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When mess is more

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published January 5, 2007

So, we're just five days into the new year, and you've already messed up your resolution to get organized and use your time more efficiently.

Stop worrying about it.

That's the convincing case outlined by Eric Abrahamson, a professor of management at Columbia University, and journalist David H. Freedman in their new book, A Perfect Mess: The Hidden Benefits of Disorder. So rather than feeling guilty about resolutions you really have no intention of keeping, check out this list of New Year's anti-resolutions suggested by Freedman, also a columnist at Inc. magazine.

To back up his suggestions, Freedman cites examples of a survey of 260 Americans done for the book.

- Feel fine about having a cluttered house. "Two-thirds of people feel guilt or shame about their messiness. But the truth is an ultraneat home can feel sterile and unlived-in, with little sign of the personalities of its occupants. A moderately messy home feels warmer, and more comfortable and nurturing, and reflects the interests and activities of the family," Freedman says.

The average amount of time people spend a day looking for missing things? According to A Perfect Mess, the respondents in their survey showed that when people calculated the amount of time they spent searching for misplaced items, it carved a mere nine minutes from their day.'

- Feel fine about having a somewhat dirty house.

"Clutter or even grime don't make kids sick - a bigger risk comes from overexposure to fumes from cleaning products," Freedman says.

In addition, many studies have found that children with limited exposure to dust and allergens are more likely to develop allergies later in life.

- Be more disorganized with your time. "People who try to be more productive by packing in as many rigidly scheduled tasks as possible into the day typically end up shortchanging almost everyone they deal with," Freedman says.

- Have a messy desk. "Messy desks can be highly functional, with the most-needed documents ending up at hand and the less-important ones buried. People who said they keep a 'very neat desk' spend an average of 36 percent more time looking for things at work than people who said they keep a 'fairly messy' desk."

- Don't fight with partners or children over messiness. By now you've resolved to keep your mess - how about being at ease with it, too?

And maybe it's time to lighten up on the kids: "Thirty-four percent of parents said that their kids' 'slovenly habits' were a frequent source of arguments - though numerous studies have shown that kids study and function very well in messy environments."

- Procrastinate more. "Procrastination is a form of prioritizing, and of letting as many things as possible take care of themselves or become irrelevant over time, without your having to waste effort on them."

A Perfect Mess

Eric Abrahamson and David H. Freedman, 336 pages, $25.99.

[Last modified January 4, 2007, 21:20:46]