Skip to content
quotesby

As you know, Bergson pointed out that there is no such thing as disorder but rather two sorts of order, geometric and living. Mine is clearly living. The folders I need are within reach, in the order of frequency with which I use them. True, it gets tricky to locate a folder in the lower levels. But if you have to find it, you look for it. That takes less time than putting them away every day.

Jean Piaget#4

EfficiencyOrderOrganizationProductivityWorkplace

About this quote

What does it mean?
Piaget compares his folder organization to living order rather than geometric order. He prioritizes accessibility based on usage frequency over strict neatness.
In plain terms
His messy folders follow a useful living order based on how often he uses them.
What can you take from it?
Organize by frequency of use rather than rigid categories to save time.

Where it applies

  • office management
  • personal workspace
  • file systems

Putting it to work

  • prioritize frequent files
  • accept visible clutter
  • optimize retrieval

Questions to consider

  • Does order serve you or you serve order?
  • Is efficiency worth the mess?

Another view

This system may fail for others who need strict indexing or shared access.

More from Jean Piaget

  1. I am convinced that there is no sort of boundary between the living and the mental or between the biological and the psychological. From the moment an organism…

    Permalink to quote #3
  2. Education, for most people, means trying to lead the child to resemble the typical adult of his society... But for me, education means making creators... You h…

    Permalink to quote #5
  3. Knowing reality means constructing systems of transformations that correspond, more or less adequately, to reality. They are more or less isomorphic to transfo…

    Permalink to quote #2

Related quotes

  1. A place for everything, and everything in its place.

    Samuel SmilesSamuel Smiles quote #2
  2. It's easier to ask forgiveness than it is to get permission.

    Grace HopperGrace Hopper quote #4
  3. Fast bind, fast find.

    John HeywoodJohn Heywood quote #10