Office Organization: In Defense Of Messy Desks

If you've ever been told your desk is too messy, this may be your moment to shine: A report just published in the Journal of Consumer Research found that a cluttered workspace can actually enhance problem-solving skills.

Researchers at the University of Groningen, led by Assistant Professor of Marketing Jia (Elke) Liu, conducted a series of six experiments examining everything from a subject's ability to categorize objects to their preference for complicated vs. simple objects. The variable in each case was the environment subjects were placed in, which ranged from disordered desks and messy stores to the tidiest ranges of the spectrum. The study found that disorganized surroundings led subject to think more clearly on a variety of counts, TODAY reports,
and "demonstrated that experiencing messiness (vs. not) induced participants to form simpler categorizations, pay more for a t-shirt with a simple picture, and seek less variety in their choices, because messiness activates a need for simplicity."

In a press release, researchers stated that disorder can even promote creativity: "Messy desks may not be as detrimental as they appear to be, as the problem-solving approaches they seem to cause can boost work efficiency or enhance employees' creativity in problem solving."

This summer, we asked successful women what's in their desk. Now we want to know about what's in -- and on -- yours! Are you a proud organizer of pencils or a hoarder of post-its? Send us photos of your desk and let us know why your system of organization -- or lack thereof -- works for you. Tweet pics @HuffPostwomen with hashtag #MyDesk or email a picture to us at [e-mail]. We'll put our favorites into a slideshow on the site!

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Comments

[michaelumb]

01:41 AM on 02/07/2012

Hello Friend this blog is very informative for me and each and every one who wants to purchase a good quality of furniture.

design office chairs

[Jennifer Kley]

08:52 PM on 01/30/2012

Messy is in the mind of the beholder.

http://thecubiclerebel.wordpress.com/

[Cascadienne]

10:06 PM on 01/28/2012

What I love best about this article and the pictures is that it shows me even more ingenious ways to load more stuff on my desk...nifty little folder hangers and stuff. Yay :)

[TedEjr]

05:29 PM on 01/28/2012

There is a saying, A cluttered desk is the sign of a cluttered mind.

So then, what is an empty desk?

;-)

[falkowskic]

03:54 PM on 01/28/2012

Hey, there is room in this world for all of us, I have a very messy desk but it works for me. Any important papers I pin to my board. But I have student papers, articles I am reading, some beads I am working with, a book that i am reading, and my current knitting or crocheting project. Oh yes, and some CD's/DVD's for chill time. No it doesn't all fit on my desk along with the computer. I have an L-shaped work area that I dearly love.,

An old friend had a plaque above her desk that read "If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, what is an empty desk a sign of?" Works for me.

[snoogans460]

03:09 PM on 01/28/2012

I'm sorry, but this article is the most ridiculous nonsense I've read all day long. First off, I do agree that everyone has their own personal preferences in regards to tidiness and organization, and it's true that many folks can still thrive in messy environments... although that's an exception, and not the rule.

However, it's sounds as if this article was written as just another way for folks to ultimately justify their uncleanliness... similar to hearing people claim that not washing their hands helps boost their immune system, blah blah blah.

Anyhow, I'm currently 33 years old and have been an obsessive compulsive neat-freak perfectionist germaphobe most of my life. Needless to say, I'm one of the most clean and organized individuals walking around on this planet - which, is both a blessing and a curse. Even still, I THRIVE off neatness and organization - anything less INSTANTLY stifles my creativity.

Now, I'm not saying that other folks need to be as anal as myself when it comes to keeping their environment clean. It's just that MANY people never even bother putting forth the effort and are complete slobs. All in all, I've found those who are organized in life, to be much more "trust-worthy" than those on the other end-of-the-spectrum.

[falkowskic]

03:57 PM on 01/28/2012

Wow! you must be fun ti live with! I am glad that your style is working for you. But the obsessive-compulsive diagnosis is hard to live with., Many people have driven themselves up a wall trying to please themselves, But please do not associate the creative thinkers among us who thrive with things on their desks with :"slobs" nor people who choose not to wash their hands

[ke4qm]

02:45 PM on 01/28/2012

I've always been with a cluttered desk. In looking back, it was simply all about being busy and just opted not to tidy it up (only once in a while). Also, it was about productivity: saving time retrieving stuff from filing cabinets etc. Ongoing/current projects et al at hand.

