away all of my papers and cleaned my entire office.  Then my boss comes in and says "Your office is too clean.  It looks like you don't have anything to do.  Get some papers out or I'm going to give you some work to do!" I work on the computer.  I don't really need papers all the time, but I got some papers out and continued working on what I was doing on the computer.  Then she came in and gave me more work anyway.  FML.

So, do you keep your workspace intentionally messy?  lol.  This seems so stupid to me, but I keep hearing "perception is reality" and that freaking drives me insane.  Can't I just have a tidy office?

Ms5586

I tend to have a messy desk.  I often work on things that are comparison based (such as an old format being updated to a new one), and it's easier for me to have paper copies around me than trying to do that on the computer.  I try to have each separate project in a manila folder, that I then put in a binder at the end of the day.

DragonflyBelle

My desk is organized chaos.

 

Leila'sMommy

I have two stacks of paper on my desk - left side is work to be done, right side is work that is done and needs to be filed.

I work primarily on the computer but I work in records, so I have a lot of paperwork that accompanies that. 

I try not to eat at my desk, but when I do, I take my dishes to the kitchen right afterward. 

I think it's ridiculous for any boss to assume that just because you are paperless on your desk, you don't have enough work to do.

jandy09

Semi-organized chaos. The projects I work on can take up entire 3-ring binders. I prefer to do everything on the computer and image whatever is on paper. However, my sup is old fashioned and wants paper. I keep most of the projects so he doesn't lose them.

gnomemom

Wow, that's crazy! I keep my desk very clean, partially because I like my work space organized, and partially because my boss expects it. She is very particular, and thinks a tidy work space reflects how well you perform. I don't agree, but I'm not going to push her on it. I think it's funny how differently our bosses think about it.

wonkatalia

cruelsound:

I was JUST thinking about this. I still have my dishes from breakfast on my desk and it's driving me crazy, but I'm way too lazy to go and wash them. As fas as papers go, I don't work in a place where lack of papers = no work. Our company wants us to use as little paper as possible.

My desk is super tidy and organized for the most part. I hate clutter and mess and crap everywhere, it really makes me feel uncomfortable. I grew up with a mom who just loved to buy shiit and I'm so anti-clutter now that I find myself getting rid of things just to get rid of them.

See, this place is completely the opposite.  People here waste so much money printing crap out that it's ridiculous.  They actually have a lean initiative to print LESS but I get in trouble for not printing enough?

My first job after college was with a bank that had huge "paper handling procedures" and they discouraged unnecessary printing (expense and privacy issues).  So, that's just what I've always done.  It irritates me that I have to go against policy and print MORE just to make it look like I'm busier.

wonkatalia

gnomemom:

Wow, that's crazy! I keep my desk very clean, partially because I like my work space organized, and partially because my boss expects it. She is very particular, and thinks a tidy work space reflects how well you perform. I don't agree, but I'm not going to push her on it. I think it's funny how differently our bosses think about it.

Ha!  Maybe we should swap jobs. 

PrincessFiona9

My desk is very tidy. But if you open the drawers, it's a little messy in there. Papers just piled up and whatnot. We rarely need to use papers for our job, so there's no reason to have stuff out. When I'm at work the only stuff sitting on my desk are my purse, my kindle and/or mp3 player, and a calculator.

MandaPanda518

I keep my desk pretty organized for my own sanity. If it's a mess, I'm a mess.