The Art of Desktop Arrangement

Being a successful Guppie demands considerable artistic sense, a fact that seems unlikely at first. Certainly the actual duties of a Guppie require no art, only a rudimentary knowledge of the business, and precious little of that. The artistic demands lie in the visual rather than the professional spectrum. The successful Guppie is one who knows how to arrange his or her desktop in an esthetically pleasing way. The desktop, approximately two-and-one-half by four feet, is similar to a painter's canvas; empty it says nothing, but let a talented person loose on it and it becomes an artistic work--a statement.

Many novice Guppies simply place whatever they are working on at the time in the handiest arrangement, with little concern for esthetics. This is the surest sign of an amateur. The experienced individual carefully distributes papers, pads, books, pencils, rulers, coffee cups, calendars, and telephones to achieve an effect with little or no concern for practical matters like the work at hand. Indeed, a pleasingly arranged desktop, with clutter and empty space properly balanced, precludes all work for that day. To spoil the effect by actually doing some work would be artistic heresy.

Guppies, like all artists, have individual desktop styles that are easily recognizable. This is not to imply, however, that a Guppie's desktop arrangement is static and unchanging; to use the same arrangement even twice would show a serious lack of creativity, and also might cause management to become suspicious concerning productivity. No, the creative Guppie changes his display at least daily, and sometimes several times during a day. These changes are not haphazard however; each is a carefully thought-out move, sometimes contemplated for hours beforehand, intended to improve the arrangement. Merely moving a pencil an inch or two can not only create the impression that work has been done, it can sometimes change the entire nature of the artistic statement.

Some may feel that desktop arranging has nothing at all to do with corporate survival, but those who know agree that it is the very essence of longevity. The ability to properly set up a display is an admirable as well as valuable talent.

Each Guppie, within the limits of his or her ability and style, strives to achieve an overall effect that satisfies intellectually, and at the same time gives the illusion of "busyness," as if something important has either just happened or is about to happen.

(Next Week, Part II: Pencil Sharpening.)