The Messy vs. Tidy debate or Great minds think alike.
What does you desk top look like?I would like to say mine is all tidy and uncluttered but that couldn't be further from reality. It is messy. It's always messy. I have had some very buttoned up types lately, tell me I need to change my ways. This got me thinking about messy versus tidy. I found some interesting articles and a LOT of books about it. Obviously there is a much wider debate here than I have bothered paying attention to.
There are several studies that show the messy deskers are more educated, have a higher salary and are more creative than their tidy counterparts. Of course there are studies that show the opposite to be true but I like the first one better.
Here is a picture of my desk as it looks right now. This is the typical state of my desk, sometimes worse, and sometimes better. By the way I shot this with my iPhone 4 using the Pro HDR app.
Here is the most famous messy desk of all time, Albert Einsteins. I like his quote, "If a cluttered desk signs a cluttered mind, Of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?".
Here are a couple other famous messy deskers, you might have heard of them.
Sigmund Freud
Abraham Lincoln
Alexander Fleming: Discovered Penicillin while straightening up his messy desk.
Mayor Einstein
email me a pic of your desk and I will add it to this post. wow (at) lbobi.com
Click here to see your fellow lbobians' desks:
Photographer, Breanna Powers
Photographer, Matthew Vanecek:
Based on my astrological sign, I'm predisposed to function best in neat,
organized workspaces. Conversely, I am NOT predisposed to actually
*create* a neat, organized workspace. It's a constant struggle, with lots
of ups and downs. But I do really prefer an organized area--it helps me
function better and find the things I need quicker with less frustration.
Photographer, Jeremy Murdock:
I am the messy creative in my office and get made fun of all the time.
Photographer: Phil Holden
I make myself be tidy, otherwise it gets out of control, plus with a small workspace I don't have much choice.
Photographer: Clark Sanders
If my desk was larger...it would probably definitely be a lot messier! I do, however, have my Yoda bobble-head watching over so the "darkside" of the force doesn't rear it's ugly head!
Photographer, Missy Bachmeier:
I wonder which one mine is...
Photographer, Jenifer Rodgers:
Ok....I'm kinda super ashamed to send this in, but I am trying to be more accepting of myself and just own who I am instead of always trying to be someone else. lol
So....here is a shot of my organized chaos (because I know pretty much where everything is....lol)
Architect: : Todd Steele
"My desk is a door, held together with plywood and a wall cleat. It has all the essentials: Computer (because who draws by hand anymore?), rolls of drawings, a big, black hard hat, a cool task light that I never turn on until daylight savings falls back (or forward, I forget which), a steel book, a dictionary and product manuals, a glass of water and a fan, because I like my work space extra cool. It's also sprinkled with photographs by the coolest photographer I know, Mrs. Jeff Rodgers."
Photographer: : Lanne Beattie
I try to keep what lives on my desk fun but practical (except for one photo). Everything I do keep lives at the back so I have a larger work surface at the front.
I keep everything else in storage systems to my left and ongoing projects in a organizer to my right.
I keep everything else in storage systems to my left and ongoing projects in a organizer to my right.
DC comics artist: : Mike Norton
Lots of coffee...
Mr Quickeys & Photographer: Dave Cheung
Photographer & Wonder Twin: Joy Bianchi Brown
Photographer: Amelia Lyon
NOT a Photographer & SPA founder: Andy Bondurant
Photographer: Annabella Brandon
Mammoth Man & Photographer: Matt Sloan
Mr Quickeys & Photographer: Dave Cheung
Photographer & Wonder Twin: Joy Bianchi Brown
Photographer: Amelia Lyon
NOT a Photographer & SPA founder: Andy Bondurant
Photographer: Annabella Brandon
Mammoth Man & Photographer: Matt Sloan
Photographer & King of Cool: Sean McLellan
THE Geek Lair.
Publisher|Editor-in-Chief of Southern Weddings® Magazine: Lara Casey
This is how it is 90% of the time... Two Mac's, two pairs of glasses, lots of mail, disks, and currently a copy of "Butter My Butt and Call Me a Biscuit". It's magazine prep time, so I'm getting my Southern on. And I pretty much always have a candle lit on my desk. I have to keep things pretty clean with all I have going on. My car is a completely different story.
Do NOT do a post on people's cars.
Photographer: Tina Wilson
My desk feels messier than it looks.
Oni Press (home of Scott Pilgrim), Associate Editor & Photographer: Charlie Chu
Photographer & the genius behind Joy of Marketing: Sarah Petty
Mad genius at Animoto Productions: Rebecca Brooks
Mine's not nearly as messy as some of the others...
Marvel Comics Colorist & Married to Mitch: Bettie Breitweiser
My desk is like a game of Clue. Special guest: Mr. Hamley
Marvel Comics Artist & Married to Bettie: Mitch Breitweiser
Semi-tidy workstation.
Photographer: Savannah Kenney
I keep my desk pretty clean. Clutter drives me nuts. I actually built my desk because I couldn't find one that fit my office just right. Amydog likes to reside under my desk.
Creator of ShakeitPhoto & CrossProcess, Motion Designer, Photographer, My hero: Nick Campbell
I like to try and keep my desk clear. It eases my mind. I freak out some days and push everything that doesn't belong off my desk. Then, I go though the crap on the floor late.
Mr. WHCC & one of the nicest guys I know: Mike Hanline
Here it is fresh upon returning from out of town.
Alternate Mike Hanline desk image... "Jeff takes over and signs Jeff a check".
Photographer & Lover of Espresso: Jeff Woods
Here is my desk at 2pm and 4 Espressos later.
