My Happiness Project Day 16: A Clean Desk

Having a clean desk perhaps brings more of a feeling of relief than of happiness. But... being able to breathe easy makes me happy. Therefore, a clean desk makes me happy.

I've had two "desk jobs" in my life and each department I worked for had cycles. The cycle would come to an end and I would tie up loose ends, file everything away, clean my desk and start fresh.

Now I work for myself, and there are no natural cycles in my business. Except perhaps First Friday, and that really only effects my studio, not my office (which is at home). My studio gets a nice cleaning once a month before and after First Friday, but my desk remains a disaster. I'd like to say that I'll take the opportunity of First Friday to clean my desk once a month but... we'll see. The only thing I tend to be consistent with is inconsistency.

That said, I found this great article: Why You Should Have a Messy Desk. Yay!! Finally, justification for my mess (I really should have posted a "before" picture, but feared judgement...)

According to the article, people with messy desks tend to be creative and risk takers, and people with orderly desks tend to follow the rules and not try new things or take risks. "Disorderly environments seem to inspire breaking free of tradition, which can produce fresh insights.”

YES! My messy desk helps my creativity. I knew it!

The article also said "When you’re generating ideas and concepts, it could help to have a messier desk. However, when you’re trying to be productive, getting a specific task accomplished, or simply need to execute on a creative concept, cleaning your desk can “trade in” your creativity for efficiency."

And there you have it. My clean desk makes me happy, and now I'll feel better about my messy desk in a few days. And that makes me happy, too. :)