I used to have a super-anally organized office. Of course, that was in Oregon in a work space I’d used for six years. I’d had plenty of time to figure out what didn’t work in terms of furniture layout and organization of my tools around me. I knew exactly where everything was and where it belonged. It wasn’t difficult at all. Every object in my office, including the extra staples, had a well-defined, well-confined home.
Two years and three moves later, I’m working in absolute chaos. The problems this presents are always most evident when I have the least time to do anything about it…in the middle of a project. Most of my stuff is still well-confined (in moving boxes), but there isn’t a single well-defined space in the room. Every single thing I do requires moving something first or plugging and unplugging things (I haven’t even set up my usb hub).
I’ve prioritized organizing the children and the house over my work space. In essence, I’ve prioritized children and home over my self, because, like my computer and my pocket pc, my work space is an extension of my mind. When it’s in chaos I have to hold the location of everything in my head, remember where it goes and what I need to do with it. Organization externalizes that aspect of my mind into the environment and frees up my mental energy for more interesting things. One thing I could definitely use is more mental energy.
I’ve a project due (with a self-imposed deadline) on Monday. I think I’m going to bump it back to Tuesday or even Wednesday and spend today and tomorrow focusing on my desk, on me, so that I can tackle this project without the unnecessary confusion chaotic workspace brings.
