Treasure The Mess

Written By Jeremy Utley

A quick plea for a messy work space (assuming previous references to Maya Angelou and Pablo Picasso are insufficient evidence for the virtues of a good mess):

Last week, I was given a last-minute opportunity to speak to ~60 international executives on a topic of my choosing. Ever eager to develop content in front of a live audience for feedback, I thought, “Hey, why not use this invitation to flesh out some ideas for a new talk I want to develop…” (SXSW is next month!) and accepted.

As is often the case, I was scrambling with class and operational obligations, and put off preparation until things were down to the wire. I quickly fleshed out the key points I wanted to make, but was struggling to find a good, human story to increase engagement with the research-based recommendations I wanted to make (In my fit of desperation, I actually wrote a post-it that says “Be on the look out for a story about ____!!” and stuck it by my door. It’s still there — I just checked).

As I paced the room, pulling the outline talk together on my phone, I stepped up to my desk, eyes absently scanning… when it happened:

A reference to the exact story I knew I needed, but had forgotten I had, came into focus. Sitting there on a post-it — thin film of dust as evidence of its age on the desk — was a wonderful, relatable of the exact point I was hoping to make. Instantly, the remainder of the talk fell into place. A much better, more relatable lecture was the result.

Why take the time to mention this story? Because a cluttered work environment is crazy! It’s messy. It’s chaotic.

“Who in their right mind would work in such conditions???” I often think to myself… And then that very, messy environment delivers an unexpected connection at the perfect time (ala legendary Stanford organizational theorist Jim March’s notion of the simultaneity of arrivals), and takes the work product to the next level, and I remember: me.

I have deliberately left things this way because the environment has routinely delivered.

I’ve learned to treasure the mess.

Related: Don’t Clean Up
Related: Imitate Frank Lloyd Wright
Related: Better Decisions Through Stories
Related: Dig Through Your Junk
Related: Review Old Notes

Join over 7,847 creators & leaders who read Paint & Pipette each week

Featured
Never Too Old to Learn: How Experience Gives You an “AI Edge”
Never Too Old to Learn: How Experience Gives You an “AI Edge”

Growth mindset expert Diane Flynn shares insights and advice for a more experienced generation of workers who might feel somewhat hesitant to embrace the collaborative superpowers of GenAI.

Stop Hiding Your AI Use (And Make Your Team Stop, Too)
Stop Hiding Your AI Use (And Make Your Team Stop, Too)

Right now, in boardrooms and Slack channels across the globe, leaders are inadvertently creating a culture of AI shame. They're reinforcing the very hesitation they should be helping their teams overcome. It's time for an intervention.

Establish An Input Practice
Establish An Input Practice

The quality of our thinking is deeply influenced by the diversity of the inputs we collect. Implementing practices like Brian Grazer’s “Curiosity Conversations” ensures innovators are well-equipped with a variety of high-quality raw material for problem-solving.

Beware the Siren Call of the Wrong Question
Beware the Siren Call of the Wrong Question

The first question an innovator must answer is not “can I make it?” but rather, “should I?” This has become something of a mantra among CEOs I work with, as a needful protection against the gravitational pull of the organizational bureaucracy.

Practice Process Mindfulness
Practice Process Mindfulness

One of the defining contributions the d.school is helping teams ask themselves, “What kind of thinking is appropriate, when?” We call such clarity being “Mindful of Process.” And it can seem like semantics until you realize we need to show up in different ways.

Try This Now to Build AI Muscles
Try This Now to Build AI Muscles

You’re probably getting fat on AI content: bingeing podcasts, hoarding newsletter tips, saving Twitter threads... While it feels productive, all that consumption is just giving you a knowledge sugar high. And like any sugar high, it’ll crash—leaving you with exactly zero new capabilities.

Wander With Purpose
Wander With Purpose

The most inventive folks I’ve studied are disciplined about seeking inspiration. If you don’t make time to get out of the box, you will not be able to think out of the box, either. It’s not that complicated, but it requires you obliterate clean compartmentalization in favor of messy meandering.

Host A Science Fair
Host A Science Fair

While the winding road to innovation often only makes sense in retrospect, that doesn’t mean you can’t bend the odds. One of my favorite prospective strategies an organization can employ is the classic science fair... but you must approach it correctly.

Who Will Lead the AI Charge?
Who Will Lead the AI Charge?

NYU Chief AI Architect Conor Grennan makes a strong case for why GenAI shouldn't be an IT capability, but rather, championed by HR. He argues that the folks responsible for human behavior change need to be leading the charge.

Do Work For Free
Do Work For Free

In this special guest post, Mo Bunnell, Author of Give to Get, makes a compelling case for a counterintuitive strategy: giving gifts of your expertise as a way to build relationship and give clients a taste for your unique value proposition.

Jeremy Utley
Previous

To Promote Innovation, Make Your User The Hero
Next

Wonder