Often attributed to John Wesley, founder of the Methodist church, this phrase seems descriptive of much of modern life. Parents yelling at kids to clean up their bedrooms. Neighbors tsk-tsking the guy on the block with the unkempt lawn. The engineer whose desk is so cluttered, his coworkers wonder how he finds anything.
In most cases, we tend to prize order and organization. Yet a fascinating book indicates that there are many benefits to disorder. Authors Eric Abrahamson and David H. Freedman, in A Perfect Mess, (Little, Brown and Company, copyright 2006) burst bubbles of many illusions we all harbor. A certain amount of jaywalking actually helps pedestrian traffic move faster in cities, and results in fewer injuries to those on foot. Many inventions and useful products have been discovered as a result of accident, and more often than not from disorganization. Companies that engage in extensive strategic planning do no better than those that do not, and in fact fare worse when the costs of the planning are factored into the equation.
For the solo entrepreneur, this can be good news. One of the advantages that each of us has over the big boys is that we can organize, or fail to organize, ourselves in any manner we wish. There’s typically no “clean desk” policy in effect in our bedroom office. And, unless your business is healthcare related or similar, cleanliness won’t necessarily translate into profit.
Doesn’t this jive with our vision of the mad genius who sits in his cluttered laboratory creating the next great thing? No one is advocating filth or complete disorder. But the next time you fret about how messy your office is, consider how much time you would spend reordering it, which is not productive time. Moreover, invariably once you straighten, you will not be able to find one or more items within the next week or two. Give it some more time, and the mess will likely be back as bad as ever.
So take heart solo entrepreneur. In your case cleanliness may have nothing to do with godliness. And it may have nothing to do with the ultimate success of your venture.