History Main / Paperworkaholic

Even if it's not a good idea

* Menlo from ''WesternAnimation/{{Recess}}'' is always seen filing paperwork in the school office.
* Parodied in an early episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}''. The main four were playing "work" and imagined a lot of fun activities that included "Paperwork", which was Phil and Lil shredding paper with a lawn mower. Chuckie even says that his dad "pushes paper" for a living, which they imagine to be running around pushing stacks of paper with brooms.

The Paperworkaholic can crossover into many bureaucrat tropes. See BadassBureaucrat for times when their skills are put to impressive use. They might be a ObstructiveBureaucrat depending on just how seriously or literally they take their position. Being a Paperworkaholic may not necessarily prevent someone from being a CorruptBureaucrat. The opportunities for such may even be part of what they like about the bureaucracy.

** In ''[[Fanfic/TheAlarmaverse Beauty Will Tear Us Apart]]'', Twilight is jealous of the top-secret classes that Ditzy Doo gets to attend. Ditzy tries to console her by mentioning how many of the courses involves boring paperwork, but that just makes Twilight even more jealous.

* In ''Film/{{Secretary}}'', Lee applies for a job as E. Edward Grey's secretary. At her job interview, Grey explains that the job consists of typewriting, filing etc., and warns her that "it's ''very'' dull work". Lee replies "I like dull work".

** Subverted with A.E. Pessimal. He certainly seems the type, being very fastidious and extremely able with an account book, and Sam Vimes writes him off as such at first. However, the only reason he became a clerk is because he was always too small and weak to be what he ''really'' wanted: a watchman. After unwittingly giving Pessimal a chance to live the dream, Vimes realizes this. He also realizes that the Watch ''needs'' people with Pessimal's skillset, and hires him into the Watch as his adjutant, where he becomes a BadassBureaucrat whose audits are feared by Ankh Morpork's business community.

They say we're anal, compulsive and weird\\

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Hilda}}'': Elves are a whole race of this, as their entire society is build on paperwork. Even to the point that they are invisible to anyone who has not filled out the proper paperwork first. In the season 1 episode "The Tide Mice", Alfur is thus Hilda and Frida's best chance at finding a way to reverse the tide mice spell Hilda used.

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* Parodied in an early episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}''. The main four were playing "work" and imagined a lot of fun activities that included "Paperwork", which was Phil and Lil shredding paper with a lawn mower.

[[folder:Web Original]]
* Sparks Nevada, ''Podcast/TheThrillingAdventureHour's'' Marshal on Mars, will frequently say without irony that the paperwork is his favorite part of the job. He avoids doing it right before a date only because he knows he'll just get sucked into it. During a period towards the end of the series when the Red Plains Rider is marshal, he scoffs when she complains about paperwork.

* Mr. Crispin Horsefry in the Creator/{{Sky}} adaptation of ''Film/GoingPostal''. In the book, he's just a somewhat dense lackey to the main villain, whereas in the TV film he's obsessed with balancing numbers, to the point that [[ChronicEvidenceRetentionSyndrome he keeps detailed notes of his company's illegal deals]]. When the villain finds out about this, he's so incensed he [[YouHaveFailedMe kills him]] and tries to burn the records. Nevertheless, the books are rescued and used to oust the corrupt board members.

* In ''VisualNovel/MyMagicalDivorceBureau'', protagonist enjoys working in an office, and mentions their love of paperwork (something which they seem to think is universal). In the morning, the protagonist greets their (empty) office aloud, wondering "what excitement you will have for me today".

[[folder:Film]]

* 'Literature/TheSecretOfSantaVittoria'': Captain Von Prem is a meticulous keeper of records, and copies all of his personal correspondence (being forced to leave a lot of it behind when he leaves town).

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

Their love of the job usually means that they will not be a BeleagueredBureaucrat unless they happen to be having a particularly bad day. Most {{Desk Jockey}}s would prefer to be back in the action, though a few may come to prefer their position behind a desk. Most likely the a Paperworkaholic is also a {{Clerk}}.

** In the final chapter of ''Fanfic/EakinsHardReset'', Twilight Sparkle is having a rough time recovering after escaping a long series of {{Groundhog Day Loop}}s. Princess Celestia puts Twilight in front of a stack of paperwork roughly twice as tall as she is to cheer her up.

* Mr. Crispin Horsefry in the Creator/{{Sky}} adaptation of ''Film/GoingPostal''. In the book, he's just a somewhat dense lackey to the main villain, whereas in the TV film he's obsessed with balancing numbers, to the point that he keeps detailed notes of his company's illegal deals. When the villain finds out about this, he's so incensed he [[YouHaveFailedMe kills him]] and tries to burn the records. Nevertheless, the books are rescued and used to oust the corrupt board members.

* Mr. Crispin Horsefry in the Creator/{{Sky}} adaptation of ''Discworld/GoingPostal''. In the book, he's just a somewhat dense lackey to the main villain, whereas in the TV film he's obsessed with balancing numbers, to the point that he keeps detailed notes of his company's illegal deals. When the villain finds out about this, he's so incensed he [[YouHaveFailedMe kills him]] and tries to burn the records. Nevertheless, the books are rescued and used to oust the corrupt board members.

* In the Amazon version of [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Series/TheTick2016 The Tick]], Arthur is treated like this. To the point of nearly getting a date with a girl based on their mutual love for paperwork.

-->We didn't choose to be bureaucrats//
No, that's what Almighty Jah made us//
We'd treat people like swine and make them stand in line//
Even if nobody paid us//
They say the world looks down on the bureaucrats//
They say we're anal, compulsive and weird//
But when push comes to shove you gotta do what you love//

-->''We didn't choose to be bureaucrats / No, that's what Almighty Jah made us / We'd treat people like swine and make them stand in line / Even if nobody paid us''
-->''They say the world looks down on the bureaucrats / They say we're anal, compulsive and weird / But when push comes to shove you gotta do what you love / Even if it's not a good idea''

** In ''Beauty Will Tear Us Apart'', Twilight is jealous of the top-secret classes that Ditzy Doo gets to attend. Ditzy tries to console her by mentioning how many of the courses involves boring paperwork, but that just makes Twilight even more jealous.