What a ? Desk!

 

    In the New York Times article, What a Messy Desk Say About You, the author Gretchen Reynolds writes that both a messy and a neat desk have an advantage to the people sitting there. Researchers at University of Minnesota found that a messy desk could boost the imagination, and generate better ideas, and as Dr. Vohs, a behavioral scientist, says “inspire breaking free of tradition.” But if you have a neat desk, then you are most likely going to eat healthier and have more efficiency in your work.

    I really think that my work space is on the neat side. Actually,this marble table top was not originally bought for the house it is in now. It was first bought as a dining table for our condo. When we rented the condo out a couple years back, our tennants had decided to keep the table for their use. But just several months ago, they left, so we took the table and put it in our house instead. The left side of the table is the more cluttered side. Closest to me on the left is a black stapler, with a sticky note filled with random phone numbers. Next to that is a grayish-yellow tape dispenser with a small roll of clear tape. In front of the stapler is my black pencil box, filled with dozens of pens and pencils, and including even more eraser pieces and shavings. There is even a pink Eos lip balm hidden in the depths of the box. Behind the pencil box and slightly farther away  from me sits a small, gray, plastic box filled with junky bookmarks, stickers, tape, and clips that I can cover with a white piece of paper if I want to make the desk look neat in a short time. Beside that stands two pen cups, one glass the other metal painted red. Each holds more than ten pens, two letter openers and a pair of scissors. In front of these cups is a minute bottle of medicine to apply to the skin for bug bites. On the far left corner of my desk is a small upright calendar given to us by our insurance company. In front of the calendar lies a thin pile of bills and a magazine under a remote control, iPhone and phone book. Smack in the middle of this desk is a Dell laptop. To the left of that is a small lamp that I purposely twisted around.

    I think that my work space really slows down my imagination and creativity. But still, it was really surprising in the article to learn that a messy desk even has any advantages at all. I think that my desk should be a little bit messier, because that could be the solution to coping with creative school assignments. I will just try something new.

    In all, I think that my work space is just a bit to clean. So, I think I will take some advice from Dr. Vohs, and “let the clutter rise and unfetter your imagination.”