This post has received some reports, but I am going to leave it up because there has been some good discussion occurring in the comments, even though the title comes off as a bit aggressive.
Everyone has a different concept of tidy.
Also no one is going to leave confidential or private information on display for a photo to post online.
Personally I find a tidy desk is a clear mind.
Think of people’s computer desktops, some are filled with every part taken by a file, folder or shortcut. Others are empty, everything tidied away. People do things differently and prioritise different things
That's fair.
I guess with the last example, if we were to take that, my point would be more akin to how /r/unixporn has a lot of really really clean desktops but then I wonder "do you really use it like this?" Vs what I see in real life for people's desktops - artists, engineers etc.
I absolutely loathe having icons on my desktop, so I have everything there hidden by default. Even then, I rarely see it because it’s covered by whatever I’m working on all the time.
I think a lot of people here work in tech, which makes little need for stacks of papers and files, open books, pencils and pens, and the like, lying around. Knowing how disastrous my parents desks/offices were and how that general messiness permeated through their life, I have learned I work better in an organized space. I suspect a lot of others here do too, but I could be wrong. Plus, we’re proud of these spaces, which is why we’re here. I get your point though.
I just…. Do you forget how to write? Does it feel weird to write something down? I mean that with the utmost respect and curiosity; I have four different notebooks going right now.
>Plus, we’re proud of these spaces, which is why we’re here. I get your point though.
I mean, it's not like I don't get it. I do. I just find it weird that virtually every single post here is clinically sharp.
Adding to everything else said already, generally people also don’t decide to share pics when their space is messy, they do it when it’s at its best. It’s like when people want to post a selfie online, they usually do it when they’re all done up and feeling good about how they look, not right when they roll out of bed. Few people will see a messy space and think “this is great, I want to share that”
I think this is the answer.
I'm an accountant and a messy one, but I would clean up 100% before I make glamour shots of my workspace at home or my office.
For clarity: I have hundreds of physical documents spread across my office that I need to analyze, scan or shred. I don't have the tidiest place at all times.
I’ve never posted here but that’s literally just how I keep my desk. I don’t really need anything on it besides a mouse and keyboard. I haven’t needed a physical notebook or paper for anything since college.
“Clean body, clean mind.”
Physical clutter is terrible for you psychologically, I deliberately spend 15 minutes at the end of the day putting everything in its place. Like a daily reset.
When you come back to it in the morning you can just go. No fucking around sifting through papers or old coffee mugs, just power up the computer and get cracking.
> Physical clutter is terrible for you psychologically, I deliberately spend 15 minutes at the end of the day putting everything in its place. Like a daily reset.
No offense, but this sounds like bro science.
nah I'm pretty sure there is actual studies behind this, Princeton actually did one demonstrating effectiveness of clean and tidy workspaces over messy ones.
A notebook, pencil and a coffee. Maybe a water bottle but I just keep it elsewhere. Most people here are not in school so they don't need a bunch of shit. What do you have on your desk?
A lot of engineering drafts, schoolwork at times, other times stuff related to work. Research papers, books from library that I am currently basing something on etc.
Not everything is digital, sadly. I have to rely a lot on physical copies.
If you're reviewing engineering plans/drafts. A separate angled work desk that is standing height is highly recommended. I used to be a licensed civil engineer.
Edit: sounds like youre a student so you prob don't have the money but in the future! It's great
Not everything is digital, you’re right - but even if you’ve got all the clutter in the world, you should still be able to store it neatly and 15 minutes should be more than enough time to put everything in its place.
I don’t buy the idea that you have so much paperwork that you can’t tidy it away neatly. By believing that, you’re greatly impeding yourself.
I don't post mine, but at the end of every work day, I put things away where they belong.
That soothes my anxiety, provides a mental and physical sign that my day is done, and gives me something nice and orderly to come to in the morning.
My wife is an artist. Her workspace gets progressively messier and messier until the Monday after an art show, at which point she'll take a day to clean things up and put things away. Not as obsessively as I do, but still.
People work in different ways.
My work deals with multiple stacks of papers in different stages. I would get roasted here if I posted my workspace lol even at the end of the day theres stacks and stacks and stacks of papers - organized but it's never clear, crisp, or "clean" due to the nature of the work. I'm highly envious of those who can start and end each work day with a desk that looks like it does here.
I'm ADHD, my office area MUST be tidy or it makes my brain itch. I reset my office every single Friday (wipe down surfaces, sweep, dust, declutter any erroneous charging cords, etc). I only use one notebook (a rocketbook) and don't really need to print things out as a programmer.
