Can you work when the office is a mess? And should I go in there and smother Jeremy with a pillow, or not?

-- Anonymous, July 24, 1999

Answers

I'd better be able to work in a mess, because it's all I seem to be able to maintain. The cats causing avalanches everywhere I start organizing doesn't help, either. Of course, having a messy desk/room/house means that when I actually have to work, I suddenly find that I MUST clean right now. And you shouldn't smother Jeremy. What would we do to fix our computers then?

-- Anonymous, July 24, 1999

it's so very depressing to be online avoiding your own mess yet again and to read about other people's industriousness, you know?

sigh.

-- Anonymous, July 24, 1999

If it makes you feel any better, my computer desk is a serious embarrassment. There are two pairs of shoes on top of my scanner, and that's the CLEAN part.

Ashley: oh, come on, if we didn't have that crutch (i.e. your brother) to rely on, you and I would learn how to fix our own computers in no time. Really. Of course then we'd have no time for gardening, so I suppose we'd better keep him.

Besides, he bought me breakfast today.

-- Anonymous, July 24, 1999

I have become rather obsessed with tidiness and 'order' in the last few years. Which can be stressful when I also happen to be *the worlds biggest hoarder* and have far more stuff than storage space to put it. I'm not into sparseness and simplicity though - I have no desire to throw anything out. I love my junk. I like an ordered mess. I am forever re-arranging / re-ordering stuff.

My surroundings are very important for my productivity and sense of well-being. I think it is because my brain is in such a mess - I need some external order to sort of soothe and calm the chaos in my head.

It would be good if I could work better when things are a mess though, as I seem to find it so impossible to keep things tidy. Sometimes I wish I was a teenager again - I seemed to revel in the mess of my room then.

-- Anonymous, July 25, 1999

I enter the computer room to hear the sound of crunching papers underneath. I carefully listen for cracking plastic or any other non- paper crunching sound, so that I might tentatively step in another spot on my way to the desk. I bought a trunk-size organizer box with the best intentions. It is now filled with junk mail, important papers, candy wrappers, and a few pet toys. I dread having to print anything, because that means actually clearing stuff away from the printer. (Admittedly, I tried to print without doing so, and of course it jammed itself. That situation lasted almost 2 1/2 months, before I had to fix it for another printing job) I do have a window, and when I feel brave, I tip toe through this mess to reach the draw string, raising the blinds. Oh, cool, I found a half-eaten bag of chips. *crunch* *munch*

-- Anonymous, July 26, 1999

I'm a big slob. Luckily it doesn't stop me from working at the computer. Slobitude is a problem when I want to do a craft project or something that requires a lot of horizontal space. There are various sewing projects I've wanted to do but couldn't because they would require clearing off the kitchen table, a task not to be undertaken lightly. Luckily, we moved, and the new dining area with table feels like public space and I've promised to try not to let it get like the old table was. So far so good... and that's good because I need to sew an important party dress soon.

-- Anonymous, July 28, 1999