Opinion: Office 'neat freaks' outnumber 'pack rats'

Percentage who describe themselves as “pilers”: 27

Percentage who say they are “filers”: 23

Percentage who call themselves “pack rats”: 12

Gifts that keep on giving

Percentage of people between the ages of 35 and 44 who admit to having “regifted” presents, according to a survey by the Opinion Research Corp.: 31

Income reduction

Percentage of respondents to a Cambridge Consumer Index survey who gave income reduction as the primary reason they found it necessary to get help with their financial problems: 27.9

Percentage who said they sought help because they were frustrated with high bank rates and fees: 23.9

Percentage who said they wanted to improve their ability to achieve future financial goals like buying a house or saving for retirement: 15

Percentage who said they got into too much debt by overspending: 8

The power of networking

Number of times more effective that networking is for finding a new job than applying for jobs on the Internet alone, according to research by DBM: 6

Percentage of respondents to a DBM survey who attribute finding a new job to successful networking: 64

Holiday slowdown

Percentage of executives who say employees are less productive the week before a major holiday, according to a poll developed by Accountemps: 44

Percentage who believe workers are more productive during these times: 23

Caffeine vs. Internet access

Percentage of employees surveyed who said they would rather give up their morning coffee than their ability to use the Internet at work for personal reasons, according to the results of the sixth annual Web@Work survey conducted by Harris Interactive: 52

Paying the bills

Percentage of Americans ages 18 to 29 who say that they worry about paying bills: 43

Percentage who admit they spend more than most people do on eating out: 32

Percentage who say they spend more on clothes than most people: 26

The giving season

Percentage of total 2004 sales for jewelry stores that took place in December, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau: 24

Shopping stress

Percentage of American consumers who say they love the holidays but would like to reduce the shopping stress that often accompanies the season, according to Circuit City’s holiday survey: 56

Pigging out holiday style

Percentage of Americans who eat more at holiday parties than they would at other times of the year, according to a recent survey by Wrigley: 70

Percentage who find it difficult to maintain a diet during the holidays: 72

John MacIntyre is an author and former city magazine editor. His Figuratively Speaking column, launched in 1989, is published in more than 40 newspapers and magazines.

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