Life in a creative mess.

“Only a fool needs order - a genius dominates chaos,” Albert Einstein’s famous phrase has been walking the net for many years, but does it have much in common with reality? In contrast, I recall the famous saying: "The mess on the table is a mess in the head." If chaos is a wonderful atmosphere for creativity and creativity, why since childhood have we been persistently taught to keep the house clean and to make a bed before going out? Is there any connection between character traits and a tendency to disorder? Let's figure it out!

What is creative mess
Creative mess is an environment for the inspiration and creativity of people of art. By the way, psychologists quite agree with this. But they highly recommend not to confuse the tendency to creative chaos and sloppiness. A creative person is well oriented in his mess, he knows where to find a manuscript, a jar of paint or an old sweater. At the same time, hygiene rules have not been violated - the mess in the artist’s apartment does not mean pieces of half-eaten pizza under the bed, dusty shelves and dirty socks on the monitor. If all this is, it’s time to sound the alarm.

If you feel much more comfortable in an disordered environment - do not redo yourself! Use this quality to your advantage. English writer, journalist and economist Tim Harford in his book Chaos. How a mess is changing our lives for the better ”gives many examples of how to become a brilliant master of your creative mess.

The benefits of chaos:

Unpredictability, and therefore invincibility to competitors and rivals. A tactic that does not lend itself to linear understanding, but is clearly clear to its owner, is truly brilliant.
Brain Training Tracking, planning and automation systems of many systems relax our brain. In the conditions of disorder, he is in increased attention and constant work: it is not easy to keep in mind that the monthly work plan is under the cup on the balcony, and the list of ideas for the novel is in the Miscellaneous folder on the disk. Perhaps that is why creative mess contributes so much to creativity.
Chaos is more effective because it is more natural. By straining the brain over how to create an ordered system, we often produce non-working options, because we break the natural logic of thinking and life processes. And they are largely chaotic. Intuitive planning is built on chaos, but such planning is the most effective.

Not to be confused with sloppiness!
Psychologists and sociologists have not reached a consensus on which environment better affects our thinking - a mess or order, but they agree on one thing - it is important not to go to extremes.

Being in a constant mess, a person greatly undermines his psyche and may be on the verge of depression. In a creative person, periods of chaos are replaced by periods of restoring order. This is a kind of summary of the work done, the completion of thoughts, getting rid of excess. If a person is inclined to live in mud and lawlessness, this can be a signal of mental disorders, psychological discomfort. In addition, dirt is very dangerous, it can cause diseases.

An unhealthy desire for cleanliness also makes it difficult to think smartly and symbolizes internal disharmony, as does a chronic mess. Real life scenarios are a compensatory acting out of what is happening on an unconscious level. That is, the fear of even a small mess is a signal of internal anxiety and discomfort. The golden mean is a balance between the free flight of thought and safe orderliness.

What is the use of cleanliness and order?
Living in an organized environment means feeling comfortable and safe. At a minimum, you can invite guests at any time! Well, as a bonus, increased discipline and comfort. And the proponents of order also have their own useful literature: the world's best-selling book by Marie Kondo, “Magic Cleaning”. The book is not only filled with recommendations on how to properly and efficiently clean, but also on how to clean up, which will bring a state of happiness.

What other reasons to put things in order at home?

Careful handling of things extends their life.
Meditation: focusing on cleaning and getting rid of excess will help you distract from problems and relieve stress.
Health. Breathing dust is very harmful: it is fraught with headaches, decreased productivity, chronic respiratory problems. Bacteria that accumulate in dirty things and dishes can cause many diseases.
Are you ready for the arrival of the mother in law! A comic point, but a mess in the house is often an excuse not to invite guests. When order is always there is more chance of spontaneous visits and a good pastime.
Productivity at home. The order adjusts to the working atmosphere and nothing distracts you.
A way to warm up. House cleaning is a good way to maintain an active lifestyle.
The first step towards big changes. When it seems that you are not in control of your life and everything is going downhill, restore order at home. Small steps are the beginning of big victories. The inspiration that follows will allow you to cope with the tasks more seriously.
“He is such a slob!”: How to find agreement if you look at cleanliness differently with your partner

When your views on cleanliness with a partner / partner do not coincide, there are much more reasons for quarrels. Attempts to remake a person to fit your worldview is the worst solution. After all, you probably do not like it when they want to remake you. It is important to come to terms with such a different kind of soulmate and learn to seek compromises. Not just because a person likes to throw socks and create chaos on the shelves in the bathroom. And the other one doesn’t just like to sort shirts by color and arrange cups in size upside down. This is a way to create personal comfort. Therefore, do not deprive each other of comfort.
You can draw boundaries in which room or part of the room you can create a creative mess, and where there should always be perfect cleanliness. For your creative half, you can even select a separate corner where she can create and be inspired by a mess, without extending it to the entire home.

Live as you like and do not seek excuses for your features. The main thing is to accept them in your loved ones and do not quarrel over trifles!