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Chaos Theory and My Desk

I subscribe whole heartedly to the chaos theory; that there is underlying order in seemingly chaotic and random systems (i.e. my desk.)

An ever-present goal of mine has been to bring order to my desk.  I don’t think my comfort with desk clutter is unique. Organizing paper – that is culling through, throwing or filing things away is one of the most frustrating and stressful things for me. Papers, magazines, to-do notes, clipped articles, messages – my desk is an a-tonal symphony of paper in all sizes shapes and colors.  It’s really quite beautiful in an odd, creative sort of way.  I could however, put my hands on whatever was needed – and quite promptly I might add.

Perhaps my effort to arrange my desk more neatly is the result of buying into others’ definition of “order”.  As a matter of fact, I find it more difficult to locate things after I’ve organized and filed things away.  There IS a method to the madness of my system. 

Thank goodness for the new book, A Perfect Mess by Eric Abrahamson and David H. Freedman.  These guys did studies and found “moderately disorganized people, institutions, and systems frequently turn out to be more efficient, more resilient, more creative and in general more effective than highly organized ones.” 

Phew! FINALLY someone who gets it! Everyone has his or her style of work and what I am suggesting is to focus on the work style that’s right for you.  The “clean desk” rule doesn’t necessarily improve productivity any more than the “clean plate” rule improves your health.  “Moderate” is the key word here.

So those of us efficient, resilient and creative types, be BOLD and stand firm! One person's chaos is another's order. 

A Promotion Action begins after the first of the year - January 3, 2007. There are only 4 spots left so if you're interested please go to www.PromotionAction.com for more information and to enroll. 

Stay tuned for other Bold Vision Consulting's January events.

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