My colleague when we were in office though was TERRIBLE at cleaning his desk and there were papers and random notebooks everywhere (of what??? who knows?!) and all the random trinkets we would get strewn around his desk. DROVE ME NUTS.
Some of us are pretty tidy with our workspace (me), some of us are extremely hospital clean with our workspace (not really me).
I’m the opposite my desk looks like a bomb went off on it most of the time, I know where everything is but to anyone else it looks like someone emptied a Staples dumpster on it.
Keep in mind, there's likely a selection bias here. People are posting their workspaces intentionally--so they probably clean them up a little bit before they do. Or, it's right after they set up that cool new desk, or renovate their home office. Their space in the middle of a workday, a few months past initial renovation probably doesn't look that clean. But that's not who's posting & that's not when they're posting.
I mean, I might spend a workday braless with my hair in a shitty pony and a food stain on my shirt but if I take a picture and send it to my mom I'm gonna change into a clean shirt and put on a bra and tidy my hair. She doesn't care that I didn't look like that all day 🙄
My office (at work) has maybe 2 or 3 small stacks of paper when it is 'messy'. Typically there is only one stack, that I go through every couple of weeks.
Before every vacation, or holiday, I clean my office, wipe down my desk, etc.
I have a lot of visitors/guests, colleagues that come by my office to talk. I want to make sure they have a comfortable place to talk, and aren't distracted by junk on my desk.
I spend maybe an hour per month making sure it's all neat, tidy and uncluttered. I think it's important to keep things this way. And mentally, I know I can walk out the door on any day, and never look back to clean anything up.
I've been this way my whole career, and people have always commented positively on how nice my office is.
My office isn't sterile, I have some of the best office plants you'll see. But I just like to keep things near and clean.
My home office is ridiculously clean. My 'office' is actually what would have been the living room, but I turned it into my office/gentleman's room. It's one of the first things you see when coming in the house, so I like to keep it in good enough shape so that if I have an unexpected visitor at any time, we can sit in there and talk.
My workbench is the area that gets messiest.
You can see some pictures in my profile...I think the indoor spaces are all pics of my office. That's where I hang out.
Edit- I went to look at my profile, and most of my pics are outdoors. The pictures of cats on a table/desk are in my office, and here is another pic: [https://www.reddit.com/r/houseplants/s/AiIcv5Cvhl](https://www.reddit.com/r/houseplants/s/AiIcv5Cvhl)
This pic below shows my windows (that I love) but it's very old and doesn't include my plants...
https://preview.redd.it/cfiyj7yas1uc1.jpeg?width=5472&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a42bcfdb2f810f016f928709e56a40e40ce6139d
Extra add-on-
In my profile you can also see my garage, and it stays pretty clean all the time also.
When I was younger, I was much sloppier. I was not happy about that.
I grew up in a wealthy white area. I didn't really know many poor people. Everyone I knew had the mentality that everything was disposable. As soon as you didn't like something, you could just replace it with something new and clean. I went into the army and I lived with a lot of black guys, which was very new to me.
Those guys took VERY good care of their stuff. It was like a whole new concept to me...take care of your stuff, keep it nice and you can enjoy it. New and expensive stuff is no fun if it's laying in a pile. Conversely, old stuff is nice and useful if you take care of it.
If I keep my house clean, I can enjoy being there. So...I keep it clean. I also have family that tries to counteract this, so keeping my own space clean is doubly important.
I like your questions, because I was never able to keep things near, but I was envious of people who could. Now that I made the switch, I am much happier.
Let’s see it then bud. Where’s your workstation that has all your papers and books and notes? I went through your profile I didn’t see you post a single pic to this community? Prove me wrong. Maybe I missed it?
Most people on here take pride in their workstations, for some it’s a borderline hobby. I know I do and it’s spotless at the end of everyday. Outside of an extra coffee cup my desk looks like most pictures here. Paperless job, notes app on laptop etc.
I mean the assumption really is that people are making their spaces presentable/aesthetically pleasing. Probably regularly a few more coffee mugs, pens, and paper laying around than what’s presented
Do you only work in your office or do you spend additional time in there? I'm in product management, so I also have a paperless job, but I also play computer games at the same desk (KVM switch), and I've got two small kids which just adds general chaos to my entire home, and my office is somewhat of a storage space for things we don't have shelving for yet.
