Is A Messy Desk The Sign Of A Messy Mind?

Is a clean desk really a sign of a tidy mind? I find that when I am interviewed by journalists this question invariably comes up, and I also find that the interviewer usually has bias. Messy people ask with the hope that they don’t have to go home and tidy up, and tidy people ask it with an air of knowingness just certain that I’ll back up their assertion that cleanliness is next to godliness.

Interestingly, in a 2013 study Kathleen Vohs, PhD, of the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management, found that working in a tidy room does encourage people to do socially responsible, normatively "good" things like eat healthfully and give to charity. But she also found that working in a messy room seemed to help people be willing to try new things and come up with creative ideas. After reading that study, author Randa Goode wrote “If [messiness is linked to creativeness], when it comes to my desk and writing, then I may be the most creative person in the world. Heck, maybe in the universe.”

In the end, I don’t think there is one right answer. My own habit is that during a project, whether designing a living room, writing a book, or getting ready for a party, I create chaos and stacks and piles galore. I start off with a pristine work area, devolve into utter chaos complete with two-day old dishes, and then as I wrap-up the project return to a perfectly tidy state. That is my way.

I do find, however, that disorder can turn into a burden if left unchecked. Do you *really* know what is in those piles? Can you *really* find what you need to find when you need to do so? It’s all a matter of honest evaluation, and sometimes we have to shake things up and try something new to see if our habits are really serving us. In her book The Power Of Place, Winifred Gallagher writes that “One reason we work so hard to keep our surroundings predictable is that we rely on them to help us segue smoothly from role to role throughout the day.” If that messy desk is part of focussing your mind and getting you into the role of entrepreneur, who am I to ask you to change it? But if that messy desk is actually a source of confusion, frustration, embarrassment, or procrastination, then of course you need to change it.

As with all things in our home and environment, the things surrounding us only have one role, and therefore one rule - to support and nurture us as we reach for our dreams. As long as you keep your desk in a state that is in accordance with that support, then embrace it, messy or pristine!