Messy or Organized…What does it reveal about you?

Some more food for thought…the studies continue…

What a Messy Desk Says About You

By GRETCHEN REYNOLDS

This article appeared in the Sunday, Sept. 22 issue of The New York Times Magazine.

For some time, psychologists and other researchers have been studying how personality traits affect health and health-related choices. Not surprisingly, they have found that people blessed with innate conscientiousness, meaning that they are organized and predictable, typically eat better and live longer than people who are disorderly. They also tend to have immaculate offices.

What has been less clear is whether neat environments can produce good habits even in those who aren’t necessarily innately conscientious. To find out, researchers at the University of Minnesota conducted a series of experiments, the results of which were published online last month in Psychological Science. In the first experiment, they randomly assigned a group of college-age students to spend time in adjacent office spaces, one of which was exquisitely neat, the other wildly cluttered with papers and other work-related detritus. The students spent their time filling out questionnaires unrelated to the study. After 10 minutes, they were told they could leave and were offered an apple or a chocolate bar as they exited. Those students who sat in the orderly office were twice as likely to choose the apple than those who sat amid the mess.

A second experiment, however, found that working in chaos has its advantages, too. In this one, college students were placed in a messy or a neat office and asked to dream up new uses for Ping-Pong balls. Those in messy spaces generated ideas that were significantly more creative, according to two independent judges, than those plugging away in offices where stacks of papers and other objects were neatly aligned.

The results were something of a surprise, says Kathleen D. Vohs, a behavioral scientist at the University of Minnesota and the leader of the study. Few previous studies found much virtue in disarray. The broken-windows theory, proposed decades ago, posits that even slight disorder and neglect can encourage nonchalance, poor discipline and nihilism. Chaos begets chaos.

But in the study by Dr. Vohs, disordered offices encouraged originality and a search for novelty. In the final portion of the study, adults were given the choice of adding a health “boost” to their lunchtime smoothie that was labeled either “new” or “classic.” The volunteers in the messy space were far more likely to choose the new one; those in the tidy office generally opted for the classic version.

“Disorderly environments seem to inspire breaking free of tradition,” Dr. Vohs and her co-authors conclude in the study, “which can produce fresh insights.”

The implications of these findings are also practical. “My advice would be, if you need to think outside the box” for a future project, Dr. Vohs says, then let the clutter rise and unfetter your imagination. But if your primary goal is to eat well or to go to the gym, pick up around your office first. By doing this, the naturally messy can acquire some of the discipline of the conscientious.

Does Cleanliness Stifle One’s Creativity?

It’s a continual debate…

Articles will continue to be published on statistics, theories and philosophies of how clutter can be a sign of genius or a manifestation of emotional turmoil.

Yet on the other hand, there are studies and evidence of how the skill set of organization and tidy ways can enhance one’s quality of life, while others may argue it can stifle the flow of creativity.

I have been around enough clutter to feel confident in my belief system when I express my opinion of it.  Yet, I have also been exposed to the purest of minimalists to have a strong opinion on this lifestyle as well.

Is it really a lifestyle that one chooses or is it a life that is out of control?

There is a lot to be said on this subject – way too much for one blog post.

GRAY MATTER

It’s Not ‘Mess.’ It’s Creativity.

Olimpia Zagnoli
By KATHLEEN D. VOHS
Published: September 13, 2013
  • FACEBOOK
  • TWITTER
  • GOOGLE+
  • SAVE
  • E-MAIL
  • SHARE
  • PRINT
  • REPRINTS

MESSY or tidy — which is better?

Historically, the evidence has favored the tidy camp. Cleanliness, as the proverb says, is next to godliness. The anthropologist Mary Douglas noted almost 50 years ago a connection between clean, open spaces and moral righteousness. More recently, psychologists have shown that the scent of citrus cleaning products is enough to raise people’s ethical standards and promote trust. Conversely, in another study, people were found to associate chaotic wilderness with death.

