Modern Femme at Work...My Work Space

In my first job, I was an executive assistant to a senior executive.  I loved working for my boss - he was brilliant, kind, and patient.  He also was a hoarder of paper.  When you walked into his office you were greeted by stacks and stacks of papers.  They were everywhere - on his desk, on his meeting table, on chairs, even on the floor.  It would give me hives - followed by an uncontrollable urge to clean his workspace.

But it worked for him.  He knew exactly what was in each and every pile, and could fish a single sheet of paper out of a dangerously tilting mountain of documents.  He had a system, and each of those stacks of paper were an integral part of it.  I once volunteered to file all those papers (what was I thinking? It would have taken forever!), and he swiftly turned my offer down, spreading his arms protectively in front of his filing system, keeping me at bay.  I'm sure had I filed all those papers, he would have been at a serious disadvantage - it would have taken him hours to find in a file what he could find in seconds in a pile.

I, on the other hand, couldn't be more opposite.  The sight of all that paper made me incredibly anxious.  I marveled at the fact that my boss was able to get anything done, as I would have been paralyzed, rendered catatonic at the thought of finding anything in that, well, mess. My work space system is one of rigorous minimalism.  There are exactly five things on my desk: an inbox, two picture frames, a pretty calender, and a pen holder.  Any papers that are not immediately in use must be either in my inbox, or filed away, but never laying about.  My desk drawers are brimming with meticulously labeled files, most of which house a combination of notes from meetings, deliverables, and reference materials.  

I crave order, not because I'm a control freak (well, maybe a little), but because I shut down when surrounded by clutter.  I feel overwhelmed and my brain capacity goes from 60 miles an hour to 5 miles an hour.  This is true for both paper clutter and virtual clutter - I rigorously prune my email, filing emails or deleting them, and leaving only a handful for action in my inbox.  Besides being rendered comatose by visual clutter, another major reason I maintain such a strict system is that I have a terrible memory, and I need to ensure that documents and emails that I need to find are in places that I can easily remember and access.

If Al Gore is on one end of the messy desk/minimalist desk spectrum...

And Martha Stewart is on the other...

I am off of the middle, leaning more towards Martha.  

And my ideal work setup? It would be even more minimalist, with any computer equipment and filing systems cleverly disguised from view, sleek modern furniture, and as much open space and light as possible.   Just looking at the above office (from "The Devil Wears Prada") makes me feel alert and energized.

What is your ideal work space?

xoxo,

MF