A Clean Desk: What Does It Really Say?
At the office I get a lot of lampooning about my desk being clean or rather very empty. In fact, the CEO has even questioned me if I plan on leaving—as if I was communicating to the company I’m not really here nor am I here to stay.
My Desk At The Office
So why do I have such an empty desk? I’ll try to explain.
Some say that “A clean desk isn’t always the sign of a productive employee” (source: http://www.seattlepi.com/business/smth08.shtml). But does it really?
First, I would like to state that personally I feel that the space isn’t mine and I don’t need to “personalize it;” it’s a space provided to me by my employer so that I can do their tasks. Not to mention that the office is in Downtown Denver (roughly a 45 minute commute for me from door-to-door via public transportation) and I just don’t want to lug my “stuff” from my home or home office to the “remote office.” Second, I don’t want the distractions of my “stuff” on this desk even if it does help me to be more creative. OK, I have to admit it’s nice to have a few things that present to others a portion of my personality and sometimes the “stuff” can be a great conversation starter that leads to new and interesting topics or ideas. Nonetheless, this “stuff” can sometimes just be a burden.
I really try to keep my desk free and clear so that I don’t become lazy and end up with a typical developers’ desk. Here’s an example of how a few co-workers’ desk look like, notice the “crap” that doesn’t need to be there which have nothing to do with creativity, productivity, organization, short-term memory, etc.:
![](http://stevegarufi.com/storycups1.jpg "Drinking Cups, Dirty Plates and "Old Coffee" Dominate Steve ...")
This is just nasty and unhealthy for the rest of us and it’s very hard for me to work with these kind of people because they don’t care about others around them. Besides, I tend to think that these type of people can be productive but I also think they could be more productive if they take a step back every now an then and purge the madness, gain some clarity, and get refocused by cleaning their desk every-now-and-then.
Anyway, according to the article “Messy desk = ordered mind, expert says” the space should be used to help me be creative and organized—which it does. I’m all for the “‘offloading’ of information from the working memory into the environment” but only when it’s needed. For example, when I’m working on a project I typically have a handful of hand drawn sketchs, sometimes printouts of the designers’ comp., as well as many notes on what needs to be done, how things are done, calculations, processes, new thoughts, etc. But when the project is done, the desk is cleaned and prepped for the next project and gives me a sense of accomplishment. Doesn’t an Artist or a Painter, once done with their work, frame it and hang it on a clean wall with accent lighting and then proceed to the next project?
Why do psychologists only speak to one side or the other? Can’t their be a compromise—maybe not a daily clean desk policy but perhaps a project based purge and why don’t psychologists talk about the benefits, or the pros and cons, of both approches so that people can fully understand themselves, their teammates, as well as be cognizant of others (including clients or investors who might be in the office) and their impact on them (i.e., health issues, etc.)?
