Being messy means more productivity

It always makes me wonder how busy these people with tidy desks really are. I don’t tidy my desk because I spend my full working day working. And I rarely have trouble finding anything at work… that is, until someone else decides to move something because ‘it must be lost’! When tidied, I tend to find whatever I have just organised (put in a drawer) needs to be unorganised (removed from said drawer) in order to use it for the next task. Organised chaos is the way forward for me!

Productivy? :-)

This is pretty ridiculous. Productivity is enhanced by being able to quickly find all the right stuff when you need it.

Quickly = like within a minute. This is my boss (though actually not that unorganized), “Did you get the fax I sent?” Me, “No??.” Boss, “Okay, one second”….(in the background papers shuffling, then “urhg,” more papers shuffling, “URHG,” somthing slams, “Sh*t, Dam*t.” Not aware that I can hear everything (and am now slightly chuckling), he comes back on the phone, “Uh, I’ll call you back with it.” THIS, happens all the time. And, he does at least have his “stuff” separated into big files (although some subdivision would help him). I simply do not think the guy who is actually messy is going to perform any better than my somewhat disorganized boss.

All the right stuff = everything from today and two months ago. That way you don’t miss important details (which would lead to screwing somthing up, which would lead to redoing the screwed up thing, which would = lower productivity).

When you need it = see above example.

Really, trying to argue that messy people are more productive is just an attempt at rationalizing bad, lazy, and unproductive behavior. Sure, if you are in the middle of working on somthing, you will have papers on your desk – maybe even scattered papers. But, it takes a couple minutes (or less) to put everything back in its place at the end of the day (or task). Then, you can even wipe the desk down with some pledge wipes or somthing. I have a clean desk. I work on at several completely different projects everyday. When I have finished what I am doing on a project for the day (or for the next couple hours), I file everything back, so I can find it when I need it again (be it in 3 hours or the next day). Papers don’t get lost, papers don’t get mixed, and I at least feel more productive because for the moment I am working on any particular project , I am working only on that project.

I disagree that being messy is more productive. I’m in a transition stage between Messy and Organized. It’s taken me 3 years to get to this point, and I much prefer being more organized than messy. Messy causes me mental stress because of the stuff I’m forgetting and things that have been misplaced. The “Natural Reminders” that I find in my stacks actually give me panic attacks.

I much prefer having everything filed away with a notepad on my desk that has written “reminders” of what I need to do.

I don’t intend to every ben OCD about neatness – that comes with its own problems, but I’m far more relaxed and productive when I keep my office neat.

At work, I’m pretty organized. I started out in the job disorganized but it negatively impacted my work. It would take me longer to do the same work, and I hate spending more time on something than I have to. When I organized better, I’m able to compress more work into a shorter amount of time, and not feel as rushed. I can then take a little time to chat with people, knowing my work is done. Instead of being stressed out, I’m more relaxed. At home, it’s a different story – I’m very messy at home, and I’m trying to change that.

That’s such a pile of BS. Messy people are messy. That is all.

Messy people, in my experience, are disorganized and are sloppy in there work.

Messy Cooks = Cleaner Faster Food?
Messy Doctors = Better More Careufl Care?
Messy Air Traffic Controllers = Less Crashing?

Yeah right. The only thing that messy does is “work” as an excuse for the messy person.

I’m actually doing research on “messiness,” or environmental chaos and creativity/productivity. For years I have endured what I thought was unfair slander upon my housekeeping and personal workspace habits. What I have found is this: yes, people who appear sloppier or more disorganized tend to be able to transcend their personal environments more easily to enter the world of ideas, as opposed to their outer-directed, and status oriented cohorts.
There are many scientists, artists, and highly arcane humanistic thinkers who have enjoyed “sloppy” personal spaces: Einstein was one of the biggest messes; Churchill was known for masses of papers, half eaten sandwiches and stogies cluttering his office. My father, a well-regarded astro-physicist and highly musically creative person, used to have to beg the janitors at his office not to remove any debris from his work-space, lest he lose his creative train of thought.
I have also found in my research that people who are outwardly more organized or “neater” score lower on scales for emotional access and cognition. In other words, they tend to avoid the experience of the inner self more often, and report higher levels of anxiety in experiencing certain emotions. In it’s extreme form, this is clinically called alexithymia, an emotional affect deficit. People with this personality construct report a paucity of fantasies, remember their dreams less often, and often cannot sort or verbalize their emotional states, preffering instead to avoid them altogether.
Further, people with this construct are more outwardly rigid, preferring to focus energy and attention on controlling their outward environments, as opposed to engaging their brainstorming right-brained, lobes.
Food for thought for the people who like criticize and deride their less neat and orderly cohorts as lazy (a description that I always found unbelievably inaccurate) or slobs.

YP,
Social Researcher

People who like cleaning and all things neat are so narrow minded. you guys think we like mess? no we don’t. but thats how we are, that’s how we operate. to me personally it doesn’t matter that there is a mug on a table since yesterday, because it’s just a stupid mug. what matters to me is that i’m happy positive person that always has time for family and friends.
why do messy people have to understand neat people, while the latter will make no effort whatsoever to try to understand the messy one. why is this neat freak always right?
i live with neat partner. i am making an effort, but that doesn’t count. a bit unfair if you ask me. can those neat people change, be more laid back? no, thats out of the question, but it’s expected of messy people. and don’t say that it the right way, cos it’s not. it’s one way. i don’t have food lying around the house, my desk is very untidy and i like it like that. when it becomes too much i clean it, but untill then it’s fine as it is. i do leave cloths around, chairs, sofas, especially jackets, i just chuck them on the sofa in living room. i get told off for it. the funny thing is i bought hangers for the hall over a year ago, they are still not fixed to the wall cos my man has better things to do. so how can i get told off for that? and also, why it’s only me that has to do the cleaning? i mean changing rubbish bins in every room counts as cleaning for some, while i have to do the proper cleaning, bathroom, kitchen, washing up, loundry, dusting, hoovering and moping. i’m sorry but that doesnt sound equall to me. and on top of that i have to deal with shopping and cooking. oh, and lets not forget that i also work 9 hours a day plus half an hour travel each way = 10. my man works 8 hours a day and doesn’t need to travel to and from office. his phone is his office, and it starts at 9am (which is 2 hours after i got up and an hour after i started working). he’s also usually home by 5pm, while i won’t be there for at least half an hour, if i’m lucky to finish at 5 on the dot. and then there are weekends. while my man plays with cars, which he enjoys and i never tell him off for that i’m expected to clean the whole flat. no 2 day weekens for me. all this led me to a conclusion that neat people have double standards full stop.

Memessy is soooo on the mark. As happy, positive people we want you all to see and understand that the dirty mug is just so stupid. Now, it takes me a lot longer to get my tasks and projects completed because I can’t find my stuff, but I am happy with it all. I am really happy with all my stuff. Last week, I found a twinkie that was three years old. My biggest problem right now are my workmates and coworkers. They never complain about my work habits, but I do notice I am not getting the same raises or opportunites for advancing in the biz. Some of the folks complain about my appearance and hygiene, but I wish they would just shut up. I shower two or three times a week at the most, and I refuse to use doedorant that pollute enviroment. Al Gore has PROVED we are destroying the earth. When I was at the Christmas party, our manager said I cleaned up good. People think my hair might be greasy, but I have scalp problems. I just weant to be left alone. I am a creative person, and I want to follow my dreams. I know I am a really happy person. Well, some person might think I am messy.

Proves messy people are productive, he is  the “BOSS” if he had spent time cleaning in the past he would not have had the time to be the boss today.