But if messiness is so bad, why do so many people tolerate, and even embrace, it?

Not long ago, two of my colleagues and I speculated that messiness, like tidiness, might serve a purpose. Since tidiness has been associated with upholding societal standards, we predicted that just being around tidiness would elicit a desire for convention. We also predicted the opposite: that being around messiness would lead people away from convention, in favor of new directions.

We conducted some experiments to test these intuitions, and as we reported in last month’s issue of the journal Psychological Science, our hunches were borne out.

For our first study, we arranged rooms in our laboratory to look either tidy, with books and papers stacked and orderly, or messy, with papers and books strewn around haphazardly. Then we invited 188 adults to visit our laboratory individually, ostensibly for a consumer-choice study. Each subject was assigned to either a messy or a tidy room, where he or she was shown a menu from a deli that made fruit smoothies. The smoothies were said to come with a “boost” (added ingredients) from which there were three options to choose — a health, wellness or vitamin boost.

We created two versions of the menu. Half of the subjects saw a menu that had the word “classic” highlighting the health boost option, whereas the other half saw the health boost highlighted by the word “new.” Then our subjects made their choices.

As predicted, when the subjects were in the tidy room they chose the health boost more often — almost twice as often — when it had the “classic” label: that is, when it was associated with convention. Also as predicted, when the subjects were in the messy room, they chose the health boost more often — more than twice as often — when it was said to be “new”: that is, when it was associated with novelty. Thus, people greatly preferred convention in the tidy room and novelty in the messy room.

Given that divergence from the status quo is the essence of ingenuity, we conducted a second experiment to test whether messiness fostered creativity.

Forty-eight research subjects came individually to our laboratory, again assigned to messy or tidy rooms. This time, we told subjects to imagine that a Ping-Pong ball factory needed to think of new uses for Ping-Pong balls, and to write down as many ideas as they could. We had independent judges rate the subjects’ answers for degree of creativity, which can be done reliably. Answers rated low in creativity included using Ping-Pong balls for beer pong (a party game that in fact uses Ping-Pong balls, hence the low rating on innovation). Answers rated high in creativity included using Ping-Pong balls as ice cube trays, and attaching them to chair legs to protect floors.

When we analyzed the responses, we found that the subjects in both types of rooms came up with about the same number of ideas, which meant they put about the same effort into the task. Nonetheless, the messy room subjects were more creative, as we expected. Not only were their ideas 28 percent more creative on average, but when we analyzed the ideas that judges scored as “highly creative,” we found a remarkable boost from being in the messy room — these subjects came up with almost five times the number of highly creative responses as did their tidy-room counterparts.

(These results have been confirmed by independent researchers at Northwestern University, who found that subjects in a messy room drew more creative pictures and were quicker to solve a challenging brainteaser puzzle than subjects in a tidy room.)

Our findings have practical implications. There is, for instance, a minimalist design trend taking hold in contemporary office spaces: out of favor are private walled-in offices — and even private cubicles. Today’s office environments often involve desk sharing and have minimal “footprints” (smaller office space per worker), which means less room to make a mess.

At the same time, the working world is abuzz about cultivating innovation and creativity, endeavors that our findings suggest might be hampered by the minimalist movement. While cleaning up certainly has its benefits, clean spaces might be too conventional to let inspiration flow.

Kathleen D. Vohs is a professor of marketing at the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota.

Everyday Affirmation

Dear KISN Friends,

Do you want to change your financial life?

Say this affirmation everyday…yes, everyday!

” I am so happy and grateful that money comes to me in increasing quantities through multiple sources on a continual basis.”

~Bob Proctor

Bob says – “What I want for me, I want for everyone” and encourages us to share…

Try this KISN Friends for 30 days and watch what happens…xoxowebcontactpic

 

Unloading Our Baggage

I recently read a newsletter that I subscribe to.  This newsletter always has interesting and relevant topics that I personally can relate to.  However, this particular bulletin focused on “Baggage” which peaked my interest.

 
null Trip baggage
The newsletter began by making reference to our “trip baggage.”  For example, when we pack our bags for a trip, we instinctively take with us what we need and leave the rest behind.

