MESSY DESK, MESSY MIND

I was once a messy, disorganized principal.  It's true.  One part of my job that was a constant source of stress for me was my office and desk area always being a mess.  It seemed like I was constantly moving piles of papers, files, or my “read soon” books from one spot to another to make space for the next thing that got laid on my desk or table.  No matter how I tried to stay on top of things nothing seemed to help.  I would try for a few days to keep things neat and tidy but inevitably when days got a little “crazy” and I was running from one “crisis” to another everything just seemed to fall apart.  The worse part?  I wasted precious time searching for things.  We all know none of us have time to waste as principals.   Time is a commodity we all wish we had more of so wasting it on searching for things was simply unacceptable.  I finally had enough of the chaos and messiness.  I was determined to do better.

I first reflected on WHY it was important to me to have an organized desk and workspace.  After all, it was my space so who cares?  I cared.  I recognized that my desk and workspace said a lot about me.  My disorganization, clutter, and chaos sent a strong message to my staff about me and my leadership style.  If my desk and workspace were cluttered, messy, unorganized and in chaos, it was probable that my leadership was too – or at least that was the perception.   I knew my disorganization bothered my secretary although she never said anything.  I could tell that she was frustrated when she would ask me for something and I either couldn’t find it right away or I couldn’t locate it at all.  Again, it wasn’t that I wanted my office to look like a cyclone struck mid-day, it’s just that I hadn’t put systems in place to help me remain organized no matter what came at me during the day.

I knew my WHY had to be strong enough to combat long-standing, ingrained behaviors and habits that resulted in me having a messy, unkempt workspace so I considered what benefits I would obtain or gain by keeping a tidy workspace.  The benefits had to outweigh the comfort of me falling back into old habits if I was to permanently change.  I immediately came up with three major benefits for organizing my workspace.  Here’s what helped me change my habits:

1. Less stress.  It’s simple.  Mess = Stress.  In every aspect of our lives chaos, mess, and disorganization cause us stress.  My messy, disorganized workspace caused me stress.  There is enough stress associated with the principal role.  I certainly did not need to self-inflict more on myself!  Being able to find what I needed when I needed it was very important to me and to others.  When I couldn’t do that, my stress level went up.  Likewise, when I tried working in my disorganized, messy workspace I often felt overwhelmed.  The piles, the clutter, the “to do” lists that went undone seemed too big to tackle.  Creating an organized workspace helped lower my stress level proving to be beneficial in more ways than one.
2. Time.  Being organized and having a place for everything helped me gain back time during my day. I no longer wasted time searching for things.  I sought to “touch papers just once” as was discussed earlier. Creating an organized workspace allowed me time to develop my instructional leadership and be present.  I had time each day to visit classrooms, the lunch room, and to ensure I was visible at arrival and dismissal rather than frantically digging through piles and papers because I was unprepared for a meeting or other responsibility. My productivity increased as I gained more time in my day.
3. My message. The final benefit that led me to change long-standing behaviors and habits relative to my messy workspace was the message I wanted to send to my school community.   I decided I wanted to send a different message to my staff, my parents, my students, and my superintendent.  No longer did I wish to be perceived as unorganized, messy or lacking discipline.  I wanted my actions, my behaviors and even my workspace to convey confidence, organization, thoughtfulness, simplicity, efficiency, and purpose.   I read an article once that said people with organized desks tend to be more conscientious, meaning that they are reliable, task-oriented people who plan well and get their work done on time.  I wanted that to be me as well.  I’m not sure if that statement is completely true but I found it to be accurate in my case.

As I let go of my messy, clutter-ridden habits I found I accomplished more, felt more confident, less stressed and efficient, and I had time to spend building stronger relationships with my staff, parents, students, and admin colleagues.  I felt more like… a leader.