Senior project manager Polly Bernard surveys her desk. “I’m surrounded by piles of paper, multiple cups, bottles, lots of pens, a talking penguin from Madagascar, empty Tupperware containers and several varieties of hand cream,” she says.
It is safe to say that Bernard’s desk is cluttered, but does this mean she is less productive than her ‘tidy-desked’ colleagues? After all, as the saying goes, “a tidy desk is a tidy mind.”
Although her collection of paper, cups and hand cream may appear cluttered and chaotic, Bernard says that having things around her makes her feel more comfortable. “I think it would be far harder for me to work with a tidy desk as it feels unnatural to me,” she explains.
HR consultant Ali Cavill says that although office workers such as Bernard can operate in “chaos”, a cluttered work environment is not conducive to efficiency. “Generally a sense of order is necessary for a cohesive and productive work day,” she notes.
In contrast to the workstation that Bernard describes, Cavill suggests that successful workstations should consist of in-trays, to do lists and clean and tidy paperwork that is organised according to timing and deadlines. “These work stations convey a sense of calm and professionalism,” she says.
Cavill warns that aside from reduced productivity, a cluttered desk can have a negative impact on your mood. “An inability to find items or locate paperwork can lead to missed deadlines and add to stress levels, affecting not only your work product, but your colleagues’ opinions of you as well,” she says.
But psychologist Sarah-Jayne McCormick thinks that we can take a more relaxed approach to clutter, both at work and at home. “Some people are really comfortable working in an organised type of chaos, and this can be reflective of a creative approach to work and life,” she explains.
McCormick says that individuals need to assess whether their clutter is affecting them or not. “It’s about what works for you,” she notes.
However she also warns that in some cases clutter could be getting in the way of the bigger picture. “Clutter is a concern if it gets in the way of what you really want in life,” she explains.
“Is the clutter reflective of how you are feeling? Cluttered and muddled and all caught up in something else?” McCormick asks.
In some organisations the need for employees to keep their work stations neat and tidy has become policy. In some incidences this has been introduced to create a more aesthetic work environment, but in many cases it is a way of keeping confidential documents safe. Accountant Jess Brown says that although the clear desk policy in her company was annoying at first, she now enjoys the routine of tidying her desk every evening.
“I can be pretty messy and clutter would build up throughout the week, she says. “The clear desk policy forced me to make a tidying my desk a habit.”