I thought to myself, yup, makes sense to me, unless packing overwhelms you and you take everything with you because you think you may need it.  (A hum, yes, guilty as charged.)

Emotional baggage
Then the newsletter talked about “emotional baggage.”  Emotional baggage is similar to trip baggage, in the sense that we take something with us. The difference is that when we return from our trip we drop off our baggage.  With emotional baggage, once we leave our experience we continue to carry the baggage around in our lives.  We don’t even realize how this can be so destructive for us.

What weighs us down
We may wonder why we find it so difficult to lay down our baggage and unload ourselves from the emotional experience.  We may ask ourselves over and over again, especially when the baggage feels very heavy, why we continue to carry it around.  What is it about the emotional experience that I can’t seem to release and be free of?
And although we try to make changes, we find ourselves falling right back into the same patterns as before.

Letting it go
Inevitably in life, there will be times of difficulty where we may feel our life is out of control.  We may feel paralyzed with fear and uncertain what to do.  Add our dose of emotional baggage and things can get complicated very quickly.

However, with life’s ups and downs and twists and turns, it has a funny way of creating alternative solutions for us.  Solutions that create change.  Having a clear perspective on change requires us to “let go” of the things we no longer wish to carry around (yes, our emotional baggage) and give up what we now realize we can’t control.

Advocate for coaching
By now if you are familiar with me through my work and postings, you know that I truly believe in the power of coaching.  You may be asking yourself, what is it about coaching that sets it apart from other practices that makes it so powerful.

Well, I can tell you this…

I can remember a time in my life when I struggled deeply.  I looked everywhere and searched high and low for answers.  When I was introduced to coaching it transformed my life.  The modality of coaching allowed my consciousness to be open and receive new information that allowed me to take action and move forward.  For me, that was a life changer.

What about you?
Are you struggling with something right now?  Are you tired of feeling overwhelmed and stressed out?  Do you feel lonely and isolated, as if no one understands how boxed in you may be feeling?

Would you like the opportunity to try coaching and see how it just may be the answer to some of your challenges?

If so, consider trying a coaching session with me now.  Simply click on the link below and we can take it from there together.

TRY A SESSION NOW

Need To Talk?

Have you suffered a serious set-back that you are struggling with?coach-ind
Do you feel stuck and hopeless with little or no motivation?
Are you overwhelmed, anxious or sad?

If so, let me preface this by saying, I really do understand.

Life is not always easy and certainly has it’s own unique challenges. But here is what I have learned. I learned that it’s not so much about what is thrown our way, as it is instead, how we handle what’s tossed to us.

Life changes can be due to a series of events; a move, divorce, death, illness, new job, parenting, care-giving, and the list can go on.

I can tell you this with a sincere heart, that I know from first hand experience what you are feeling. I can also tell you that life coaching is the most powerful tool you can experience to get your life back on track.

Ask yourself this:

  • What are you losing out on now by not taking action?
  • What are you compromising in your life?
  • Imagine yourself in one year from now; do you think things will be different?

Let me leave you with this:
It’s much easier to work towards a solution then to continue fighting the pain.

Here is a simple mantra to help you along your way in the meantime:

A clear mind leads to clear thoughts.

With love,

Patricia

I WAS WRONG

My Dear Friends,

I would like to share with you a very private and personal posting of mine:

Sad Day
Today was a sad day for me.

I somehow had convinced myself, that by now, after so many years of being exposed to some of the most atrocious environments and living conditions, I would be immune to overwhelming emotions.

I was wrong. 

Today, I witnessed the essence of human frailty and I was moved beyond what words can really describe.

My clients expose themselves to me. They are vulnerable and emotionally naked, revealing their inner most secrets and feelings.

At times they are so raw, I wonder how they have gone so long without aid. I can’t help but feel their pain.

