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Afraid of the Mess.... Help!
pooks | Jan 26 2006
So today is the day I decided to start on my office. I have a large inbox that is now filled with stuff off the top of my desk. I haven't touched what's on the other surfaces, in the drawers, etc. I'm afraid of the mess I'm going to make! I'm SO tempted to just take care of the desk first, and then move forward, instead of doing it all at once. Somebody who had a big job of this, quick -- tell me it works so that I can keep going! (The irony is, the office is a mess to begin with, thus the big piles that are going to start growing. The problem is I'm going to have to stack the stuff in the hall or living room, and am afraid of the mess taking over the rest of the house. Yikes!) 14 Comments
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 Yes, it does workSubmitted by CharlotteLouise on January 26, 2006 - 11:15am.
Congratulations on the first trash bag !! Doesn't it feel great? An office filled with archaeological levels of paper detritus is so overwhelming -- "Why start, when it's so impossible." Actually, there's theory and research confriming that an overwhelming goal does just that. There's a difference between a challenging goal and a seemingly impossible goal. Moreover, what's "challenging" and what's "impossible" is a matter of personal perception. [heretical advice forthcoming] Question -- is the stuff in the drawers, corners, etc. stuff that you haven't touched in, say, a year or so? I figured that those piles weren't 100% urgent for [="Red"]tomorrow[/], and I concentrated on getting straight what I needed for ongoing work. However, on every @NA - Office list I make, though, is "30 minutes on articles." Bit by bit, the piles are disappearing -- about half is going out, and the other half is going into files or notebooks, where it'll actually be available for reference. For me, the psychic reward of having a clean desk and not having to last-minute-scramble for everything was so great that I have the energy and will and time to do that 30 minutes, at least once a week and usually 2 or 3 times. Also, by seeing a clean desktop, I now know that the rest isn't that insurmountable obstacle I thought it was. [/heretical advice] Keep on; if I can do it, anyone can ! kristin » POSTED IN:
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