career
Some work desks may seem like a pile of trash, with papers, books, stationery, tangled wires, crumbs, and other bits and pieces scattered messily about. This might scare your co-workers and make them afraid to come
close to your messy desk!
Messy-desk people often have to waste time looking for things on their desks, and are often viewed as having messy lives too. This might be because some people view them as quitters who can’t even manage their desks, so how can they achieve something greater? But is it really so? Let’s find out.
Researchers from the University of Minnesota in the United States studied the psychology and behavior of people whose desks are organized versus those whose desks are messy. They found interesting facts about both groups, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses. Not all messy-desk people experience disadvantages, while those with neat desks do not necessarily always fare better.
Here is a comparison of the strengths and weaknesses of these two types of people to provide some perspective:
When both groups of people were given the option to donate any amount of money to charity, it turned out that the organized people donated more money to charity than the messy-desk people. On this point, the neat-desk people won!
In this experiment, apples and chocolate were placed in a room and both groups were allowed to pick which they preferred. Tidy-desk people were more likely to choose an apple over chocolate. This showed that they preferred healthier lifestyles.
For this investigation, researchers distributed ping pong balls to both groups and asked them to find new ways to use them. The results showed that both groups had the same number of new ideas. However, when comparing them in terms of appeal and creativity, people whose tables were messy came out with more spectacular, creative, and more practical ideas, making some wonder how they got that far. So messy-desk people won this point.
If both groups of people were forced to choose between newly released and already well-known products, people with cluttered desks tended to prefer new products. Tidy-desk people tended to opt for more familiar tried and true products. This is a sign that the messy table group is more inclined to experiment with novel things and move beyond conventional concepts. This behavior could lead to innovative ideas not derived from traditional knowledge.
The conclusion of the research suggests that both groups of people are good in their own way. People who have a habit of tidying their desks are recognized as having a good quality of life because they are disciplined and hardworking, generating increased income and taken as evidence of their success. If you don't believe it, take a look at the desks of the top executives in your company!
As for people who have a habit of keeping a messy desk, even if it is the opposite of what society expects, if you look closely at their hidden selves you might see the genius hidden under those cluttered tables. Famous creative talents, artists, designers, Nobel Prize winners, and other prestigious award recipients often have messy desks. That’s an environment that helps them create great work. Not convinced? Look at photos of the desks of Mark Twain, Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, or Steve Jobs. They were a mess!
After reading to this point, can you identify which team you are on? Don’t worry, any team is cool in its own way!
_________________________
Reference: https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/4882-messy-desk-personality.html
https://www.inc.com/geoffrey-james/a-messy-desk-is-a-sign-of-genius-according-to-scie.html
