Artful Chaos: How My Cluttered Office Facilitates Student Engagement and Comfort

By: Kyra DeLoach

deloach6@msu.edu

"Messy bedroom home bed" by MoteOo on pixabay.com is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0.

As a Residence Hall Manager, I impact students all over and sometimes even off campus. Whether at the cafe on campus, the lobby of my building, or off-campus at the grocery store, I always see students and answer their questions. The place I try to spend most of my time during the work week is my office.

My office serves many different purposes for myself, students, and student staff. Daily, I respond to emails, plan training, and work on administrative assignments. My student staff uses my office as a place to get their mail, create decorations for the halls, and grab important documents and supplies. My residents use my office as a place to get information, check into the building, and have meetings with me.

With so many different purposes, it has been hard to have one space that encompasses all needs. However, I do believe that I have done an excellent job of making a space that is inviting, organized, and serves its purpose.

I have gathered furniture pieces that organize supplies for my student staff, and hold resources for my residents. I have a small desk with the Cricut my students can use, a shelf that holds paper and additional supplies, and some shelving units that hold essential forms. I believe by choosing these pieces I have made things accessible. In addition, I have placed light blue covers over the lights in my office to mask the harshness of the fluorescent and this has helped my students. The importance of lighting in design is even backed by "A holistic, multi-level analysis identifying the impact of classroom design on pupils’ learning" by Peter Barrett, Yufan Zhang, Joanne Moffat, and Khairy Kobbacy.

Office Set Up 1 using Planner 5D

Something about my office that many will notice when they come in is it is very decorated. From the time I started working at my institution in 2021, my space has entirely transformed. I know that many will look down on ‘clutter’ but for some reason, I have always felt differently about it. When a student comes in to talk to me about something whether it be roommate issues, academic issues, or just confiding in me; they are nervous. Looking around at all the items in my office is the ultimate game of I SPY. These items give them something else to look at, rather than my eyes, and it helps them feel more comfortable. I have had many students compliment my office and the decor, so I felt like it was the right decision.

My office, August 2021

My office, August 2023

Reading a blog post by Lynda Lin Grigsby, I found my ideas about clutter were discussed. Graphic Designer Michelle Delabrer described clutter as “reminders of happy things.” (Grigsby 2023) It was so refreshing to see someone describe the way I felt about my space. Grigsby discusses how psychologists say “sentimental items are grounded in nostalgia, a wistful look back to the past with a happy association”. I think that these emotions are evoked by my students as I have many photos from older video games, and stuffed animals that are nostalgic, like my Care Bears collection from the 1980s.

In terms of what I would like to change about my space, I have been trying really hard to create a workspace for my student staff. I have a desk now on the side, but by using https://planner5d.com/ I was able to move things around with ease, and have found a possible setup that is even more accessible for my student staff.

My desk is attached to the wall, so I can’t move any of that. However, I could move some shelves and my mini fridge over to create a more accessible place for snacks. In the place where the shelf was prior, I could put the small desk for my student staff to use. This would give them a less cluttered view when they’re trying to focus on a project, as it faces the wall and not the rest of my busy office.

Office Revisions from Planner 5D

I am always thinking about how I can change my space to be the most efficient for myself and others. Using online tools like Planner 5D makes it easier to see the different possibilities of space without the hassle of moving heavy objects. I would encourage everyone to look outside the box and map up their space with a tool like this to bring it to the next level and look at all the possibilities.

References

Barrett, P., Zhang, Y., Moffat, J., & Kobbacy, K. (2013). A holistic, multi-level analysis identifying the impact of classroom design on on pupils' learning. Building and Environment, 59, 678-689.

Grigsby, L. L. (2023, January 13). Title of blog post. Clutter Can Be Good for Your Mental Health. https://www.shondaland.com/live/home-entertaining/a42467488/clutter-can-be-good-for-your-mental-health/