Authors Argue a Messy Desk Can Actually Be a Source of Genius

KPBS | By KPBS Public Broadcasting

Published May 17, 2007 at 10:51 AM PDT

This story was published more than 16 years ago.

In honor of National Pack Rat Day, we ask the question, Are you more productive and creative if you're messy? Is being organized a hindrance to your workflow? We'll talk with the authors of A

Alison St John (Guest Host): Okay. We all know we're supposed to get organized, right? Magazines are full of ways to organize your closets, you can hire professional organizers to organize your life and clutter is known to be the source of much evil. But now comes a book called, The Perfect Mess -- The Hidden Benefits of Disorder . Has the tide turned? Could there be hope for the messy among us?

Guest

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Eric Abrahamson, a professor of management at Columbia University's Business School. He is co-author of A Perfect Mess: The Hidden Benefits of Disorder.
David Freedman, a contributing editor and columnist for Inc. Magazine and co-author of A Perfect Mess .

Authors Argue a Messy Desk Can Actually Be a Source of Genius

In honor of National Pack Rat Day, we ask the question, Are you more productive and creative if you're messy? Is being organized a hindrance to your workflow? We'll talk with the authors of A

In honor of National Pack Rat Day, we ask the question, Are you more productive and creative if you're messy? Is being organized a hindrance to your workflow? We'll talk with the authors of A