Comments

"Messy" may be comforting for you - like the same black 29" loose-fit Levi's I always seem to end up in [& L Eddie Bauer leather jacket].

Posted by sean at August 31, 2006 11:21 AM

whew !

That's something I can tell people I have in common with Tom Peters !

:-D

Posted by Gautam Ghosh at August 31, 2006 11:37 AM

Clean desks/work spaces/creative spaces are for people too busy tidying up to go out change the world.

Posted by Joshua Blankenship at August 31, 2006 11:43 AM

What's the old saying? "A clean house is a sign of a sick mind."

Looks like yours is very healthy. Thanks for the inside view.

Posted by Andrew Hayden at August 31, 2006 11:48 AM

As soon as files or notes go into file cabinets, they no longer exist. I know exactly where each client file is among my stacks and what it contains. To anyone else, my desk is a mess; to me, it is efficiency.

Posted by Steve Traversi at August 31, 2006 2:22 PM

I may be neat but when I have the luxury of working from my office, you will find me in my raggedy tee-shirts and hiking shorts.

Side Dish: Obviously, neither you nor your commenters grew up under the right hand of a Sicilian Mom who believed cleanliness (re: neatness) was next to Godliness. It never got in the way of creativity, but there are other equally bad side effects, which I shall not go into.

Posted by Lewis Green at August 31, 2006 2:27 PM

Hmmm. I wonder if there is a market for gently used books from the guru's personal library? ;)

Ebay? Charity fundraiser?

Dave

Posted by Dave at August 31, 2006 2:48 PM

I would reply with a photo of my workspace, but I can't find the damn camera. I know it is somewhere on the desk.

Posted by Mike Neiss at August 31, 2006 4:03 PM

Is that a bottle of Maalox I spot. Tom, say it ain't so.

Posted by Randy Cantrell at August 31, 2006 5:14 PM

While the rest of the house may be 'company perfect', my office..."The Cage"...rivals and probably beats yours in terms of both quantity, and quantity, and quantity. Got you beat hands down.
Always knew there was something extra special about you Tom. Thanks for the inside look.

Posted by lem at August 31, 2006 11:15 PM

Tom,

During the summer of 2000 I had the privilege of interviewing William F. Buckley at his home in CT for a PBS special. If messy offices are directly correlated to intellect then you are smart, but he is brilliant!

Thanks for the inside peek.

Best,

Dave

Posted by Dave Moore at August 31, 2006 11:34 PM

I suggest people read the, "Pursuit Of Luck" post just below this one and take note of two of the ideas:

45. Get out of your office. Tell me, honestly, the last time something inspiring or clever happened at that big table in your office?!

46. Get rid of your office.

'Nuff said!

Posted by Mark JF at September 1, 2006 2:59 AM

Tom, If your house / work-area were prim & proper...it would probably be a MUSEUM…anyway, who would wanna hit a MUSEUM located in the midst of a sprawling farm???

Posted by K.Sriram at September 1, 2006 4:13 AM

Randy: Never!! Mylanta.

Posted by tom peters at September 1, 2006 9:26 AM

Oh, yes. I'm sorry. I knew the color, but didn't associate the brand with the color. I wonder why Mylanta or Maalox doesn't focus more on the color of their bottle to help dummies like me make a stronger association. You should take those PURPLE bills. Even Nexium has a doman name I think: purplepill.com. I digress. Sorry. Back to work. Happy Labor Day weekend. Think I'll work!

Posted by Randy Cantrell at September 1, 2006 10:09 AM

Thanks for the picture, Tom! Here's a picture of and story about another somewhat well-known (at least if you were or are an electrical engineer) person's office: http://www.national.com/rap/Story/0,1562,2,00.html

Bill

Posted by Bill Harris at September 1, 2006 12:32 PM

Thanks for sharing Tom.

Long time admirer, first time blog visitor.

Good to see you as passionate as ever!

Posted by David Dalka at September 1, 2006 10:59 PM

First I moved my "on the road stuff" (consulting, running training courses) to Ziplock bags (Reimagine - Chapter 10)

Now I compare my office to yours, Tom, and discover that once again, you were ahead of me :-)

Posted by Mark Harrison at September 3, 2006 11:13 AM