My Desk Mess

My desk is a jungle with traps and mounds scattered throughout the desktop terrain. Piles and piles of “I’ve got to look at and act on this” papers, books and magazines are everywhere. The desk is U-shaped, attached to the wall, with filing cabinets underneath and a white Formica top, at least the areas I can see. The left side has rows and rows of books, while the right side has my collection of printers and hands. My computer is right in the middle.

Yes I have 2 printers side-by-side. One is my “draft” printer and the second, a large color printer, for the published stuff. Hands you ask? I collect ceramic body parts, mostly heads and hands of varying sizes.

About every two months I go through a cleaning phase where I reshuffle the drafts, publications and research, so as to prioritize for the umpteenth time. Some pieces are so old I actually throw them out, making for more “white space” on my desk. The remaining gets shuffled, looks neat for a while, and then starts getting in the way again.

I’ve got cabinets, loads of folders and label makers. Why won’t I just file it away? I went to pick up David Allen’s Getting Things Done. I’ll see if that helps. Here's a few snapshots of the mess: