Clutter In The Workspace

When I was first setting up my office I got so overwhelmed by all of the advice I was being given that I almost shut down the whole operation right then and there. Because every person has their own idea of the perfect workspace trying to please others can quickly become an impossible task. Even worse, by setting things up according to what someone else deems as the ideal situation you are sacrificing your own style for theirs.

In my case that meant making a work place that felt cold and uncomfortable. I was unable to reach out and communicate with my characters because I felt no sense of connection to them in the space. I barely felt a connection to myself there let alone my work. It was just a storage location for a long time until I gave up trying to be like someone other than myself. Once I reorganized I became much more productive, at least for awhile.

If someone was to walk into my office now unless they were familiar with my personal system it is likely they would believe that it is still nothing more than storage. There are boxes of my books and convention stuff stacked up along one wall. The desk as a pile of reference books and notepads on it with a dry erase board sitting on a ledge just above. There are notes scribbled and tacked up all over the walls and on the ledge next to my whiteboard sits a stack of file folders with the names of all my current projects on written on them.

There are half a dozen binders on the floor under the desk waiting for me to print out books for editing and three on my chair with highlighters and pens stuck in the tops. It does not appear to be the most conducive place to work and in all honesty for the most part it is not where I do the majority of my writing or promoting. I do however read and edit there and that is a great use of the space for me. The clutter is organized perfectly for me even though many others would question the ability to find anything at all.

For writing and promoting I tend to move around from coffeeshops to my living room or even lying in bed while I watch tv before falling asleep. Being a writer allows me to move around and be productive almost anywhere but for my own office I have found that sometimes being surrounded by clutter is exactly what I need to feel organized.