Thursday, April 21, 2011

This Is Where The Magic Happens... HAWMC #20

Don't you ever stop to wonder where someone is when they write?  I do.  I imagine them sitting at a well-organized desk plucking away at the keys.  Sometimes I imagine patients sitting with their laptop propped up against raised knees plucking away in a peaceful bedroom.

Where do you think or imagine I usually sit composing posts and moderating websites?

You might be surprised...

For the last 2 of 3 weeks I have not even been home!  I have been out of state, in various places.  This means I sit down at the keyboard whenever and wherever I can when an idea hits or a lull in my schedule has allowed me the freedom to write.  I have written many of the HAWMC posts

++ In bed
++ On an airplane
++ sitting in line
++ waiting for food to arrive
++ in the car
++ at a friend's house
++ in my childhood bedroom
++ on my mom's computer
++ in various hotel rooms
++ on my kitchen table.

This isn't how I usually conduct business.  In fact, I usually conduct business in what I believe to be THE messiest, least organized office of anyone I know.  I can say this because several friends and I have laughingly compared our messy - albeit creative - workspaces, and yes... I have won every time, lol.  A dubious distinction at best.

My office is a small bedroom.  My desk is a wooden table circa 1950.  My chair is an old (but very nice) office chair absconded from the dump pile from my hubs' office downtown when they were remodeling.  I am surrounded by piles of paper in various stages of disarray, courtesy of the 2-3 dogs and cat that insist on being my never-ending entourage.  My walls are covered with papers push-pinned into the bulletin board and surrounding drywall so I don't forget something.

...and yes, I know where every piece of paper and work is in this mess!

This office has been used for bookkeeping for my stained glass business as well as designing some pretty neat pieces of artwork.  I managed my kennel and my horse breeding operation from here.  I've been a long-time 4H leader and that requires mountains of paperwork that all began its life right here.  I keep track of First Responder and CERT records here, and write newspaper and television articles from my little messy desk.  Of course there are also the personal records etc too.  Aaaahhh, I long so for a giant filing cabinet!  I have long been convinced that if my critters would manage to keep their paws off my piles I would be a much more organized person.

There's no doubt my Health Activism suffers as a result of my chaotic workspace.  Granted, the other places I work on my advocacy is much tidier and less stressful feeling.

How do you keep your workspace?  Do you set aside time each day or each week to tidy up your space?  Or are you like other "creative types" whose desks are in a perpetual state of disarray?  How do you deal with that?

I firmly believe that there are differences depending on how active we are in our advocacy efforts, as well as which health issues we deal with.  What do you think?

To answer your question.... "NO" I will not post a photo of my chaos ridden desk....

Will YOU?
Comment by Joyce Cline on April 22, 2011 at 1:08pm
i also have a messy den with my hubby`s desk , a desk for my church work,a desk for my music equipment,i am a gospel singer by the way.i know where everything is too.my husband can say have you seen so and so,and i just think in my mind and see and i go right to what he is needing,he says i don`t know how you do this,it amazes me and him too.but don`t you come into my area of the den because you just might get this,"get away from my side",we have a huge den.but we work together in the same room in harmony,as long as you don`t touch my stuff lol.
Comment by Ellen S on April 23, 2011 at 9:23am
LOL!  I know what you mean... my hubs is on the other half of our "computer room"/office too.  He knows better than to venture into the "bat cave" when I'm working and usually chooses to stay outside until I'm finished.  I only take up about 1/3rd of the room, but I am here working nearly all day every day as a Health Activist, so it certainly needs more attention than his side.  That's really because I'm just constantly here and constantly working though!  I always hate taking time out of my day to do something menial like organizing... not when there are so many things to write about and so many people to talk to :)

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