I found an article today on MSN.com that really peaked my interest – Neatness: A sign of godliness – or compulsion? The article discussed and interviewed neat freaks. I really felt for these people, as I can openly and honestly say that I am also a neat freak. I was even telling one of my friends today how I spent the last two days cleaning my apartment; as if she really cared.
I am one of those people who can’t handle clutter. It makes me feel like I’m forgetting to do something. I know it’s a cliché, but my apartment being cluttered makes my mind feel cluttered. I completely agree with one of the people in the article when she says, “Sometimes I wish I wasn’t like this. But when I come in and everything is clean, I feel calmer. I think that’s why I do it.” I never feel calmer or more at ease than when my apartment is clean. I know it’s sad, but imagine how my boyfriend feels. He learned early on not to try and put my clothes away in my closet as they are organized by type of garment and are colour coded from lightest to darkest. And making the bed?! Don’t even think about it! He tried to put the pillowcases on the pillows with the tag side hanging out! I know, I couldn’t believe it either.
Ok, so you’re probably thinking I’m a little nuts, but I come by it honestly. My mom is an obsessive cleaner, and come to think of it, my dad is too. The article says that, “Our attitude toward neatness is likely shaped during childhood,” and mine definitely was. My mom was so proud of me when I was home visiting a few weekends ago when I said that I was happy to be at home for my first weekend off in months because I was forced to just relax and I couldn’t spend my whole weekend cleaning. Pathetic, I know.
So now you’re probably wondering what this has to do with PR and why am I sharing all this crazy information about myself? Well, I can see two ways in which it relates – one positive and one negative.
The positive is that the crazy neat freak side of me helps me be the very organized person that I am. Anyone who has seen the post-it notes around my computer and my massively large planner knows I am obsessed with writing things down. It is the way I remember everything and keep myself organized. This is obviously an important skill since many of our teachers have told us that being able to multi-task and keep organized will be a key skill to have in our upcoming PR jobs. Project management is important.
The negative is a loss of creativity, as David H. Freedman, co-author of the book, “A Perfect Mess: The Hidden Benefits of Disorder,” states in the article. “If you make your environment very neat, you’re making everything predictable,” he says. This is the downside to being a neat freak. Creativity is a very important part of PR as well; we have to be creative with ideas for articles, events, media relations tactics, etc. I’ve never thought of myself as a super creative person, so maybe now I know why.
After reading this article I’m feeling a little more inclined to let the dishes in the sink sit and “do them tomorrow” as my boyfriend suggests. You never know, maybe it will help my creativity! But as Freedman says, “I’ve had hundreds of people tell me about neat freak habits, and not a single one has denied suspecting there is something a little wrong with them. People who are neat are helpless to be otherwise — they’re prisoners of it.” He’s right, this blog has taken me over three hours to write… but the dishes are done (I couldn’t resist) and I’ve re-arranged my closet. That’s creative, right? 
