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Can you tell me why you should have a messy desk?
In theory, having a messy desk means you are too busying generating ideas to bother cleaning
it.
I’ve heard that having a messy desk is a sign of a messy mind, and that it is a sign
of genius.
Just because Albert Einstein and Steve Jobs had a messy desk doesn’t mean everyone with
a messy desk is brilliant. If you used that measure, a lot of teenagers should be getting
As instead of Cs.
There was a study that found that creative people were more likely to have messy desks.
Which isn’t necessarily a sign of intelligence, or we wouldn’t have so many starving artists.
A messy desk means you are pouring time and energy into productive tasks.
Or you multi-task so much that you can’t do anything well, including maintaining hygienic
work places.
A study found that people with more messy desks came up with more creative ideas.
It doesn’t mean that they have the dedication to see those ideas through to completion,
a better measure of success. Tenacity and stick-with-it-ness is more important than
a thousand ideas that never get past the notepad.
A clean, conventionalist atmosphere stifles creativity.
You ought to read the book “Rework”. It talks about how budget and environmental constraints
lead to more creativity and productivity, because you can’t do what everyone else
wastefully does.
A messy desk may mean you’re in the middle of a project.
It might. Or it might mean you are messy, whereas conscientiousness people eat better
and live longer.
But people with clean desks and rooms aren’t always conscientious. Sometimes they are stressed
out neat freaks, and that isn’t healthy.
Neither is week old lunches sitting out on your desk.
I’d rather have a messy desk and productive work life.
Just don’t take a short cut and pour the trash on your desk hoping it impresses someone.