Does A Messy Desk Equal A Messy Mind?

Walk through an office, and you'll see two basic types of desk. One is almost always maintained by the executive secretary, the anal salesman, or the ex-military vice president: neat, clean, everything in its proper place.

Then there are the other guys: the IT geeks, the talented office manager, the art designer, the account executive. They have dozens of pencils on their desks, fluffy toys, gadgets. Three piles of paper sit on top, one balanced precariously on the edge, and on the one spare chair another pile of files and paperwork resides. In one file cabinet is the repository of snacks, in another the leftover party supplies.

And yet, somehow, these crazily messy people manage to function, and even excel.

A messy desk is not the sign of a messy mind, but of a creative one. Some of these people manage to be productive in spite of disorganization. Others have found ways to be organized in the midst of seeming chaos.

Part of it has to do with the desk accessories and filing methods used by the messy person. For instance, a standing file folder on the corner of a desk rarely looks neat, but it keeps crucial paper and current projects close at hand. Creative people are often easily distractable for one reason or another, and having all those projects out where they can be seen ensures that they get done. You may notice that these people have sticky notes, scribbled marginal notes, and paper clips on almost everything; this is an avant garde filing system, though you may not recognize it as such. The point is, it works for them, while a perfectly clean desk might work against them.

Another part may have to do with how the messy person's day is organized. Neat people use a padfolio to make notes, each item in its place. Messy people regard this as a waste of time - why transcribe everything to yet another place when you can come in first thing in the morning and know at a glance what needs to be done? A messy desk can be an instant reminder system, each pile, note, and object triggering the desk owner's memory about another task that needs to be done.

Very messy people may also be very busy people. Look again at the people who have the neatest desks. Chances are, someone else organizes it for them or they actually do less than similar workers. Now look at the messy people. They will be one of two kinds: the person who is hopeless and at the top of the office pool for the next to be laid off, or the person who is so talented at so many things that he or she is in high demand and rarely has the opportunity to go through their desk to organize it.

Besides, if you're a creative thinker, going through the files and paperwork on the desk may help you come up with unique new ideas for your company. Who knows - perhaps chocolate and peanut butter started out in two different files before someone at Reeses just happened to pick both of them up together.

Those who don't understand may try to give the messy worker organizational office gifts: an accordion file, a P-Touch, even one of the much-praised padfolios. The messy person thanks the giver, and then puts the gift away, untouched.

Don't try to change your messy person, not if they are effective while being messy. Instead, go with the flow, and instead of office gifts give them another troll for that doll collection, or just a well-deserved thank you. And then think twice before putting up all your own incomplete work. Would you maybe, just maybe, be more productive if you left it out this time?