apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

God, gone are the days of clean desks. My office is a complete disaster and its not just because of the overhaul in our filing system but because its just insane. Tried numerous methods from the covey to my own unique system, nothing seems to stick. Though I admit its all been haphazard, like putting gum in a dam leaking millions of gallons of water and there's not one but two holes...

I do aspire to a neat and organized desk, but it never happens. I think organizing would make me more productive, but it's hard to find time to organize.

I prefer a clean desk with only the essentials at hand: pens, post-its, and my grade school lunchbox that contains all the stuff I need for my laptop. I can tolerate a messy desk as long as everything on it has to do with one project.

i aspire for clean. i recently completed a project similar to the one in the photo. i have elfa shelving above my desk and there is some decent space between the desktop and the bottom shelve to accomodate a monitor and printer. so i ran 2 stands of picture hanger wire between my elfa brackets. i then purchased some stainless binder clips at target so that i can clip loose items to the wire. it keeps the desk clean, and items that need to be cleared (bills, lists, etc...) front and center so they get attention. it cost about $10.

It's nearly a necessity for me to have a clean desk or workspace before I begin a new project! Of course, this is a challenge, since I work from my small apartment and always have more than one project in "the works" at a time.

Definitely clean for me, although that is not always the case...Living in a one bedroom and realizing we need to maximize every square inch, we just changed our coat closet into our office which was part of our dining room before. It is so tiny but it the most efficient, usefull thing we have done since we bought our condo. It also holds all of our entertainment system, phone, dvd collection etc... I will have to post a pic on the site tonight....

I can't keep anything in my mind if I put it away, so by default I have to have a messy desk to get anything accomplished. I do try to keep separate stacks and piles for different projects, but they tend to sort of smush together...

Oh, i love a clean desk...In my dreams. Mine is always a mess, and the mess really cuts down on my creativity and productivity. I lose stuff right under my own nose. I'm in the slow midst of re-designing my studio so that I can have more space, and fewer piles to try and work around. Hopefully a clean desk, or at the least clean-ish, will result.

For me, it depends on what workspace I'm looking at. At home, my desk is full of messy clutter, but it doesn't phase me. At work however, clutter is panic-inducing. There, I am much more efficient AND happy with a nice, clean desk.

Mine is always clean. If you can't keep it clear, then probably something about your set-up is lacking. A lot of people with minimalist set-ups often make their life harder by trying to hide everything far from their desks and that just tends to encourage a mess.

Even when I worked in an office (now I work at home) and juggled multiple projects, I had things neat and tidy. If you have to have it in front of you to keep it in mind to take care of, there's a way to corral it and sort it. From the catch-all "in box" to a system where you can put different jobs in various slots, you can keep it at hand and in mind, but not a mess. I'm not saying people should do that or have to, but that's one way to handle it.

I live in a very small space and everything has to have a place and has to be put away after use or things rapidly devolve into chaos and having no space to sit, work, or sleep.

Was that as awkward to write as it was to read? Do you share your desk, your chair, your lunch, and your crumbs with someone? Is anyone else getting annoyed with the AT royal "we"?

Clean. A messy desk stresses me out.

I try to keep it clean but it doesn't last long. :(

Trying to keep our small home office neat is akin to banging my head against a wall - the only accomplishment is a headache.

The "we" is applicable in my case since my son and his girlfriend are staying with us, so that makes 4 people using this space. (Let's not talk about El Gato Diablo, who's decided that the desktop is a lovely place to nap - when he's not pushing everything out of the cubbyhole on the side so he can hide.) Just trying to find a few minutes when the space isn't in use so I can clean it is a pain. And I don't dare touch any of the piles of papers! I guess I can be grateful that everyone at least carries their snack plates and glasses/coffee cups back to the kitchen.

I'm off to a couple of thrift stores (1st choice) or office supply stores (2nd choice) today to find some baskets/trays/whatever for everyone to keep their work in.

I love a clean desk, but can't hack it. Once I realized that I spent more time cleaning the clutter off the desk than actually working at the desk I decided to get rid of it! Now I have everything put away in drawers and baskets around the room and under my bed, and my computer sits on a high stool just wide enough for the keyboard. When I need writing space I have one of those all purpose carts that fold up and out of the way when I'm not using it.

It's not really an office desk since I still live at home and it's in my room, but I'm too obsessive-compulsive to have a messy desk! I used to let it just pile up, but after about two days I'd start twitching and cleaning everything in sight, so now it's easier to just keep it tidy. In fact, there are a few papers I need to put away now...