Is a messy desk the sign of a busy man?

That’s the question posed in the comic strip Beetle Bailey today.

A messy desk is the sign of an ordered mind, says seattlepi.com.

A messy desk may be the sign of a brilliant mind, says mlive.com.

A messy desk is the sign of a messy desk, says David B. Bohl’s blog.

In today’s Beetle Bailey comic strip, when the general says that a messy desk is the sign of a busy man, the secretary responds by saying that a messy desk is the sign of a man busy at something other than work.

As a professional organizer, I get to see lots of messy desks, like the one in the photo.  If I were to ask myself the question of the day, I’d get a variety of answers.

A messy desk is the sign of…..someone who has too much to do.  That doesn’t mean it makes the messy desk a great way to function. Instead, it means that the desk owner needs to be better at prioritizing tasks and delegating tasks. The messy desk actually adds to your to-do list as you struggle to find things, miss deadlines and can’t figure out what to do with what. Every task takes much more time and effort than it should.

A messy desk is the sign of….someone is really intellegent. Many times the messy desk owner is super intellegent. They are knowledgable about a wide variety of things. They are interested in so many things and the desk reflects that. As soon as they master the concept of one project, they are quickly bored and off to another interesting task without finishing the boring one.

A messy desk is the sign of….a creative mind. But, in the end, that messy desk takes all the fun out of being creative. Instead of working to express yourself in a variety of ways, you are stressing over the things you mismanaged and the things you lost or didn’t do on time.

A messy desk is the sign of….someone, like today’s General in Beetle Bailey, who always finds something better to do. The problem is that if they were more organized, they’d find had even more time to do the things they wanted to do.

A messy desk is the sign of …. a messy desk. Yes, that is true too. Sometimes you are not overwhelmed by too much to do. Instead, you are overwhelmed by what you need to do. You keep on making stacks and piles because you don’t have another method. A messy desk is a messy desk.

I once had a boss in a retail situation that didn’t want us to be too tidy. If we had free time and tidied to perfection, it didn’t suit her. Her idea was that someone else would come in, not see any visable work in progress and report around town that things were really dead at that business. Most of the time, we are swamped, she’d say, and when we aren’t swamped, look busy anyway.

That is a theory that some desk owners take in the work place – perhaps at home too. Looking swamped might make you look like a stellar employee or the too-busy spouse who needs no more chores. But, remember, that attitude can fail you. Employers are always looking for someone who is organized and can successful manage their time and their workload. Is looking like you can’t do a good job security plan?

Whatever your reason for a messy desk, and there is a reason, you will find that you have more time to do the things you really want to do if you get organized. Knowing where things are, what is due when and accomplishing your goals is a recipe for much less stress.

If talking about messy desks has stressed you out, you can see a whole collection of messy desk cartoons at http://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/m/messy_desk.asp.

And my desk, you ask? I try to keep my work prioritized and organized but I can get overwhelmed by projects and incoming papers like everyone else. The key is to really act when you walk in, see your desk, and think that you need to get your desk cleaned off or organized. When that happens, really do it. Don’t keep adding to the stacks and piles until you shove them on the floor, the credenza or even in boxes under your desk.