Can a messy desk help some people work better?
Thanks for asking!
If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?
If you're obsessed with having a tidy work environment, you may want to consider that
that quote comes from none other than Albert Einstein, one of the most renowned geniuses
in human history.
Given that Mark Twain, Thomas Edison, and even Steve Jobs were also known for working
in messy environments, you might be asking yourself whether it's time to start letting
your own desk get a little more cluttered.
Have there been any studies on whether a messy or tidy desk is best?
There have indeed been a few, and there's no clear-cut answer to which is most effective,
as it really depends on a person's work style.
Back in 2017, Technology Solutions' supplier Brother ran a survey of 2,000 UK office workers.
It showed that people believed a messy desk could negatively affect their productivity,
or that of their colleagues.
It could then, in theory, prevent someone from moving up the career ladder if their
boss sees them as disorganized or struggling with their workloads.
But on the other hand, a messy desk may promote creativity and stimulate new ideas, according
to researchers from the University of Minnesota who looked into the matter in 2013 and published
their findings in psychological science.
Kathleen Vos was the lead researcher behind that study, and she's quoted in the official
news release as saying,
"...disorderly environments seem to inspire breaking free of tradition, which can produce
fresh insights.
Orderly environments, in contrast, encourage convention and playing it safe."
Ultimately, there's no point in forcing yourself to be someone you're not.
The key is to find the right balance that works for you.
You don't want to become so obsessed with having a tidy environment that your creativity
is stifled.
But even if you do tend to work better with a cluttered desk, you shouldn't assume that
the mess alone will make you more productive.
There are a few reasons, and a lot of it actually comes down to how you were raised.
Many people grow up learning to conform to strict standards, while others rebel against
them.
If your parents taught you to be neat, you might subconsciously become messier as a way
of rebelling against what you were taught.
Messiness can also be a way of marking your territory and expressing who you are.
It's often easier to show off your personality in a lively, slightly chaotic space than in
a perfectly neat, impersonal one.
A study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research in 2023 actually
suggested that the tendency to live in a messy environment is linked to a specific
personality trait, indecisiveness.
Indecisive people tend to accumulate more things because they find it hard to part with
anything.
Their difficulty making choices and letting go of certain items partly explains how they
end up living in cluttered spaces.
For them, sorting through and organising their living space isn't always easy.
There you have it.
Now you know how a messy desk helps some people work better.
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