At every job I had before becoming a cartoonist, on my desk sat the traditional IN and OUT trays. And occasionally I’d get those really busy days where my inbox was so full I was sure my desk would flip to one side.
All day co-workers would walk by, drop a stack of papers in my tray, and head off secure in the knowledge that it was out of their hands.
So every so often, on those especially crazy days, I’d hide my tray. I’d put it under my desk, pretend everything was normal, and watch for that confused look on passerby’s faces before they moved on papers still sadly in hand. (Bonus tip – pretend to be on the phone to avoid questions about your tray’s whereabouts.)
I’d considered the above cartoon as another remedy to inbox overflow, but never got a chance to try it out.
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About the Author: Mark Anderson’s cartoons appear in publications including The Wall Street Journal and Harvard Business Review. Anderson is the creator of the popular cartoon website, Andertoons.com, where he licenses his cartoons for presentations, newsletters and other projects. He blogs at Andertoons blog.
Even better, put your jacket on the back of your chair to look like you are in and just disappear for hours on end.
Ooh, I like that jacket idea!
I really love the cartoon work here
Mark: Is this a new version of the “round archive” (slang for the wastebasket in Swedish)? 😉