As Manager Mom put out the challenge to us to think about our intellectual sanctuary, I’ve finally come to an astounding realization of the source of my disorganization.  Mind you, I’ve always prided myself on my keen organizational skills, but lately I can’t stay on top of it all.  Could this be because I have my religiously written “to do” lists spread across no less than seven work spaces?  It’s finally become clear to me; I have multiple office disorder.

My most sacred work space is my desk in the “corporation” – where I spend 3 days of the week.  It is here that I get to choose when to go to the bathroom, get a cup of coffee or eat lunch, and for that alone, I’m eternally grateful.  It is also here that I’m the most productive – but unfortunately that’s corporate productivity…not personal.

So to my personal work spaces at home:

Desk 2:  Kitchen Counter to the right of the Stove:  Where many “to do” and grocery lists get written, and quick notes, while I flip eggs and pancakes.  

Desk 3:  Little Kitchen Desk:  Primary landing pad for Bed Bath & Beyond and Bob’s Store coupons. Primary place for piles to accumulate, which these days are rarely rifled through.  The one place I sit down at on rare occasion to start going through the piles, organizing them into 15 more piles spread out on my kitchen floor, only to be gathered back up into one massive pile again since I run out of time or steam to deal with them.

 Kitchen Desk

Desk 4 & 5:  Family Room Corner workstation – Kid’s territory – I’m the adult interloper here.  Features the best computers in the house, but again I play musical chairs between the two computers – as I avail myself of the one that is in non-use.  So my pictures are on one, my music on the other, my documents spread across the both of them.  Makes for a very scizophrenic work session, as I sometimes need to jump back and forth.  And for these computers, I have to line up…and most often I’m 5th in line.  But this is where most of my blog writing takes place, often to the friendly voices of Jay and Conan in the background, while the rest of the household sleeps.

 Family Room Desks

Desk 6:  The actual true “home” office/guestroom of our house – where the computer is always available but takes 10 minutes to rev up and sometimes likes to shut down of its own free will.  It’s also a temperamental googler, but hey – always the best for the kids, right?

      Office/Guest room desk

Desk 7:  Bedroom Table – a place I seek out if I really need to concentrate and also serves as file graveyard when Desk #3 (or DR table) gets too messy  As you can see, it’s also a repository for a random collection of piles of clean clothes and every computer, ipod, palm pilot, & cell phone cord that we’ve ever owned.  And just to the right, bags and bags of Good Will clothes…just waiting for the ride.

        Bedroom table

Wow, it was great to go through that therapy session.  A forced self-assessment has led to a light bulb. I’m in desperate need of workspace consolidation.  All though, I’m not sure it’s possible, because the reality is that I need to grab those momentary opportunities of productivity…wherever I may be.