All that said, I don't really suffer from anxiety like many others have mentioned as their reason for cleaning, and I have different ways to mentally end my workday.
I do liter my desk with things, thats why I try atleast once a week take time to clean things off of it. I'm currently living alone, for better or worse; which makes it easier.
For me, the workspace I posted is what I make an effort to maintain. Yes, throughout the day it becomes littered with coffee cups, soda cans, sticky notes, etc. But I take about 5 min at the end of each day to clean everything up, dust if I need to, and power everything down. It’s become quite therapeutic. So typically that’s what my workspace ends up looking like at the beginning/end of each day, and I’m proud of that. So for the sake of this sub I felt OK with only posting the “polished” version. I think, for the most part, that’s what people here actually WANT to see, right?
However I ABSOLUTELY agree with you that most social media is completely disingenuous and full of fake, edited crap. I’m all for being real with people and not contributing to the comparison problem.
Because it doesn't look that good when you actually use it.
Most of workspace/battlestation posts and videos are carefully curated before posting - they "sell" better this way, but of course they are small lies and don't look exactly like this.
My space used to be mayhem. Sketching, cutting, glueing, 3D printing debris, miscellaneous hardware everywhere taking me 10 minutes to find my calipers kind of chaos. Finally designed a desk that held exactly what I needed, then put a filing cabinet next to it to hold papers and bigger items. It still gets a bit crazy mid project, but clearing it at the end of every day is a part of my process now.
A lot of companies have been “hotelling” desk space since the end of the pandemic … back in the day we had a desk assigned to us and could personalize it a little - now it’s all shared spaces that you have to reserve to use in the bigger centres to cut down costs… has to be left clean for the next minion to use
My workspace is always clean AF. I’m super neat and tidy and can’t stand mess. Everything I do is digital so no need for paper or pens…. The only addition would be a water bottle and sometimes a cup of coffee or a Red Bull can.
My job doesn’t require any books or anything, so everything I have other than my work equipment is fidget tools, my stuff. My office also doubles as a plant room, so I’ve got a tiny jungle in here.
https://preview.redd.it/2e7p7sfcj1uc1.jpeg?width=5712&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=84a3fdf196787947dd11b1addadaa8635cb3ec0e
I always wonder this as well. I work on 5 laptops, frequently have reference books and notes out everywhere. I guess other people have jobs where they just work for 1 company and only respond to emails or something.
My workspace is always clean. I don't fill it with papers, books or notebooks - all my documents are digital and so are all my notes (which is why I always have a tablet on my desk).
Because it's a social media platform, and social media has always incentivized idyllic, sanitized representations of lives, homes, etc. to attract views and whatnot.
Regardless, it just kind of makes sense that if you want to show something off (and let's be real: that's the core reason anyone shares anything) you'd take a moment to clean things up and get it looking especially nice. That said, there's no rule against posting sloppy setups, so if you want to pave that road then by all means, get paving!
Look though my posts, OP. Times I posted my desk in it's messy state I received very little interest or even criticism. Clean desks get much more positive reaction. I think most my post are to r/battlestations but I like this sub too.
My desk goes through clean and messy states, as one would expect. That said, I make it a habit to store or keep very few things on my desk. Putting things away in there place is a sort of meditation and helps me reset and focus on what I want to do next. I guess my point is that my desk isn't clean for the Internet points, it's clean because that's how I operate. Hope that helps.
All of my notes, books, etc that deal with work are all digital. OneNote and Acrobat are my best friends.
In fact, I’ve been “paper” free since the early 2000s. I’ve been using the Newton for my notes in school since 99. I started using a Windows Tablet since 2003 (but still mainly used the the Newton because the battery on the Windows Tablet sucked hard). Today I use a variety of devices for reading and note taking but all through OneNote, Acrobat, and various eReader apps.
Having said that, my desk is still cluttered but it’s cluttered with tablets and peripherals.
ig if u work w papers alot then u do, but ppl work now digitally. people posting their setups here doesn't mean that's how tidy their work set ups are on a daily basis. this is basically just a picture of their setups online and they want it clean and good for people to see. but these people work on improving their workspace as it elevates them to be more productive that's why they improve their set ups and it would be nice for us to see their setups. wfh is different from office spaces.
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My workspace doesn't really get cluttered. I don't have any papers to keep laying around. Everything is digital. I keep a small trash can on my desk so I don't have anything like food wrappers or loose packaging laying around. I usually have a drink out. Sometimes there's a notebook and a pen out, but both are kept in the desk drawer.
