"A cluttered desk is the sign of a cluttered mind"

"A tidy desk is the sign of an insane mind"

What does your desk really say about you? Do you have trouble finding things? Do you know exactly where everything is? Would someone else be able to find anything?

My desk is a mess, but I can tell you exactly where everything is. The system works for me. But what if I had an assistant or needed to bring in extra help for a short time? Would my organizational style help or hinder?

I have been in the mood to tidy up lately (much to the joy of my wife) so naturally I turned to the internet. Nothing like some cyber procrastination to get things off on the right foot.

I found a couple of articles, but basically they all included the same information that I boiled down to some simple strategies for getting organized.

1. Really want to get and stay organized. If you don't really want it, it ain't gonna happen. Don't even bother with the rest of this article if your heart isn't in it.
2. Don't try to tackle it all at once. Spend a set amount of time each day. Perhaps 20 minutes, perhaps an hour. Whatever is necessary to plug through the current mess without burning out.
3. Come up with a strategy. For instance "In, Pending, Out". Or  "Keep, Toss, Move". Or "Working, Reference, Archive". You can come up with any combination of categories, you just need a category and a place for everything. Don't forget to have and use a category for trash. You must throw things away.
4. Develop a routine. Get in the habit of processing all current papers using your chosen strategy. Practice this strategy even while you are still working through the existing mess. Without developing a habit, your desk will eventually return to it's wild state, and you will have to start over again.

I was amazed to see how many services and consultants there are that want to help you get organized. But hey, if you've tried everything else, you may need to bring in the big guns.

Me... I will try it on my own for a while.

We've tweaked the design of Home Office Blues a little more. The main goals this time was to clean it up, remove some advertising and leave more room for content.

More improvements are on the way. I plan to add a resource directory, overhaul the home page, and add a series of articles on building a home network.

If there is anything else you would like to see, leave a note in the comments section or in the forum.

I just added a new article on conference call etiquette. This was meant to be a short blog post to blow off some steam, but it grew.

What are your experiences in this area? What is the most outrageous behavior you have had to deal with?

Bring it on!

Technorati Tags: conference call etiquette

Remember, you heard it here first... It is now perfectly acceptable to use Super Bowl commercial breaks as bathroom breaks again.

For many years, commercials aired during the Super Bowl represented the best and most interesting advertising pieces of the year. In many cases, the advertisements would be a bigger draw than the game.

Now, they are just plain dull. The dullness hit us last year in what many say was an overreaction to the whole Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction. It's hard to disagree with that conjecture based on the timing, but I don't understand how one boob could spell the end to all creativity as we know it.

Certainly there is more to clever advertising than sex and violence. At least you would think so. But last night, all of the commercials that would normally use sex, turned to violence or slapstick and most of those were dull. In addition, all the ads that avoided both sex and violence were lame, dull and unmemorable.

Quick quiz: Name one advertiser that you can remember from Super Bowl XL. Come on think harder! I can only remember Anheuser-Busch and I don't drink their beer.

So what did all the others that paid $2.5 million get for their cash?

I don't know what they got, but they bought me some time to make a pit stop.

Technorati Tags: Super Bowl Commercials, advertising, wardrobe malfunction

It's the beginning of February. It's cold outside. I live in the suburbs. My family has one car. (And I don't get to use it.)

These are the makings of home office cabin fever.

When the weather is nice, the highlight of my day is walking out to the mailbox to check the mail. It's a nice leisurely stroll of about 100 yards. It's not much, but it breaks up the day. Trash day is a bonus, that is an extra trip to the curb and back to bring in the cans. But in the winter, those two excursions aren't nearly as pleasant. In fact, I find myself trying to combine them or speed up the amount of time spent outside.

What do you do to get through the winter months? What do you do to solve the one-car problem when there is no place to walk to? Is it just a matter of staying focussed and hoping winter ends soon? Ah... that wouldn't be so hard if that damn groundhog hadn't seen his shadow.

Please share any advice in the comments section.

Technorati Tags: telecommute, home office, work at home, home office, cabin fever