http://www.ajilonoffice.com/articles/what_does_your_desk_say.aspWhat Does Your Desk Say About You?
Are You A "Neat Freak" Or A "Clutter Bug" At The Office?
Saddle Brook, NJ (January 12, 2005) – In terms of being organized at work, the “neat freaks” and “clutter bugs” are running neck and neck, with 21% of workers claiming that they are neat and 20% admitting to being messy. In recognition of January being National Organization Month, Ajilon Office, a professional staffing firm with expertise in workplace issues, conducted a survey that uncovers what the state of your desk may reveal about your personality.
Highlights from the survey:
Women claim to be more organized. 56% of women claim to keep their space organized, versus only 42% of men. And, nearly twice the number of women than men considers themselves “neat freaks.”
Northeasterners are more organized than their Western, Central, and Southern colleagues with 59% of them keeping their spaces streamlined, while 50% of those in the Central U.S., 48% of Southerners, and 46% of Westerners say the same.
The older you get, the messier you become. Whereas 60% of 18-24 year olds keep their spaces organized, only 36% of workers ages 55-64 claim the same.
The higher the salary, the messier the person: 66% of Americans making $35,000 or less per year are self-described “neat freaks,” whereas only 11% of those earning above $75,000 claim the same.
The more educated tend to be messier with only 16% consider themselves to be neat. For those who did not finish college, this number increases to 29%.
“A clean and streamlined workspace makes a good impression and gives off the aura of being in control,” said Neil Lebovits, president and COO of Ajilon Office. “But, some people work best in a controlled clutter environment. As long as you are productive and in control of your tasks, the appearance of your desk doesn't play a factor in many work environments.”
In fact, when asked if they judge coworkers by the appearance of their workspace, 33% of Americans claim that they don't. But, what are the remaining two-thirds of American workers thinking about their colleagues' desk? Only 25% openly admit to judging a desk by its piles and 39% claim that they judge on a case-by-case basis. Look around at the three colleagues sitting closest to you – one doesn't care about how messy your desk is, one has labeled you disorganized, and one is deciding whether or not to pay attention to your teeming inbox. “In the office, your desk is an extension of yourself and how you work,” said Lebovits. “Maybe you like clean, empty spaces or perhaps you work better when your assignments are in clear view. With 47% of Americans claiming that they are messy or caught in a perpetual messy-neat cycle, this is the perfect time to figure out your work styles and get your desk in shape.”
For Americans looking to streamline their workspaces, Ajilon Office offers the following steps to organization:
Sort: From the papers on your desk to your Outlook inbox, create folders according to project and urgency.
File: Develop a low-maintenance filing system which allows you to file away old projects and keep pending assignments on hand. Once a week, go through the most frequently used folders and make sure they are not overflowing. Use the same process to clean out e-mails.
Set Spaces: Section off your cubicle so that everything has its correct place. This way, videos won't be teetering on piles of newspapers and pens won't find their way into filing cabinets.
Purge: Schedule weekly cubicle clean-ups every Friday and throw-out everything that you won't need on Monday. Once a month, give your workspace a major tune-up and toss all old newspapers, magazines, reports, and drafts of projects that have been completed.
I can relate to this topic, because I'm kind of in between the "neat freak" and "clutter bug" category, and I've discovered that many of my professors in my department were messy. One's office was so **** that I actually had to step on some paper just to get to the nearest seat. But to each his own, I guess.
