When I was younger someone tried to sell me the idea that your desk reflects your head.
This bothered me briefly until I realized that if this was the case I'd rather have a messy desk than an empty desk ;-)
This bothered me briefly until I realized that if this was the case I'd rather have a messy desk than an empty desk ;-)
Other caveats include children and pets. With some kids and some pets, it doesn't matter how much money you have and how tidy you are by habit.
If you are working class you may have a sewing table full of half-finished repair jobs. If you are rich, you either buy new clothes whenever you want, or you offload that work onto a tailor.
If you are working class your dirty clothes may pile up, and you need an ironing board and maybe a clothesline. If you are rich, you use the dry cleaners.
If you are poor your dishes pile up because you cook meals frequently, and you may not even own a dishwasher. If you are rich, you may eat out frequently and certainly can afford a dishwasher.
There are poor (but content) people who are very minimalist. They don't need to hoard not because they "can afford to buy or rent exactly what you want precisely when you want it", but because they don't want much, period.
Our boss was a neat and tidy sort who kept his desk completely spotless. Nothing on it but a laptop. One day he came up and said "You know they say that a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind."
Ben didn't miss a beat and asked "Well Rob, if that's true, what is an empty desk a sign of?"
There's probably a happy middle ground somewhere in between.