[collectsrocks]

02:06 PM on 01/28/2012

One might call my desk area messy, but I know exactly where everything is and can find something in a heartbeat. Years back at one of my jobs I was out of work for a week with the flu. My boss could call me anytime to ask me where a particuliar file was and I'd give him info where to find it within my "mess." He was astonished, yet happy about my ability to locate things when I wasn't even at the office.

[lawyerlytypes]

02:04 PM on 01/28/2012

Oh good lord... A cell phone, a plate, the bowl of cereal I'm eating, all kinds of junk mail and bills, cooking spray, a link roller, a Cars 2 cup, windshield de-icer, a stuffed dragon, a flashlight, cleaning wipes, paper towels, books, glue, a piggy bank, a stapler, a greeting card from a relative, a camera carry case, some peanut butter, a camera cord plus the camera, my Nintendo DS, receipts, a cook book, pencils, and my money jar. And that isn't everything... My desk is my kitchen table by the way.

[falkowskic]

03:59 PM on 01/28/2012

love the dragon. I have this great red velvet dragon that I have been wanting to take into school but afraid that it will disappear as many other things have from my desk,

[sassycats61]

01:22 PM on 01/28/2012

On the other end of the spectrum, what is that saying? A clean desk is a sign of a sick mind. I think that's how it goes.

[maryk4d4]

03:27 PM on 01/28/2012

I have a plaque that says "Organized people are just too lazy to look for it"

[mjsnun]

12:47 PM on 01/28/2012

I have a beautiful standing round mirror on the left side of my computer a bit behind of it but on the same table where the computer is. It is turned so that when I look at it I can see my garden through the large sliders of my lanai ( I live in Florida). I often look at the mirror for a few moments and that not only rests my eyes but also my soul. Of course my cat turns the mirror when he jumps up and wonts attention, he is a good company and good for the soul too so I don't object. I hope you try this and it adds to your comfort. Some mess on the desk is ok, it shows that it is used as a working place, perfection scares me as I paid a high price for it by waisting my time on pitty details. Live it up, folks, have a messy desk and more time for living.

[ixob673]

01:46 PM on 01/28/2012

I do so agree.

[hyitsme242]

12:45 PM on 01/28/2012

I must add that my last comment was in reference to my desk at home. I could never leave my desk at work as messy. At the end of the day, or as the end of the day draws near, it is important for me to tidy my desk and prepare for the next day. It would be to put papers in a neat stack, or filed , pens and pencils put away, books closed, and desk cleared and ready for the next day.

[hyitsme242]

12:33 PM on 01/28/2012

Yes, I have a messy desk. It seems to work for me, I know where I left off, and can go right back to it. It takes time to put things away, it takes time to fine those things again. It doesn't take as much time if I leave these things where I'm working. If I get a visit from someone I might need to impress, then I might straighten up a bit, and I do enjoy looking at a tidy desk, looks nice.
I do like things clean, clean is very important. There's a big difference between messy and dirty.

[houblonchouffe]

12:26 PM on 01/28/2012

I'm only allowed five "personal items" at my desk--doesn't matter whether they're in a drawer or on the desk itself--and that includes job aids. I've got a huge thick binder with notes and workflows, a five-photo frame, my coffee cup, and...pretty much, that's it. It's pretty bleak, I have to admit. My last desk had notes, buttons, patches, papers, a French press and coffee, even a small plant, and I think I worked a lot better like that.

[falkowskic]

04:02 PM on 01/28/2012

Wow! If there are rules for your desk, I hesitate to think about how many other rules you have to deal with. I have more than 5 personal objects on the bulletin board next to my desk -- including great cardboard cut-oiuts of a fish, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a hotdog and Elvis.,

[maternatura]

12:12 PM on 01/28/2012

I am messy and my husband is neat. When he sees things out of order, he gets really flustered and agitated. When he tries to straighten things for me, things get lost and then we never find them again. Go figure!