Practice Management

David Allen , the expert on personal and organizational productivity, in a recent post asked, "What's Your Standard for 'Stuff'"?

Mr. Allen is a lot nicer than I am.  I call it "crap".  Comedian and word smith, George Carlin, defines the difference by looking at it from each side's perspective.  For example, he says that people refer to all of their useless purchases, trash, clutter, and dust collectors, and general disorganization as "my stuff", while calling the same maintained by someone else as "their shit".  I tend to think that "crap" is a good equalizing term between the two terms.

David Allen speaks as to the varying tolerance for people to get their stuff together or in order.  He describes it this way:

"When the number of used glasses and cups in your living area reaches a certain point, you will clean them up. For some people one is too many. Someone puts one down, they pick it up. Some people, however, will only do something about the glasses and cups when there are no more clean ones. Different standards for 'stuff.'"

And, his point is the same standard and tolerances exist for emails, and files, and all of the other crap that we home office and Third Wave lawyers let pile up in our homes and offices.

I like to watch those TV shows in which people try to go in and help the most pathetic among us in this regard to clean up and organize their spaces.  Shows like Neat, Mission Organization, and Clean House with Niecy.  Most of the people and families these shows meet up with make Oscar Madison on The Odd Couple seem like a clean freak.  Some are downright disgusting.

What you learn watching these shows is that people do have different tolerances for crap laying around and piling up everywhere.  Typically this is different for different people in a marriage or law firm partnership.  As a result, it usually leads to a great amount of conflict and stress between the partners.

I use to know an attorney whose said when hiring staff that the little faux job interview told him nothing.  What he did was to put them with someone else for the interview and he would sneak out and look how they kept the inside of their car.  If it was full of papers and clutter and fast food sacks, he would not offer them a position.  If it was neat and clean, he would offer them a position.

One of the benefits (or curses as you might look at it) about working from home is that you can live and work like you want without all of the scrutiny or stress associated with business partners or bosses worrying over how you let crap pile up.  You can waller in your own crap, in a manner of speaking, and nobody has to much know or care.

But, maybe you should care because at some point you need to get past the fraternity house atmosphere of college (and maybe law school), and realize that growing up means taking command of your life.  And, regardless of whether it is underwear left on the bathroom floor or emails piling up on your email client, it not only does not reflect well on you, but it an organizational nightmare that will sink the Third Wave lawyer.

So, you need to come to terms with what is your tipping point is for crap.  Maybe it is also not good to be an obsessive-compulsive about cleaning up crap, but if you fall  on the other side of this spectrum, maybe you need to work in both cleaning up, getting organized, and lowering your tipping point at which you will take control of your crap.  I tend to think if you do, you will feel better about yourself and your practice.