the war of the dust bunnies....

I'm not a fastidious person when it comes to a clean desk. I admit, I'm one of the most organized people in the office, but general desk conditions can vary greatly over the year. The past few weeks have been very hectic with a great deal of pressure on deadlines. In focusing on projects for intense periods of time, I've neglected other items on my desk, creating a backlog of work, and a breakdown of my organizing system. I can't tell what's in my inbox and what isn't - I just know it's overflowing and there are papers everywhere. So when this occurs, usually several times a year, I suspend all work activity and organize, organize, organize. This is also the time for me to clean, clean, clean. It was pretty sad. I'd noticed that the dust bunnies were getting out of control because dust would float around on my desk every time I moved something. I'd blow off the dust and continue working, ignoring the need to clean everything. This morning, however, I could ignore it no longer. The dust bunnies were staging a coup and I was losing the battle. Now, because in May my position was merged with another (I know work the equivalent of two full-time positions), I was moved to one of the largest desks in the office. However, it's still not big enough to hold my files, which are at my "other" desk (this is not efficient, but I manage). It takes a lot of cleaning and organizing to get my desk situated, especially moving items between two desks. It's now been about 1.5 hours and I've only just finished "cleaning". I still need to organize my inbox. *sigh*

My biggest problem when organizing is how to fit in all of my "necessities" around the desk objects. For example, I always have two reality-check quotes posted somewhere where I can see them easily. The first is a quote by Aristotle,

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."

The second is a quote from Buddha,

"Focus, not on the rudeness of others, not on what they've done or left undone, but on what you have and have not done yourself."

They ground me when I get angry about tasks or projects that didn't work out quite right. It makes me take a look at my own actions and consider what I might have done differently to obtain a more successful outcome. Another necessity is at least one Calvin & Hobbes comic strip. They change occasionally as I get tired of one and want another displayed. (I get a C&H strip every day in email as a way to get some therapeutic laughter. I even hoard them in an email file in case I really need something to lighten up a dark mood.) I also have a comic of a little bird emerging from it's shell and exclaiming "Oh Wow! Paradigm Shift!" to remind me that everyone sees things differently and not to discount another view of a problem or solution. I copied it out of a Franklin Covey publication. Which brings me to my next item, the Franklin Covey Time Management Matrix. I had attached this little table onto my computer monitor in the hopes that it would encourage me to continue to apply the time management theories. Unfortunately it hasn't been completely successful as yet, but I leave it there as a reminder anyway. Finally, I have to have some calming pictures. We have fabric cubicle walls, so I'm able to use push pins to display pictures I've taken, or fantastic vacation scenes from magazines. I have one of a beach and lounge chair with a saying "taking time to reflect and recharge" so I'm reminded to take my breaks (I usually don't). My second one is of a clear vase with rocks and flower stems (you can't see the flowers) with the saying "knowing the power of simple beauty" so I remember to enjoy the little things. Some of my coworker don't understand my obsession with these "necessities" but they help me by providing visual reminders. Sometimes you just need a little kick in the pants like that to get back on task.

I've procrastinated enough (I do that really well)...time to get back to organizing.