Missing Link

For most of my life I’ve survived, even thrived, on what I call “organized chaos”.  All around me would be heaps of “stuff” that was haphazardly scattered around with no real organization.  In short – I lived and worked in a “mess”.   I knew the general location of most of the stuff in the “mess” but I tended to delay and procrastinate whenever I needed to actually find any specific thing.  While I would often try to convince myself – and others – that I was perfectly organized ( the old argument “I know exactly where everything is until you come in and try to ‘clean’ everything!”) deep down I knew I wasn’t, and my productivity was suffering because of it.

Fast forward a few years and I find myself with a much different outlook. Gone are the days when a mess is acceptable to me. In some sick twist of fate I can now hear my mother saying “I told you so” as I find myself craving order and cleanliness in my work and home life. I CRAVE clean spaces, especially work spaces.  I’ve found that nothing promotes inspiration and productivity in me better than a nice, clean, well organized space in which to BE productive.

A messy space never used to bother me – and I think I know why.   I had no basis of comparison, as I never had (or I should say, maintained) a really clean and ORGANIZED place in which to work.  Sure I would clean every now and then, but it was still far from organized.  My recent forays into GTD however have bestowed upon me a new found skill: organization.  While I’m far from perfect at this new art form, I still see lightyears of difference from the way I used to operate and how I now do.   It’s helped my overall productivity enough that going back to an unorganized and messy workspace just isn’t an acceptable option for me.

I’ve found inspiration from websites such as Lifehacker and Unclutterer – both founts of useful tips and tricks on getting the most out of life.  I’ve found inspiration – and guidance – from David Allen’s books on GTD.  I’ve found useful insights from my own reactions as I implement these tips, tricks, and guidance. They all point to a pretty clear conclusion:  A clean and organized workstation is perhaps one of the most valuable things a person can have.

In my current house, I have a nice cozy home office.  It has oscillated between messy and clean since I built it. More recently it’s stayed on the cleaner side of the spectrum and I’ve found myself happier because of it.  I spend more time up here because it’s welcoming, comforting… and I can be productive. The same can be said for my office at work.  There have been times when it was quite messy and disorganized.  More recently, however, I’ve taken to keeping it clean, organized, and free of distractions (the exception to that last part being co-workers, who are often distracting but whom I cannot rid myself).  A little work to keep it clean goes a long way towards keeping my productivity at it’s peak,  as well as vastly improving my sanity and reducing stress.

As I write this I am wrapping up a relaxing evening in my home office. I’ve spent some time reading on my kindle,  sipping wine, and listening to music – all free of the frequent distractions and frustrations that usually accompany a “mess”.