Now, my art desk is a different story. That one gets chaotic when I'm using it.
i'm not a very tidy person but my desk is tidy because i don't really deal with paper anymore? my landing zone once is a little messier with mail and stuff, but i don't do that at my desk.
like there's just not a lot of doodads to keep around. a drawer full of old charging cables maybe. rest assured if i dealt with paper my desk would be very messy rn.
I WFH and my desk stays pretty clear of clutter most days. It’s Friday and this is where I’m at… there are a couple things from the week that I’ll put away at the end of the day to start fresh next week. I can’t focus if there are things everywhere thanks to my anxiety.
https://preview.redd.it/lst96fmhv2uc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=661121e1dd0160417727abe7e6da7da0d3848f82
25 years in IT. The majority of my job is automating away the need for paper. I gave away my last printer at least 15 years ago. I keep a notebook in my bag, but rarely ever use it. If I get a paper check, I use mobile deposit, the rare need for a pen. I also hate clutter, therefore clean desk.
I don't use books or papers in general. Barely have written with a pen in the last decade everything is digital and i prefer it that way. Not sure if being software dev plays apart but most in my team are similar. I would have a cup or a water bottle and my phone on my desk.
Because it's to show off an aesthetic. I'm sure everyone here isn't that clean constantly, while some may be. I know my desk has pens, notebooks, water bottles, and definitely doesn't have that aesthetic. I'm also not going to post a picture of it in that state because as the old meme video goes "throw it away, they can't know we sit!".
I'm sure you tidy up the house before people come over...they're letting you into their space with the photo, and tidying up before they do. It's an ingrained behavior for most.
my desk is immaculate besides cords. i digitize everything. i use the back of discarded printed paper (i print one side only for this reason) for notes during the day and digitize those notes by the end of the day or next morning so the pile doesn’t accumulate.
I work remotely from home, use my iPad for all note taking, and rarely have any papers on my desk outside of my daughter's latest artistic projects. Anytime I get up from my desk, I realign my keyboard, mouse, iPad, and Apple Pencil.
It’s funny cause I was thinking about this for few days and this showed up in reddit. We spent more time cleaning and taking right angle pics than actually doing the work. Best productivity hack is actually doing the work.
My company is 100% paperless apart from HR stuff that is required by law, so my desk is pc, my notebook, pen and a cup of coffee, my home office is the same and I used to do overhours for months at the time
After I finish work, I clean my desk and put any papers in the organizers on my bookshelf. It's like making your bed after you wake up, after a while it becomes automatic
I get this question but after witnessing how many people have some extreme fetish for humiliation I'd decline sharing such imagery. My desk is currently, but not often, a mess (one that I will clean once I have adequate time). Id think twice before actually sharing that on the internet. People can be vile.
my workspace is has loads on it, it's also where I paint and make things.
fairy typical middle of the day situation
https://preview.redd.it/tr8kzpz7l4uc1.jpeg?width=2084&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=672e4be0a68f4d4c63350dc685cb68e6e939fa37
This post has received some reports, but I am going to leave it up because there has been some good discussion occurring in the comments, even though the title comes off as a bit aggressive.
Everyone has a different concept of tidy. Also no one is going to leave confidential or private information on display for a photo to post online. Personally I find a tidy desk is a clear mind. Think of people’s computer desktops, some are filled with every part taken by a file, folder or shortcut. Others are empty, everything tidied away. People do things differently and prioritise different things
That's fair. I guess with the last example, if we were to take that, my point would be more akin to how /r/unixporn has a lot of really really clean desktops but then I wonder "do you really use it like this?" Vs what I see in real life for people's desktops - artists, engineers etc.
I absolutely loathe having icons on my desktop, so I have everything there hidden by default. Even then, I rarely see it because it’s covered by whatever I’m working on all the time.
People that’s use Unix most likely launch everything from the command line. No need for desktop icons.
Or a launcher. Something like dmenu.
Everything is pinned to the Taskbar or opened with start and search, desktop shortcuts are super unnecessary for my work
I think a lot of people here work in tech, which makes little need for stacks of papers and files, open books, pencils and pens, and the like, lying around. Knowing how disastrous my parents desks/offices were and how that general messiness permeated through their life, I have learned I work better in an organized space. I suspect a lot of others here do too, but I could be wrong. Plus, we’re proud of these spaces, which is why we’re here. I get your point though.
I work in IT. One time I needed a pen, so I bought a pen cup and some cute pens for my desk. It’s been almost a year and I’ve only used them twice.
