Messy is the New Neat?

Do you think I could learn from this?

Time Magazine reporter Jeremy Caplan makes a case for letting up a bit on the neat freak thing. If only I knew how to make peace ---

"Devotees of filing often interrupt their thought flow to stuff papers in folders, while pack rats just toss papers to the side for later. Procrastination like that can actually pay off. 'Putting off undertaking almost any form of neatening or organizing will probably have some advantage," write Abrahamson and Freedman (authors of a new study), "because it's much more efficient to organize a large set of things at one shot than it is to try to organize them in pieces as they come along.' "

Neat and me go way back as opponents. An eternal seesaw operates in my psyche: I gotta have all that stuff visible, in piles, touchable, doable, incredibly touchable vs. I love order, categories, things in boxes and the perfect file folder, colorcoded and alphabetized in a manner only I would imagine. Thus, not having time, energy, plastic styrene boxes enough, the clutter creeps on in a battle against the perfectionistic inner elf.  You can imagine where that leaves me most of the time. Matter of fact, I think most of my friends, students and partners-in-crime will positively howl at the idea that I even harbor the inkling of an inner neat-freak.

I am open to any and all suggestions from you, my dear readers, about how to deal with this on-going conflict. I especially wrestle with the issue of keeping up with deadlines, paydates, due dates etc, no matter how many calendars I make. Without tangible in-my-space reminders of what needs doing (ie if I stick things in an appropriate file folder and drawer) it just seems to disappear from brain. And then if its out in clear sight, layers of work-in-progress clutter soon overtake whatever order it once held in place. The photos below illustrate my usual state of tabletops (and this after a full morning of pushing papers around). NOTE the OPEN file drawers, the heaped to overflowing plastic bins, the attempts at organization gone astray.

Somehow, I don't think this is what Jeremy has in mind:

 

 

 

Comments

[rayna]

Hilarious. Did you see the NY Times article of a few weeks ago on the same subject? It made me sooo happy. If not, I'll send it to you. If you've been on my blog this week, you've seen pix of my studio (in the house) and you know that your pix look like neat-freak next to mine.
BTW - I am one of those people who, if I don't SEE it, it doesn't exist. I think it has something to do with your Myers-Briggs type - but I'm trying to figure out what the link is. My friend Bob is even worse than I am. Pack-rat doesn't begin to say it. Don't look for any helpful hints from ME. LOL.

[Sue]

I've got 3 words for all you disorganized,lots-to-remember, longing for order types of folks....... Franklin-Covey Planner.

You cannot imagine how it changed my life. Check the website...but more important, invest in a training session. Used correctly, this system will free up hours a week AND you will stop all those nagging worries about when is this due and whats her phone number. I do NOT sell it - just use it. Everyone I've introduced it to now can't live without it.

[Mary Ann]

Whenever I clean up the studio and neatly put things away, the one item critical to my next project can never be found. Then I waste hours looking into all the boxes, drawers, etc for it. Better to be messy and able to put my hands on it immediately. This does not mean my work is messy, just the area.

[Sandra]

I hear you sister. Putting everything up takes too much time and takes away inspiration but having too much out makes it hard to work --arrgh. I think the thing to do is find a happy medium--I'll let you know if I find it.
Maybe my perfectionistic streak is part of the problem?

[Dianna in Maui]

Ditto what Sue said. I've been using FC planners for years. My friends and family always comment on how organized I am and how did I "remember that anniversary...have that address..." etc. And remember, those who have more than one calendar never know what's coming next! :-) Good luck!