Work is just as important as the space you work in. A hard day's work shows through all the filled notebooks, loose papers, and discarded pens. There is a method to the madness, so here are 10 perks to having a messy desk.
1. Hot mess, hot desk.
GiphySome people look at your desk and think it's an eyesore. When you and others look at it, you can't but admire the spectacle. Everything is placed in such a way that draws the eye low and high. Still life is interesting at your desk.
2. Location, location, location.
Receipts from months ago are still where you left them. That decorative letter opener rarely gets used but it makes for a nice ritual when you do. The things on your desk are placed in a way that only you understand. Good luck code-breakers.
3. Chaos in control.
GiphyNo mess is ever the same as another mess. You know where things are but you also know how to tame the tides of change that come with it. Your desk is like jazz, it's a controlled chaos where you follow the rhythms and make beautiful music out of work.
4. All-in-one.
GiphySure, it's a maze covered in clutter, but you can't deny that everything you need is there. You might have to go under, over, or even through piles and mountains, but it's a search that brings unbridled curiosity, conviction, and surprises every time.
5. Walls have ears, desks have mouths.
GiphyThere's no greater analogy for how you approach your style of messy desk than the way you approach your own vomit. What makes a desk messy is no mystery, but what makes that mess unique is a different story. Vomit asks, "What did you eat?" and a desk asks, "What is it this time?" What this disgusting analogy shows is that desks are not just furniture pieces, there conversation pieces as well.
6. Mad Minimalists.
We get it, less is more, but when we see more, we're not overwhelmed so easily. In fact, a comfort can be had from an abundance of stuff. Don't call it hoarding either. It works for us and it keeps us working. Here's another saying for the minimalists: the more the merrier.
7. Variety Hour.
Work should be your play. When you sit down at your desk, you should enjoy the time you put in there. All work doesn't have to be your playeyesore can be great to play something else too. Whatever drives your joy at the desk, keep it going.
8. Work Made Tangible.
Sitting down with a blank slate can be intimidating, but not as rewarding as being surrounded by all your hard work. To know that a final draft or document is eyesore your reach to see and to hold makes new work more exciting. Be confident, be creative, be concrete.
9. Desk Dynamics.
There is no right way to work at your desk. The only rule is that there are no rules. Work is personal. You like stacking your books precariously close to the edge of your desk, so be it. You still use pencils sharpened down to the eraser because it's fun, more power to you. The desk is your foundation to build off of however you like.
10. Find your best at your desk.
Whether your desk is messy or hurricane messy, no one can judge your results. The process changes with you or there's so much attention and eyesore that the process doesn't need to change. Either way, this is the zen of the messy desk. You are one with the desk.
On the surface, a messy desk is just a mess you have to clean up. To the one behind the desk, "messy" does not mean "disorderly." "Messy" means "a work in process."
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