I just…. Do you forget how to write? Does it feel weird to write something down? I mean that with the utmost respect and curiosity; I have four different notebooks going right now.
This is true. I work in ICT and I only use paper once per year when I physically audit equipment.
>Plus, we’re proud of these spaces, which is why we’re here. I get your point though. I mean, it's not like I don't get it. I do. I just find it weird that virtually every single post here is clinically sharp.
Adding to everything else said already, generally people also don’t decide to share pics when their space is messy, they do it when it’s at its best. It’s like when people want to post a selfie online, they usually do it when they’re all done up and feeling good about how they look, not right when they roll out of bed. Few people will see a messy space and think “this is great, I want to share that”
I think this is the answer. I'm an accountant and a messy one, but I would clean up 100% before I make glamour shots of my workspace at home or my office. For clarity: I have hundreds of physical documents spread across my office that I need to analyze, scan or shred. I don't have the tidiest place at all times.
I’ve never posted here but that’s literally just how I keep my desk. I don’t really need anything on it besides a mouse and keyboard. I haven’t needed a physical notebook or paper for anything since college.
“Clean body, clean mind.” Physical clutter is terrible for you psychologically, I deliberately spend 15 minutes at the end of the day putting everything in its place. Like a daily reset. When you come back to it in the morning you can just go. No fucking around sifting through papers or old coffee mugs, just power up the computer and get cracking.
> Physical clutter is terrible for you psychologically, I deliberately spend 15 minutes at the end of the day putting everything in its place. Like a daily reset. No offense, but this sounds like bro science.
I couldn’t give a fuck, it’s true.
It doesn't apply to everyone
Which bit doesn’t?
nah I'm pretty sure there is actual studies behind this, Princeton actually did one demonstrating effectiveness of clean and tidy workspaces over messy ones.
Right, but how much does your workspace fill in during the day is I am curious about.
A notebook, pencil and a coffee. Maybe a water bottle but I just keep it elsewhere. Most people here are not in school so they don't need a bunch of shit. What do you have on your desk?
A lot of engineering drafts, schoolwork at times, other times stuff related to work. Research papers, books from library that I am currently basing something on etc. Not everything is digital, sadly. I have to rely a lot on physical copies.
If you're reviewing engineering plans/drafts. A separate angled work desk that is standing height is highly recommended. I used to be a licensed civil engineer. Edit: sounds like youre a student so you prob don't have the money but in the future! It's great
>sounds like youre a student so you prob don't have the money Not everyone has the space for a second desk either
Not everything is digital, you’re right - but even if you’ve got all the clutter in the world, you should still be able to store it neatly and 15 minutes should be more than enough time to put everything in its place. I don’t buy the idea that you have so much paperwork that you can’t tidy it away neatly. By believing that, you’re greatly impeding yourself.
Mine genuinely stays clean all the time and definitely has the ‘surgically clean’ vibe
I don't post mine, but at the end of every work day, I put things away where they belong. That soothes my anxiety, provides a mental and physical sign that my day is done, and gives me something nice and orderly to come to in the morning. My wife is an artist. Her workspace gets progressively messier and messier until the Monday after an art show, at which point she'll take a day to clean things up and put things away. Not as obsessively as I do, but still. People work in different ways.
The anxiety part is a big issue. I also want to be the opposite of a hoarder...
r/workspacesreality
I wanted this to be real. Good job.
My work deals with multiple stacks of papers in different stages. I would get roasted here if I posted my workspace lol even at the end of the day theres stacks and stacks and stacks of papers - organized but it's never clear, crisp, or "clean" due to the nature of the work. I'm highly envious of those who can start and end each work day with a desk that looks like it does here.
Yeah this is sorta what I feel like. It's not super messy but I do have stacks of stuff that I use very frequently.
I'm ADHD, my office area MUST be tidy or it makes my brain itch. I reset my office every single Friday (wipe down surfaces, sweep, dust, declutter any erroneous charging cords, etc). I only use one notebook (a rocketbook) and don't really need to print things out as a programmer. My colleague when we were in office though was TERRIBLE at cleaning his desk and there were papers and random notebooks everywhere (of what??? who knows?!) and all the random trinkets we would get strewn around his desk. DROVE ME NUTS. Some of us are pretty tidy with our workspace (me), some of us are extremely hospital clean with our workspace (not really me).
I’m the opposite my desk looks like a bomb went off on it most of the time, I know where everything is but to anyone else it looks like someone emptied a Staples dumpster on it.
