LONDON, March 22 — It’s often said that dogs end up looking like their owners, and in the workplace, the workstation may also reflect its occupant. Every desk has its own personality, and some attract more attention than others, especially messy ones. With scattered papers, dirty mugs and tangled cables, their appearance is a shock to those who prefer order. And yet, judgments aside, studies show that this chaos could be detrimental to collective productivity. Could a tidy workspace be synonymous with productivity?
Many of us use the transition from winter to spring to do some deep cleaning — and our workspaces should not be excluded from the process. However, tidiness (or rather the lack of it) can be a sensitive subject in the workplace. Because, let’s be honest, there are two types of colleagues: those who are adept at meticulous tidying and those who are champions of creative chaos. The former have a desk worthy of an Ikea showroom, with impeccably stacked files on one side and personal objects discreetly arranged on the other. Nothing is out of place. For the latter, on the other hand, it’s a completely different story. Their workspace is a merry jumble of crumpled papers, random sticky notes, tangled earphones, half-finished snacks and that communal bottle of hand sanitiser that no-one can ever find.
The untidy person seems oblivious to the mess that surrounds them. They work away unperturbed by their clutter. But for their office neighbours, it’s a different matter altogether. Many of them find it hard to cope with the mess right in front of them. A survey of 2,000 British office workers by technology supplier Brother UK reveals that a quarter of them feel that a colleague’s clutter is detrimental to their own productivity.
This is because a cluttered space not only disturbs the eyes, it also overloads the mind. Every scattered sheet of paper, every misplaced file, every surplus object catches the eye and generates a visual cacophony that nibbles away at concentration. A study published in 2011 in the Journal of Neuroscience by researchers at Princeton University goes even further, demonstrating that physical clutter breeds mental clutter, making it harder for the brain to focus on important tasks.
When the chaos bothers coworkers
The question of tidiness in the office is not simply a matter of personal preference. It also relates to the codes of corporate life, particularly in shared spaces, where different perceptions and sensibilities coexist. What appears to be a logical organisation for one person may be perceived as a source of stress for another, sometimes feeding tensions and judgments. Indeed, a workspace says a lot about its occupant. Whether it’s an executive’s vast, elaborately decorated personal space, or a more anonymous booth in an open-plan office, the way it looks influences people’s perception of its owner.
University of Michigan researchers highlighted the impact of clutter on professional image in a study published in 2019 in the journal Personality and Individual Differences. They found that a cluttered space is often judged negatively, and its occupant perceived, consciously or unconsciously, as less agreeable, more neurotic or unconcerned about others. These preconceptions, however unfounded, can influence interactions and work dynamics, underlining the importance of the image that our professional environment conveys.
Organised chaos
So, is it imperative to keep things tidy in order to shine in the workplace? The debate remains open, but one thing is certain: the state of our desk has as much influence on our day-to-day as it does on how others perceive us. A messy desk can quickly earn us a reputation for being disorganised or chaotic, which is why it’s important to tidy up regularly. There are several ways of doing this, including the Japanese 5S method, based on five essential principles. The first, “Seiri,” consists of ruthlessly sorting, eliminating the superfluous and keeping only the essential, classifying items according to their usefulness. Next comes “Seiton,” which advocates defining a precise place for each object in order to limit wasted time and unnecessary movement. With “Seiso,” the emphasis is on cleanliness and maintenance, as a tidy space encourages concentration. “Seiketsu” aims to standardise organisation so that it is clear and intuitive, even for another person. Finally, “Shitsuke” reminds us that the key to success lies in rigor: by applying these principles on a daily basis, we can ensure our workspace is always functional and inspiring.
But what’s functional for some isn’t necessarily functional for others. In the office, some people maintain a skillfully organised mess, where every object seems to be placed at random, but in reality responds to a meticulous and personal logic. Steve Jobs, for example, worked in the midst of a legendary mess, yet this in no way detracted from his visionary genius. How can this be explained? In a study published in 2015 in the Journal of Environmental Psychology, researchers at the University of Groningen argue that a disorderly environment encourages us to focus on the essentials. That said, it’s no excuse to let things get out of hand, with a cup of coffee from the night before fused to a pile of mail, for example. But when it’s time to wrap up a crucial file, a certain amount of controlled clutter could well be a major ally. So, before you turn your desk into an organised mess or a sanitised shop window, remember that what really counts is not what state it’s in, but how you use it! — ETX Studio
