Organizing messy desks - your questions answered, part 1

Question:  How does a messy desk affect our work productivity?

A messy desk leaves us with no room to work, think or even focus.  The productivity impact is obvious, but beyond that, a messy desk also sucks up our productivity in other ways. 

• Physiologically:  A messy place raises our stress hormone (called cortisol) levels by 41%.  We all know what stress does to our body:  from inability to focus or rest, obesity and falling sick. Messy places also tend to be dirty because they can't be cleaned.  Imagine working in an environment that is a magnet for allergens and germs - time to call in the HSSE squad!

• Financially:  23% of adults are late on payments and incur late fees.  Our money essentially becomes unproductive.  

• Time:  We lose approximately 55 minutes a day when we can't find an item, have to go look for it, and then replace it (when it can't be found).  That' 55 minutes that no one has time for!

• Credibility:  16% of people are late because of clutter, 14% have missed deadlines.  This reduces our credibility at work, particularly when we are in a client-facing role. 

We believe that your desk affects how you work, rather than the desk being a reflection of the way you work.  However, it isn’t uncommon for us to think the latter, because of a cognitive error called false causality.

Being organized is a personality trait, much like being an extrovert or an analytical person.  We all have different strengths and weaknesses.  Being disorganized should not be deemed as a character flaw, but merely as an area where we need outside help, like the way we need an accountant to go through our tax returns with us.

When faced with an employee who has a messy desk, try offering your help instead of judging their messiness or worse, talking behind their back.  When we judge them, it affects how we feel towards them and the way we work with them; and they in turn, feel shameful or may even display aggressive behavior. 

When broaching this topic with the said colleague, approach it from the “greater good” perspective – when they have an organized desk:

1. We can all breathe easier and live healthier, literally. 
2. It builds a professional image for the company. 
3. We feel less stressed when dealing with the said employee.