But it turns out that mess may be good for you. According to a 2013 study published in Psychological Science,
researchers from the University of Michigan found that environmental
disorder actually stimulates creativity. As part of the study, students
were asked to complete tasks that involved coming up with new ideas, and
the ones who had a greater number of ideas—and more innovative ones at
that—had been working in a messy are good for you!
This goes against the prevailing notion that you’re not
living as coordinated or efficient a life as you could, that clutter is
holding you back—and that if you could just Simplify Your Cooking Space and
otherwise stop living such chaos, you’d have more time to get
everything done. This is the idea touted by clean-freak gurus like Marie
Kondo, whose best seller The Life-Changing Magic Of Tidying-Up and
others like it are part of the home-organization trend that includes
everything from shoe containers and self-help books to professional
organizers who will come to your house and throw things out for you.
According to studies by the Freedonia Group,
it all amounts to an $8 billion (and growing) segment of the economy,
but the University of Michigan’s findings are reason enough to pause:
Perhaps a degree of clutter and disarray is not only tolerable but
actually preferable. After all, nature isn't exactly neat and organized.
Even our gardens teem with beautiful chaos—and that's what makes them
great.
This is something that makes intrinsic sense to many
creative types, such as Jeremy Miller, a writer living in Houston.
“Generally, I’m an organized person,” says Miller. “If there are things
strewn about, it will cause me stress. I’m not a neat freak, but I need
to keep tidy. I like harmony and silence.” But Miller has found that his
tidy inclinations hinder him as a novelist. His solution? He
deliberately makes his office a mess.
Miller first discovered the value of disorder while
earning his master’s degree in creative writing at Miami University in
Ohio. “For me, ideas are very messy when they start, and I’m
comfortable in that space. I keep sticky notes with ideas posted around
the office, as well as inspiring photos I’ve cut out from magazines. It
feels like something’s cooking at all times.”
And far from being in the way, those notes can lead to
breakthroughs when Miller gets stuck. “I’ll write down ideas I like that
didn’t go anywhere at first. And seeing them again weeks or months
later, I’ll find I can incorporate them successfully into something
else.”
In his book A Perfect Mess, Columbia Business
School professor Eric Abrahamsson argues that too much organization can
become a distraction and hinderance to productive work. While most
people agree that too much mess can be a problem (read “Are You A Hoarder? Or Just Messy?” to gauge
how bad your clutter issues actually are), there’s a wide spectrum
between chaos and order. “Most people simply assume they’re on the
overly messy and disorganized side of the line and believe they would do
well to drag themselves in the direction of neatness and order,”
Abrahamsson writes in his book.
So instead of worrying that you’re too disorganized, or
spending endless hours attempting to perfectly arrange every pillow on
the couch and every shoe by the front door, relax. When it’s time to
clean, look at What The Buddhists Can Teach Us About Household Chores,
and approach your tasks without anxiety about getting everything done.
If you’ve got too many clothes, by all means, feel free to purge. But
don’t worry that you’re not living your best life because there’s paper
on your desk, dishes in the sink, or clothes on the floor. A cluttered
house can be the sign a well-lived life.
And that project that’s due soon? Don’t waste time trying
to clean your office first—dig in, instead, and start brainstorming. Who
knows? One of those notes on the wall might help spark the great idea
your project needs.
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