Comments on: A messy desk undermines your career

By: dallas jobs

dallas jobs — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 10:24:25 +0000

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By: J.R.

J.R. — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 06:16:00 +0000

Clean desk = anal retentive person.

Busy desk = somebody who gets things done.

Messy desk ~~= a creative person.

Messy desk with last month's pizza box buried = slob.

By: A Messy Desk « Shawn’s World of Information

A Messy Desk « Shawn’s World of Information — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 07:36:26 +0000

[...] A Messy Desk A messy desk undermines your career [...]

By: Five Sure Ways to Get A Raise « Shawn’s World of Information

Five Sure Ways to Get A Raise « Shawn’s World of Information — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 07:24:45 +0000

[...] (I'm not making this stuff up — researchers actually study offices. Here's a summary of why you should have a clean desk.) [...]

By: Living Off Dividends & Passive Income

Living Off Dividends & Passive Income — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 08:40:42 +0000

I think in some ways the messy desk thing might be true.

I like to keep my paperwork at home in order and periodically I fall behind with the paperwork and the clutter increases. Once I deal with the issues and file/discard the paperwork, my desk looks tidier.

maybe there's some truth to that after all.

By: Mandy

Mandy — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 17:12:40 +0000

I had the cleanest desk in the place and they thought I didn't have enough to do. Everyone else had stacks so high you couldn't even see the person in the cube!! As a result - they more than doubled my workload - that'll teach ya not to have a clean, orderly desk!

By: coder

coder — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 05:04:51 +0000

I just don't have anything on my desk except the computer. It's much simpler. Papers are becoming less and less necesary. It's certainly not necessary to keep them around.

By: Heather

Heather — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 23:56:57 +0000

I try and keep my office and desk organized. To me, finding something in a hurry when someone walks in and asks shows that you have things under control. Having to rummage through piles is not only time consuming but embarrassing. I try and make a point before leaving my office every day, to just straighten up. That way if I walk in to chaos the next morning, I have everything in order. Makes life less complicated.

By: Mgr

Mgr — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 23:42:55 +0000

There IS a cultural bias toward cleanliness. And there's nothing wrong with that.

To some bosses, there's nothing better than having a task completed in record time due to incredible organization skills exhibited by an employee.

And forget organization, what about TRUE cleanliness. A tidy desk is fine, but if your computer is covered with a thick layer of dust, what are you really saying about yourself?

Additionally, I don't believe that a clean desk means the employee "spends more time cleaning than working". I believe that it shows organization and a functinal running ability to multitask by putting things away when they are not in use.

I agree that we shoud be aware of the cultural cues around us; yet feel comfortable in sticking to our own style (as long as it works!). Just remember, the boss is watching and picking up the inadvertant conveyances that may determine your next increase. After all, don't forget why you're there - to do a job. Do your job well and these miscellaneous issues may become endearing quirks in your employers eyes.

By: scm

scm — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 18:50:26 +0000

Messy vs clean depends on the corporate culture - I used to work for a VP who questioned why desks were clean/neat - to him it meant that the individual in question had so much free time that they could spend it cleaning - bottom line, there are no absolute rules other than be aware of the culture cues around you.