Practical issues first
For the sake of argument, let’s assume I am comfortable in the midst of chaos. Let’s further assume I am a laid-back individual and that I refuse to be bound by societal norms. That’s all well and good, but there may be some drawbacks:
- Time lost. If I can’t find what I’m looking for–a phone number, an address, a document–I’ll waste minutes I’ll never get back.
- Impressions botched. ‘I’ may not be bothered about a casual approach to deadlines, but someone else might. You know, someone with a higher pay grade.
- Stress. Even if I’m not prone to anxiety (we’re pretending here), I’d become anxious if I had limited time and couldn’t locate an item I needed in a hurry. And, no. Working under pressure and working while anxious are not the same.
But it isn’t all theoretical, is it?
What does science say?
I am no kind of scientist, so I will be relying on a few hopefully trustworthy sources. The first is Harvard Review. A March 2019 article tells us that research, using fMRI and other means, indicates that our brains like order. Visual reminders of disorder, i.e. a messy desk:
- Literally drain the brain’s cognitive resources and
- Reduce the ability to focus.
- Inhibit productivity.
- Might negatively impact other people’s views of my abilities.
And this problem isn’t confined to office space. Research also found that some people feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of stuff in their homes, and that there’s a connection between the clutter and their propensity to procrastinate. Additionally, those same people appeared to use junk food consumption and TV-watching as coping mechanisms. The researchers speculate that this type of behavior extends to office workers. That is, people with disorganized workspaces are more likely to make poor food choices. Researchers do not, however, have data to prove that theory.
Observations from a layperson, albeit one with impressive intelligence.
Advice on gaining better results from a former colleague, Ryan Borawski:
- Clear your space.
- Clear your mind.
- Ask yourself what space–physical or digital–is silently draining your energy, and take care of it.
You can listen to the full podcast here, but I’d advise just tuning in every morning. It’s a non-caffeine boost!
An orderly exit
Just a few more words. The Harvard Review article also notes that elevated stress levels increase cortisol. If this occurs frequently, it can lead to depression. We have to consider the possibility that a constant state of disarray may impact us more than we know.
I kept this one short, so you have plenty of time to either straighten your workspace or muss it up, depending on how you work best.
I can work in either situation. Rick says I have laser-focus especially when I get into my “Zen” mode. However, I do prefer my workspace to be feng shui. It’s the OCD in me. 😊
Yep. I find it quite distracting to have things badly out of place when I’m trying to get something done.
I prefer organized and cannot see how organized would not be more efficient….but then, some do not care about being efficient.I was site director for a medical products manufacturing plant in England before retiring. Our quality director’s office looked like an explosion in a mattress factory. He was always late for meetings as were his reports needed by co-workers. I saw it as a very self-centered personality trait. btw, he had a sign on his wall that read, “if a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, what an empty desk a sign of?”
An empty desk means it’s vacant, but an orderly desk is something else entirely.