In the Midst of a Mess

The majority of April and the entire month of May were both absolutely ridiculous, as far as how much I had to do...hence the reason I haven't posted in a while. We were able to slip in a week in the mountains of North Carolina; that was wonderful!

But it seems now things have died down, so I wanted to take some time and post a blog! The following was my article that was actually featured over at www.ducksnarow.com - what a fun experience to be a guest-blogger! But I realized I didn't share it with all of you, so here goes!

In the Midst of a Mess

I meet regularly with a particular business associate of mine, and, although the meetings are generally filled with creative ideas and inspirational conversations, I typically dread them. Why? Because it all happens in the midst of a mess.

Now, it's been said that "a messy desk is the sign of a creative mind"...and I'm inclined to agree with that...to a certain extent.  However, I don't think it's EVER been said that "a clean desk is a sign of a stale consciousness"...and I wouldn't believe that for a moment.

Here's the thing: how can you be productive and unleash all of your creativity to make a positive difference in the world, when you can't even find a pen to write yourself a reminder with? A clean sheet of paper to write the reminder on? A flat space on the desk to write without poking holds in your piece of paper?

Whether it's a small space on your kitchen counter, a cubby under your stairs, a home study or a corner office with a view of downtown, there MUST be some form of organization if you are to ever thrive in your environment.

So, here's a simple task for today.

Make stacks.

That's all! Make stacks! Three stacks, to be exact. You can make three stacks!

Stack #1: Garbage (And don't say that everything you have is important and can't be thrown away...that's a whole different post! I guarantee you that you will find at least three things to put in your Garbage stack!)

Stack #2: Action (Whether it's a bill to be paid, a paper to grade, software to return or a picture to hang on the fridge, it requires action. Don't DO it...just put it in the stack.)

Stack #3: File (In order to keep yourself from having to continually work in the mess, some things just need to be put away. Again, don't DO it right this minute...just put it in the stack.)

Hey, guess what? You've just made sense of the mess! Shred your Garbage stack, and come back tomorrow! When you return, file a few papers and take action on a few items.

If something new arises, add it to one of your stacks! Before you know it, your work area will be wide open and even more conducive to your creative genius.

Try it. It'll work. I promise!

I got a couple inspiring comments on this one!

"It sounds so simple, yet we don't do it on a regular basis... life seems to get in the way of being productive...sad, I know. Your post has motivated me to go and do this right now! Thank you :)"
--Janel

"Great advice! I'm a little OCD when it comes to my desk. Everything has a place, except for papers LOL. At the end of each month, I go through everything with the goal of leaving my desk clean. I have the pleasure of enjoying the clean look of my desk for about 3 days until the clutter starts all over again =)"

--Mary

So what about YOU? What does YOUR desk look like? Are you in the midst of a mess?