The top picture is real life. I’ve seen it. It’s a spectacular mess. I have only seen the lower one in Marie Kondo’s carefully curated new book on embracing the Japanese lifestyle. It’s a wonder anything gets done at either of them. Lot’s of stuff competing for the worker’s attention in one and not a damn thing to do in the other.
Surely these two desks are the extremes- betwixt messy and meticulous is where most of us land. Maybe trash cans could be the proxy for where you fall on the tidy desk continuum. No trash can = compulsively tidy or idle. A 32 gallon giant = compulsively cluttered or brimming with ideas and projects.
I’m betting the distribution is bell shaped- oblivious-to-mess, hanging on the left and obsessively-neat, anchoring right. I’m probably one standard deviation from the right- which doesn’t make it “right”. It’s a matter of what’s enough- for you, Not me, Marie or the cluttered genius. Enough is as good as a feast and far better than famine.
When stuffed and stuffing are behind you, consider plan old stuff. More, less or just right? It’s up to you. You might not need a 32 gallon trash bin, but it’s hard to imagine not needing at least a small one. I’m going to empty mine now.
Happy Thanksgiving.