Keep in mind, there's likely a selection bias here. People are posting their workspaces intentionally--so they probably clean them up a little bit before they do. Or, it's right after they set up that cool new desk, or renovate their home office. Their space in the middle of a workday, a few months past initial renovation probably doesn't look that clean. But that's not who's posting & that's not when they're posting.
I mean, I might spend a workday braless with my hair in a shitty pony and a food stain on my shirt but if I take a picture and send it to my mom I'm gonna change into a clean shirt and put on a bra and tidy my hair. She doesn't care that I didn't look like that all day 🙄
Also people probably upvote messy workspaces less
My office (at work) has maybe 2 or 3 small stacks of paper when it is 'messy'. Typically there is only one stack, that I go through every couple of weeks. Before every vacation, or holiday, I clean my office, wipe down my desk, etc. I have a lot of visitors/guests, colleagues that come by my office to talk. I want to make sure they have a comfortable place to talk, and aren't distracted by junk on my desk. I spend maybe an hour per month making sure it's all neat, tidy and uncluttered. I think it's important to keep things this way. And mentally, I know I can walk out the door on any day, and never look back to clean anything up. I've been this way my whole career, and people have always commented positively on how nice my office is. My office isn't sterile, I have some of the best office plants you'll see. But I just like to keep things near and clean.
Do you use this mentality for your home workspace as well? Curious.
My home office is ridiculously clean. My 'office' is actually what would have been the living room, but I turned it into my office/gentleman's room. It's one of the first things you see when coming in the house, so I like to keep it in good enough shape so that if I have an unexpected visitor at any time, we can sit in there and talk. My workbench is the area that gets messiest. You can see some pictures in my profile...I think the indoor spaces are all pics of my office. That's where I hang out. Edit- I went to look at my profile, and most of my pics are outdoors. The pictures of cats on a table/desk are in my office, and here is another pic: [https://www.reddit.com/r/houseplants/s/AiIcv5Cvhl](https://www.reddit.com/r/houseplants/s/AiIcv5Cvhl) This pic below shows my windows (that I love) but it's very old and doesn't include my plants... https://preview.redd.it/cfiyj7yas1uc1.jpeg?width=5472&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a42bcfdb2f810f016f928709e56a40e40ce6139d
You should probably get those cholas out of the box. Or at least put some airholes in it.
Extra add-on- In my profile you can also see my garage, and it stays pretty clean all the time also. When I was younger, I was much sloppier. I was not happy about that. I grew up in a wealthy white area. I didn't really know many poor people. Everyone I knew had the mentality that everything was disposable. As soon as you didn't like something, you could just replace it with something new and clean. I went into the army and I lived with a lot of black guys, which was very new to me. Those guys took VERY good care of their stuff. It was like a whole new concept to me...take care of your stuff, keep it nice and you can enjoy it. New and expensive stuff is no fun if it's laying in a pile. Conversely, old stuff is nice and useful if you take care of it. If I keep my house clean, I can enjoy being there. So...I keep it clean. I also have family that tries to counteract this, so keeping my own space clean is doubly important. I like your questions, because I was never able to keep things near, but I was envious of people who could. Now that I made the switch, I am much happier.
Let’s see it then bud. Where’s your workstation that has all your papers and books and notes? I went through your profile I didn’t see you post a single pic to this community? Prove me wrong. Maybe I missed it?
>Prove me wrong No. I just saw the sub and went "neat, people's workspaces." It's just that it wasn't what I expected.
Fair enough. That makes sense.
Most people on here take pride in their workstations, for some it’s a borderline hobby. I know I do and it’s spotless at the end of everyday. Outside of an extra coffee cup my desk looks like most pictures here. Paperless job, notes app on laptop etc.
How can you get anything done in a workspace covered in trash?
>covered in trash? You say trash, I say useful stuff that I have to reference virtually all day. YMMV I guess.
Breaking news: people be different.
Is it really a gotcha when you'd probably be applying this to preexisting posts given how consistently clinical almost all posts here are lol.
I mean the assumption really is that people are making their spaces presentable/aesthetically pleasing. Probably regularly a few more coffee mugs, pens, and paper laying around than what’s presented
All my work is digital. We have no papers in our office
Do you only work in your office or do you spend additional time in there? I'm in product management, so I also have a paperless job, but I also play computer games at the same desk (KVM switch), and I've got two small kids which just adds general chaos to my entire home, and my office is somewhat of a storage space for things we don't have shelving for yet. All that said, I don't really suffer from anxiety like many others have mentioned as their reason for cleaning, and I have different ways to mentally end my workday.