Captain of Industry & Photographer: Laura Novak
Direct descendant of The Lone Ranger & Photographer: Farrah Braniff
Photographer: Meghan Feyerabend
Photographer: Jonathan Blocker
Photographer: Josh Malahy
Photographer & SPA founder: Kia Bondurant
On one side, I do all my blogging, advertising design, the studio books and email answering on my non-shooting days. I also have our 2 year old who pulled up a chair and brought his blankets over to be comfortable and keep me company while I work. By the way, this is very, very tidy for me.
The back side of my desk is the kitchen area where I've been working on canning tomatoes and wild plum jelly - my first jelly over. When I saw your post and considered photographing my desk, I realized it wouldn't be complete with only 1 image.
Graphic Designer: Josh Steffey
Desk: Looks a little like Europe after WWII. And this is relatively clean! Yes it's so bad I had to give you 2 photos to see how it's making it's way to another (empty) workspace. I think it's a sure sign you're busy and really nothing to do with your organizational skills. My home workspace is no where near as bad. In fact at home you can see most of the desktop.
An empty desk is a sign of someone who takes pride in their work/workspace, is organized and methodical? I think you can argue for both cases. Visual people often like to have the items they are working on around them. Traditional storage and filing systems often don't work for visual people. I have found lots of alternatives to help to keep my space tidy. I clear up daily and clean up properly each week.
so....uhhhh...jennifer, have you seen the show "Hoarders"? do we need to have an intervention?
I'm a messy desker, until my wife comes is and decides that every thing would be better if she organized it. That usually last a couple of days. She blames me. I blame the 2nd law of thermodynamics.
Seriously now Lanne, that is just...
How many hours a day do you dedicate to pencil sharpening alone. : )
2.5 hours per day. I spend the rest twittering and reading facebook (neither of which make a mess ;) )
I think all those teensy tiny Apply keyboards are cheating--they take up almost NO desktop space!. I need to have my full-sized ergonomic keyboard, which takes up plenty of desktop real estate. :( The price of having humongous hands, I reckon. Also, two (or more) monitors is a must, for me! I hate when I'm on my laptop and can't drag my Photoshop toolbars off to a 2nd monitor! I even got my father on two monitors, now! :)
A few comments...
First, I have to correct Jeff, and say that I'm not a photographer...at all. I have no problems with photographers (-; just not one myself. I am a founder of spa.
Second, I now have some serious computer envy. Same thing happens everytime I walk into my wife's office, but wow...
Third, Dave Cheung is a nerd. Really Dave, you need all that stuff?
Fourth, I don't know Jenifer Rodgers. If I did I would make fun of her. And for a quick clarification. That is not a desk, that is a closet. Awesome.
Fun post(s)...
If a cluttered desk is a sign of an active mind, what is a cluttered apartment a sign of?
Just curious, which Wonder Twin power does Joy Bianchi Brown have?
Pat,
I have witnessed Joy call a Unicorn to her side using an old comb and a piece of paper. I can't say this is her Wonder Twin power but it was pretty cool nonetheless.
Oh my goodness Jennifer. Where are your friends and family for an intervention? I office with my wife and get onto her for her desk being dirty, but when compared to that hurricane, her's would look like a pristine workspace.
I will be uploading pictures when I get home of the state of our office. Great post.
PS I have a small crush on Lanne's desk!
I love this! This is actually a much neater representation of my desk. if you saw it TODAY you'd laugh. I can barely find the laptop. sigh. Jules and my 9 year old are geeking out next to me on THEIR laptops and I can hardly find THEM. So my wondertwin power is.... complicating things. ahahaha
Poor Jennifer,
I think it's very brave of her posting that pic here. You guys are going to scare her away, when what we really need to be doing is circling around her with a big lbobi hug, while a group goes and cleans her desk for her.
I like Jennifer's desk and that she shared it. It is a debate about clean and tidy desks! .. I couldn't work at it but she can, she knows where things are and she likes it - and that is all that really matters. I get teased about my clean workspace and that I must never actually do anything. So in that mindset.. she must be super busy and productive :)
Lanne that is a brilliant point.
I can say this, after seeing all these cool desks, I am going to change. My main issue is lack of drawers. I take that back, my main issue is that I am just plain messy.
Favorite Observation:
Charlie Chu's mountain of Coke cans under his desk. I guess being an Editor requires a lot of caffeine.
I hate *being* messy--just wish I had someone to make it all *not* messy. Put my releases/invoices/etc., in appropriate files, put my cables and other electronic accoutrement in their respective places, find nice accessible homes for light stands and camera(s), etc. I showed a picture of my desk area, which didn't look too bad, but my bookshelf and closet are starting to get really cluttered.
Personally, I stress over a messy environment, so I like to keep things at least *looking* neat. So I have at least some impetus to get things squared away. But if a person isn't stressed, can find everything, and isn't missing appointments dues to the mess, well, stack away! *I* certainly won't judge!
I am, however, intensely jealous of Mitch's & Bettie's desk--those Wacoms are so much BIGGER than mine! :)
Mr. Hamley's malevolent stare is freaking me out. It's like he knows all my secrets...
Nick Campbell's set up is great. LOVE the vase :) Savannah's 'shutter' filing system is awesome. Some 'mess' is the stuff you are using, some is just stuff not put away.. but visual people rarely like conventional filing and storage systems. I have no traditional filing systems here because they just don't work for me. Open storage and the ability to see things makes all the difference. So Jeff - when are getting the appropriate storage and systems to keep you clean, neat and productive?
So perhaps we are at a draw with the messy vs clean debate. But there is one thing that we've settled... creative professionals prefer Mac or PC.
I meant to say Mac over PC