I have a problem

I don't understand why anyone would take pride in being able to withstand vast amounts of stress. Or why anyone would accept that having too much to do is an inevitable part of life. I've never wanted to be efficient or productive or controlled. In my mind, those are machine qualities and I don't want to be a machine.

But I have a problem.

I have deadlines. My office is a disaster area. Papers and books are scattered everywhere and I can't find anything I need. My email inbox is so full that all I want to do is delete its entire contents, or yell at the people who keep sending me messages.

And I don't know how to solve my problem without acquiescing to values that I do not hold.