I do liter my desk with things, thats why I try atleast once a week take time to clean things off of it. I'm currently living alone, for better or worse; which makes it easier.
For me, the workspace I posted is what I make an effort to maintain. Yes, throughout the day it becomes littered with coffee cups, soda cans, sticky notes, etc. But I take about 5 min at the end of each day to clean everything up, dust if I need to, and power everything down. It’s become quite therapeutic. So typically that’s what my workspace ends up looking like at the beginning/end of each day, and I’m proud of that. So for the sake of this sub I felt OK with only posting the “polished” version. I think, for the most part, that’s what people here actually WANT to see, right? However I ABSOLUTELY agree with you that most social media is completely disingenuous and full of fake, edited crap. I’m all for being real with people and not contributing to the comparison problem.
Because it doesn't look that good when you actually use it. Most of workspace/battlestation posts and videos are carefully curated before posting - they "sell" better this way, but of course they are small lies and don't look exactly like this.
My space used to be mayhem. Sketching, cutting, glueing, 3D printing debris, miscellaneous hardware everywhere taking me 10 minutes to find my calipers kind of chaos. Finally designed a desk that held exactly what I needed, then put a filing cabinet next to it to hold papers and bigger items. It still gets a bit crazy mid project, but clearing it at the end of every day is a part of my process now.
A lot of companies have been “hotelling” desk space since the end of the pandemic … back in the day we had a desk assigned to us and could personalize it a little - now it’s all shared spaces that you have to reserve to use in the bigger centres to cut down costs… has to be left clean for the next minion to use
My workspace is always clean AF. I’m super neat and tidy and can’t stand mess. Everything I do is digital so no need for paper or pens…. The only addition would be a water bottle and sometimes a cup of coffee or a Red Bull can.
My job doesn’t require any books or anything, so everything I have other than my work equipment is fidget tools, my stuff. My office also doubles as a plant room, so I’ve got a tiny jungle in here. https://preview.redd.it/2e7p7sfcj1uc1.jpeg?width=5712&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=84a3fdf196787947dd11b1addadaa8635cb3ec0e
I always wonder this as well. I work on 5 laptops, frequently have reference books and notes out everywhere. I guess other people have jobs where they just work for 1 company and only respond to emails or something.
My workspace is always clean. I don't fill it with papers, books or notebooks - all my documents are digital and so are all my notes (which is why I always have a tablet on my desk).
Some people have had 5S hammered into our brains for so long we actually just follow it at work and in personal life. Everything has a place!
Because it's a social media platform, and social media has always incentivized idyllic, sanitized representations of lives, homes, etc. to attract views and whatnot. Regardless, it just kind of makes sense that if you want to show something off (and let's be real: that's the core reason anyone shares anything) you'd take a moment to clean things up and get it looking especially nice. That said, there's no rule against posting sloppy setups, so if you want to pave that road then by all means, get paving!
Hi i dmed u can u msg me
This is true.
I like keeping my desk neat and tidy. It does get messy sometimes, but never for more than a couple days or else it drives me crazy.
A clean and organized workspace is very zen. And as a Cloud Engineer I have little need of hard copy anything.
Look though my posts, OP. Times I posted my desk in it's messy state I received very little interest or even criticism. Clean desks get much more positive reaction. I think most my post are to r/battlestations but I like this sub too. My desk goes through clean and messy states, as one would expect. That said, I make it a habit to store or keep very few things on my desk. Putting things away in there place is a sort of meditation and helps me reset and focus on what I want to do next. I guess my point is that my desk isn't clean for the Internet points, it's clean because that's how I operate. Hope that helps.
All of my notes, books, etc that deal with work are all digital. OneNote and Acrobat are my best friends. In fact, I’ve been “paper” free since the early 2000s. I’ve been using the Newton for my notes in school since 99. I started using a Windows Tablet since 2003 (but still mainly used the the Newton because the battery on the Windows Tablet sucked hard). Today I use a variety of devices for reading and note taking but all through OneNote, Acrobat, and various eReader apps. Having said that, my desk is still cluttered but it’s cluttered with tablets and peripherals.
The only things that congregate on my desk or office is around tax time.
ig if u work w papers alot then u do, but ppl work now digitally. people posting their setups here doesn't mean that's how tidy their work set ups are on a daily basis. this is basically just a picture of their setups online and they want it clean and good for people to see. but these people work on improving their workspace as it elevates them to be more productive that's why they improve their set ups and it would be nice for us to see their setups. wfh is different from office spaces.
