Why is Clutter Better than a Clean Desk?

  • 1 min read

We all love sunny weather. And yet, at least here, in the Pacific Northwest, when the clouds part and the sun appears, people start squinting and reaching for sunglasses. We can obviously see clearer in cloudy weather.

That got me thinking. I always aimed for a clean desk, organized papers, emptied Inbox, and scheduled appointments with people. The idea was to create space for creative thinking, for focusing on big items, and for replacing reactivity with proactivity.

One week I cleared it all and couldn’t wait for the new levels of efficiency. But I got super disappointed. After everything was neat and organized, for a couple of hours I felt free to think and focus, but then I started feeling super bored. Nothing inspired me. I was craving that sound of a new e-mail and was ready to jump on anything that people would want me to be a part of. I was missing the clutter. This cleanliness was way too sterile for me.

Clutter actually helps me develop skills that are important for my professional success.

Here are some of them:

Innovation

I have a basket full of printouts of stuff I want to read at some point, my mailbox is full of e-mails that are not crucial to react on, but can be interesting. So, once in a while I randomly pick one, read it and ask myself, “What does this inspire me to do?”

Flexibility

Getting comfortable with clutter teaches you flexibility and ability to avoid feeling overwhelmed.

Prioritization

If you had a clean desk you would react to everything that comes your way. Only when you are surrounded by a lot of e-mails, random papers, tasks or people coming and going, can you develop a sense of what’s important and what’s not.

Don’t spend your days organizing and de-cluttering. If your goal is to create space to do something you always wanted to do, then just do it. You may realize that you’ve been using the de-cluttering as an excuse to delay taking action.

Embrace the clutter!

Get comfy in the cloudy weather – get used to the discomfort of the messy desk and the clutter in your Inbox. Trust your ability to know what’s the most important at any moment. Don’t wait for the sunny weather. Get an umbrella instead.

Author:

Henrieta Riesco is a founder of Intentional Career. She is all about meaningful conversation to empower professionals on their career journey. After experiences of being a teacher and a corporate trainer in Slovakia, a customer advocate and a training consultant for 10+ years at Microsoft, she is comfortable with calling herself a Career Coach. You can follow Henrieta via Twitter, or via her blog.

Picture of Henrieta Riesco

Henrieta Riesco

Henrieta Riesco is a founder of www.Intentional Career.com. As a Career Coach, she collaborates with students and professionals on creating a fulfilling career. Her brand-building journey took her from being a teacher and a corporate trainer in Slovakia to the US where she spent 10+ years working at Microsoft as a customer advocate and a training consultant. The core of her impact lies in meaningful conversations. The goal is to empower professionals to become aware of new possibilities and to feel energized to take action in the desired direction.

TRENDING AROUND THE WEB

Psychology says older adults who scroll the most in the evening usually aren’t the loneliest people in the house. They’re often the ones who found it, quietly, the safest substitute they have left for calling someone directly.

Psychology says older adults who scroll the most in the evening usually aren’t the loneliest people in the house. They’re often the ones who found it, quietly, the safest substitute they have left for calling someone directly.

The Blog Herald
People who feel like they’re “too much” for every partner they’ve had usually aren’t — they’ve just been with people who wanted less of them than they deserved

People who feel like they’re “too much” for every partner they’ve had usually aren’t — they’ve just been with people who wanted less of them than they deserved

The Vessel
Keeping the counter clear while cooking is partly a private habit and partly a quiet form of consideration — a way of leaving the kitchen usable for whoever moves through it next, without needing to say so out loud

Keeping the counter clear while cooking is partly a private habit and partly a quiet form of consideration — a way of leaving the kitchen usable for whoever moves through it next, without needing to say so out loud

Global English Editing
Commercial body sprays may smell harmless, but the synthetic chemicals they contain have been linked to hormone disruption and serious health risks

Commercial body sprays may smell harmless, but the synthetic chemicals they contain have been linked to hormone disruption and serious health risks

The Vessel
People who are truly pleasant and kind but have no close friends often spent years as someone’s emergency contact and no one’s everyday one — and the gap between those two roles is where the loneliness actually lives

People who are truly pleasant and kind but have no close friends often spent years as someone’s emergency contact and no one’s everyday one — and the gap between those two roles is where the loneliness actually lives

The Vessel
Most people assume the hair dye on the shelf was approved as safe before it got there — coal-tar hair color is exempt from the rules that govern every other cosmetic ingredient

Most people assume the hair dye on the shelf was approved as safe before it got there — coal-tar hair color is exempt from the rules that govern every other cosmetic ingredient

The Vessel
Load more
CATEGORIES
Explore