But today, well today was different. 

What I experienced today took my breath away.

Part of me shook my head trying to see if I was really in reality.  The other part of me I believe went into temporary shock.

I am being brutally honest here when I say; I am not even sure how I did this, but when I realized that I had to pull it together and continue on with my work, I went on automatic pilot.  I don’t recall much after that until it was time to go home.

When I got in my car, I put my key into the ignition but I couldn’t start my car.  Instead, I gave into a wave of emotions and sat there in a tidal wave of tears.  I sobbed until I felt there was not a tear left in me.

I was broken.

As I write this, I know I have been changed.  Changed in a way that has created a new layer of empathy and understanding for human frailty.  A deeper dimension of unconditional acceptance.

I invite you to read my previous blog post “Hoarding News” and sincerely urge you to seek support if you or someone you care about is living in critical conditions.

With love,

Patricia

NEWS ON HOARDING

Let me ask you this…

  • Have you ever walked into someone’s home and the first thing you see is a mishmash of boxes, paperwork, unopened mail, clothes, and unidentifiable items covered from the floor to ceiling? 
  • Have you ever experienced being in someone’s home where there is a chaotic hodgepodge of beautiful collectibles and expensive “things?”
  • Do you remember what your first impression was about that home and the person living there?
  • Did you know that it is estimated that more than 3 million Americans never throw anything out and recent epidemiological studies suggest that as many as 1 in 20 people have significant hoarding problems.

 

Clutter

 

cluttered desk

Compulsive hoarding is a distressing and debilitating psychological condition that can be difficult to diagnose accurately. Even to date, there is much to learn about this complicated and confusing disorder.  A very basic description of a compulsive hoarder is someone who is unable to dispose of excess or unused things  to the point where their belongings are taking on a life of their own by cluttering up all living space, nooks and crannies.

 

Now, can you pause for a moment and ask yourself what it must “feel” like for people who are either personally experiencing this or have a loved one that is?

 

I can professionally vouch for the clients I have supported throughout my career when I say that the majority of people want relief.  There is an overwhelming amount of shame and guilt they feel from their clutter.

 

But it’s not always that simple to do.

 

New research suggests that people who hard have unique patterns of brain activity when faced with making decisions about their possessions, compared with healthy people. And despite the fact that hoarding has traditionally been seen as a symptom or subtype of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), brain activity in those who cannot de-clutter is also distinct from that of people with typical OCD, the study shows.


It is now believed that hoarding is associated with 4 underlying characteristics:

 

One:  People who hoard have certain core vulnerabilities including emotional dysregulation in the form of depression or anxiety along with family histories of hoarding and generally high levels of perfectionism.

 

Two:  People who hoard appear to have difficulties processing information. In particular, these difficulties appear as problems in attention (including ADHD-like symptoms), memory, categorization, and decision-making. The areas of the brain that control these functions roughly correspond to the brain regions that have been shown to activate differently in people who hoard.

 

Three:  People who hoard form intense emotional attachments to a wider variety of objects than do people who don’t hoard. These attachments take the form of attaching human-like qualities to inanimate objects, feeling grief at the prospect of getting rid of objects, and deriving a sense of safety from being surrounded by possessions.

 

Four:  People who hoard often hold beliefs about the necessity of not wasting objects or losing opportunities that are represented by objects. Additional beliefs about the necessity of saving things to facilitate memory and appreciation of the aesthetic beauty of objects contribute to the problem.

 

(Source:  Dr. Randy Frost)

 

What you should do:

 

If you are feeling overwhelmed and stressed about clutter or feel you are challenged with hoarding, I urge you to find a way to connect with other people to talk about it. Consider joining a clutter support group – try several until you find the one you feel most comfortable with.  Seek support through counseling, coaching and professional organizers who specialize in hoarding not just clutter.

 

Remember, the clutter did not happen overnight, therefore it will not go away overnight either.  It takes a call to action plan, commitment and accountability, the willingness to change and professional support.