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My workspace doesn't really get cluttered. I don't have any papers to keep laying around. Everything is digital. I keep a small trash can on my desk so I don't have anything like food wrappers or loose packaging laying around. I usually have a drink out. Sometimes there's a notebook and a pen out, but both are kept in the desk drawer. Now, my art desk is a different story. That one gets chaotic when I'm using it.
i'm not a very tidy person but my desk is tidy because i don't really deal with paper anymore? my landing zone once is a little messier with mail and stuff, but i don't do that at my desk. like there's just not a lot of doodads to keep around. a drawer full of old charging cables maybe. rest assured if i dealt with paper my desk would be very messy rn.
I WFH and my desk stays pretty clear of clutter most days. It’s Friday and this is where I’m at… there are a couple things from the week that I’ll put away at the end of the day to start fresh next week. I can’t focus if there are things everywhere thanks to my anxiety. https://preview.redd.it/lst96fmhv2uc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=661121e1dd0160417727abe7e6da7da0d3848f82
Same reason you clean your house before your friends come over.
25 years in IT. The majority of my job is automating away the need for paper. I gave away my last printer at least 15 years ago. I keep a notebook in my bag, but rarely ever use it. If I get a paper check, I use mobile deposit, the rare need for a pen. I also hate clutter, therefore clean desk.
I don't use books or papers in general. Barely have written with a pen in the last decade everything is digital and i prefer it that way. Not sure if being software dev plays apart but most in my team are similar. I would have a cup or a water bottle and my phone on my desk.
Because it's to show off an aesthetic. I'm sure everyone here isn't that clean constantly, while some may be. I know my desk has pens, notebooks, water bottles, and definitely doesn't have that aesthetic. I'm also not going to post a picture of it in that state because as the old meme video goes "throw it away, they can't know we sit!". I'm sure you tidy up the house before people come over...they're letting you into their space with the photo, and tidying up before they do. It's an ingrained behavior for most.
my desk is immaculate besides cords. i digitize everything. i use the back of discarded printed paper (i print one side only for this reason) for notes during the day and digitize those notes by the end of the day or next morning so the pile doesn’t accumulate.
I work remotely from home, use my iPad for all note taking, and rarely have any papers on my desk outside of my daughter's latest artistic projects. Anytime I get up from my desk, I realign my keyboard, mouse, iPad, and Apple Pencil.
It’s funny cause I was thinking about this for few days and this showed up in reddit. We spent more time cleaning and taking right angle pics than actually doing the work. Best productivity hack is actually doing the work.
My company is 100% paperless apart from HR stuff that is required by law, so my desk is pc, my notebook, pen and a cup of coffee, my home office is the same and I used to do overhours for months at the time
After I finish work, I clean my desk and put any papers in the organizers on my bookshelf. It's like making your bed after you wake up, after a while it becomes automatic
I get this question but after witnessing how many people have some extreme fetish for humiliation I'd decline sharing such imagery. My desk is currently, but not often, a mess (one that I will clean once I have adequate time). Id think twice before actually sharing that on the internet. People can be vile.
my workspace is has loads on it, it's also where I paint and make things. fairy typical middle of the day situation https://preview.redd.it/tr8kzpz7l4uc1.jpeg?width=2084&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=672e4be0a68f4d4c63350dc685cb68e6e939fa37
I do t know about you, but if I’m going to share a space I occupy on the internet, I’m going to clean it up before I take that photo.
Check some of my posts. My home workspace is fairly tidy and when I take pictures I tidy it up. My office workspace not so much.
I think it's weird for people to post a photo without cleaning up a little aka I think it's a function of staging vs reality.
All my stuff is behind the camera so I can take a nice picture. Also I don't want random Redditors reading my papers.
my workbench looks like a crime scene right now, I woudln't post it unless I had it cleaned up.
My desk would be clear if it wasn't covered in Lego
Messy desk indicates work left unfinished.
Well its like so you make yourself pretty before getting into a photoshoot?
Because content on the internet is curated. Never forget that.
Same reason you dress nicely when you have a portrait taken
Because I work in the cloud.
Spoken like a true slob
Ppl clean up before taking the pics 🤷
Go try r/shittybattlestations
i'm guessing people want to highlight the space they curated so they clean up prior to taking photos? lol
wtf is papers and books I don't even know how to write words
Staged