Looks like I might be getting a new boss. They say she can be quite a micro-manager, so here I am looking at my rubble-covered desk, and imagining what would happen when she drops by the first time…

“Why is there a whiteboard hanging on your cubicle partition??”

“Well… it’s uhmm…”

“And why are there stacks of books on the partition???”

“Well that’s the only…”

“And why does it say ‘VACANT’ here????” (The sign on my cubicle is supposed to have my name and job title.)

“Heh heh… I just put it there for…”

“And can you clear up your desk?????”

“Am I allowed to ask for a reason?”

“It’s so cluttered - how can anyone work like this????”

“It’s actually much more efficient.”

Pause, as her eyes widen.

“You see, when someone hands me a new document, I can either file it nicely and neatly in the filing cabinet, or I can put it on top of this pile over here. When I put it on top of this pile, it only takes a second, and requires no mental effort, since I do it instintively and automatically - I can go straight back to my work. Retrieving the document is easy - all piles are stacked in a reverse-chronological order, with the latest item on top, with the newest pile over here, and older piles spatially arranged in a clockwise direction, and urgent documents here on the monitor - all within arm’s length.

“Now if I decide to file the document in the filing cabinet, I’d have to think about which drawer I should put it in, under which section. And when I need to retrieve it, I need to think about which drawer and section it might be at. This act of filing or retrieving takes considerable time and mental effort, which will cost me even more time and thus efficiency because by then I would have lost my concentration and flow and I’d need more time to get back into that state of mind. Got it?”

“Got it. You’re promoted.”

I wish.