"You are aware that you'll make fewer mistakes and have a better chance of completing deadlines when your environment works for you instead of against you."

Seriously. I'm not trying to be your mother. But come on. That partially eaten candy bar has been sitting behind your printer for a week. Ants like candy bars. So do cockroaches. You know what else ants and cockroaches like? Dark, warm places like the inside of your computer.

Silly me. I didn't mean you. I meant that other webmaster. The one that isn't you. You would never keep your workstation so messy. You know better. You're a good webmaster. There, there.

As for your friend, that other bad webmaster, I predict trouble.

He'll be slogging along, doing his best to get his pages made, uploaded and submitted, when suddenly, his monitor will short out. He won't know what happened until he looks at his jumble of power cords on the floor and realizes his cats have turned them into chew toys. Worse, he'll use his CPU tower as a drink holder one too many times and lose the whole thing to an unfortunate Slurpee incident.

I can see him now. He's ready to start creating that genius niche page he was inspired to make after reading that great article on that website he found last night. He wrote the URL down some where... He found the site during some non-related web search... He remembers distinctly because he found it while he was eating his burger. He wrote it down... On a napkin... And then... what did he do with the napkin? Look, there's the bag with the leftover burger. Is the napkin in there? Here it is! The URL is...covered in ketchup!

If food were this guy's only problem.

Half the time he can't find anything on his desk because it's covered in papers, CDs, magazines, more pieces of paper, odds toys and personal care implements as well as about three fifty in change. He hasn't cleaned or dusted his hardware in over two months. His cords are in a mess. His chair is killing his back. His eyes are hurting because he sits there in the dark, night after night, glaring at his filthy computer screen. This guy has about as much chance of finding his keyboard as he does anything else in around his computer.

I know. I know. You are not that guy. You are not that other, sloppy webmaster. Your workstation is pristine. Your cords are tied up neatly and off the floor. Your CPU, monitor and printer are clean as a whistle. You have a nice work-light to take the glare off your computer screen. Your chair is comfortable yet it gives you proper back support. Your keyboard and mouse are set at elbow level to help take the stress off your forearms and wrists. You have special nooks and shelves for your neatly arranged disks, papers, pens, books and various office-type equipment.

You're not tripping over old software boxes or crawling on the floor, looking for that damned pencil you had five minutes ago. You didn't forget that project was due because you wrote the due date on a matchbook and negligently threw it away. You aren't tearing your hair out because you had to format your hard drive and now you can't find the CD Key to your Windows disk. You would never throw your mouse across the room because that little ball fell out and you can't find it among all the crap around your desk.

You aren't like that other webmaster. You're a happy webmaster.

You understand that keeping your workstation neat and clean isn't just a sanitation issue. You realize that you'll work faster and more efficiently when you do a little maintenance to your area. You know that it saves time and reduces stress when you can readily find the tools and items you need in your day-to-day doings. You are aware that you'll make fewer mistakes and have a better chance of completing deadlines when your environment works for you instead of against you. You recognize the fact that keeping your desk tidy and your equipment clean is a wise move.

I'm not your mother. I'm not that other webmaster's mother. I can lecture but I can't make you do the things I advise you to do. Just the same, give it the old college try. A least give your workspace a once-over once in a while. You'll feel better. You'll work better. I promise.