v-Fluence Blog

Confessions of an Occasional Clutterbug

The virtual office is occasionally awkward to explain. Some immediately understand. Others give a suspicious look as I assure them that yes, I do, in fact, have a job, and yes, my cubicle is often the kitchen.

When I first moved in with three other young professionals I imagine their expectation was that my living and working at our home would allow them to avoid some of the household cleaning duties. From my perch at the dining room table, I often watch at least one, if not all of my roommates head out the door to their respective offices in the morning. Many times I haven't ventured far from my spot by the time they return.

Perhaps they thought the dishes would be washed or the full trash bag would be outside the garage. Maybe their clothes would be washed and pillows fluffed.

Instead, by the time they get home, dishes from breakfast, lunch and a snack are usually scattered nearby along with vestiges of my office existence. Papers, a day planner and cell phone chargers clutter the tabletop. I abandon sweatshirts near the computer and shoes under the living room table. Mail never makes it past the first counter when I could really just throw it in the trash.

In short-you would not want to share your living space with my home office.

In my head, I justify all the flotsam because while I'm at work, I shouldn't be cleaning the house, nor do I have the time. I do, however, have plenty of time to make a mess. And by the time I finish up the day I'm always ready for some mental time out, not housework.

I'm sure everyone understands I'll get to the half-filled coffee mug still on the table from yesterday. I'll get to those shoes under the kitchen chairs and living room table when I have a free minute, alright? I'm the one who bears the mess all day not them.

Uh oh… Now, I've admitted it-"the mess."

*sigh*

I've finally come to terms with being a home office slob. I've always had a disheveled room but working in v-Fluence's flexible work environment means much of our house reflects the wrath of my rapid-fire brain.

But in coming to grips with my occasional lack of organization, I'm determined to shape up by adopting ways that I can better arrange my workstation and likely my productivity:

• Keep the immediate area around my computer free of clutter-less stuff usually means less distraction.
• Set myself up before getting settled with the things I need to avoid getting up unnecessarily-pens, scrap paper, glass of water, etc…
• Treat my workspace as if I was sharing it with others in a traditional office-tidy up before and after work.

Although I don't expect any outburst of gratification from my roommates, I do think it will make their lives a little easier when they get home as tired as I am from the day. Ideally, it'll also improve my work as a v-Fluence team member. Hopefully, no one will peek into my room or closet.

P.S. Here are some other helpful tips for keeping an organized home office, including spring desktop cleaning.

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