Neatnik boss may be right about that clutter

By Deb Koen

(December 24, 2006) — Question: My boss, who is a neatnik, has been on my case to clean up my office.

He has one of those offices with every single item in its place and a desk with not a thing on it. To me it looks like no one works there; it's a completely sterile environment.

I'm the opposite — I operate from behind piles of papers and multitask on a variety of projects.

He says that my office gives the wrong impression — disorganized and unprofessional, even though he acknowledges that my work is top rate.

Part of me would like to weed out some of the clutter, but I resent his interference. He probably won't let up until I do something, so do you have any quick and dirty solutions?

— Geoff

Answer: A quick and dirty cleanup sounds like the perfect solution — "quick and dirty" for you, "cleanup" for your boss.

It's not quite that simple.

Your boss is looking for relief from your clutter, while you are finding unacceptable his overtures to mess with your mess.

Like most adults, you bristle at someone telling you what to do.

For your own peace of mind, approach the problem on your own terms.

Rather than putting your energy into resisting his demands, focus on the benefits that you would receive from weeding out some of the clutter, as you suggested you really would like to do.

According to Karen Kingston, author of Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui, the psychic and practical benefits of clearing the paper trail are real. "Any kind of clutter creates an obstacle to the smooth flow of energy," she says.

Clutter is a distraction from what's most important and can lead to confusion and procrastination.

You get stuck wasting time sorting through or just plain avoiding the heaps.

As attached as you are to your paper and to your habit of collecting it, the act of letting go is freeing. Kingston suggests that clearing a path will allow a person to move forward, save time, increase energy and improve image.

As a book collector and paper piler myself, allow me to speculate that this predisposition to piling and collecting may have a stronger hold than you realize. First acknowledge that there's a psychology operating that keeps you attached to your attachments.

Try to figure out the powerful connection that you might have been wired with or had reinforced early on. Here are some options to consider.

Are you:

A "just in case" keeper, holding on to feel more secure about addressing the future because you have in your possession what you just might need someday?

Caught up in the "more and bigger" mentality of over indulgence promoted in a materialistic culture that equates accomplishment with acquisitions?

An information junkie, lured by the mountains of information instantly available and printable from the Internet?

Identity-tied, with your papers representing a part of who you are?

Acting out an inherited trait in a style that's been passed down through the generations, either through genes or role-modeling?

Recognizing your underlying motivation will allow you to make conscious decisions about what to hang on to, so that you don't become hostage to your own stuff once it has outlived its usefulness. Then you can take the following five steps to clean up your office and still keep your style.

Change your viewpoint. Decide that the benefits of weeding outweigh the benefits of hoarding. Understand your past psychology and moderate it with a desire to cut back, which will allow you a balanced approach that you can stick with.

Adopt a routine. Every day go after a file, a pile, a folder or a book to recycle, give away or get rid of. Develop a simple filing system that works for you. If you're a person who responds to numbers, then quantify. Target 10 minutes or 10 papers a day to file or weed out. You'll be amazed at the progress in just a month.

Catch it before it gathers. Not adding to the pile will make the maintenance that much easier. For example, think twice before printing, and read and dispose of mail at its source, not in your office. If you're ambivalent at all, toss it.

Pay attention to the beginning and ending of the day. Start the day with a mini plan to provide intended structure —even a loose framework with a start and finish in mind will help. Build in 10 minutes for closure, so you can end each day putting things in order before leaving.

Enlist a buddy. If you find this too challenging to go it alone, team up with someone at work who is notably organized. Maybe your boss will spring for the cost of a professional organizer to help you get started.
You need never aspire to that sterile look of your boss's desk, but by adopting a few small practices and clearing some space, you may enhance your own work life.