It's very trendy to be organized these days, and that's mostly a good thing. A 2013 study found that being in a tidy space drives people to make healthy choices and to follow "conventional" thinking, and working in a messy space creates creativity and new ideas. Now Harvard University researchers say the desire to organize can be a sign of underlying mental angst or upset. Study leader Martin Lang says his finding linked anxiety to the performance of repetitive, ritualistic behaviors, and that cleaning up and organizing definitely fits the bill. In a sense organizing is good, as it can bring a sense of comfort and control to those having a rough time, but on the flip side, spending a huge amount of time and energy organizing signals a problem. Michelle Newman, a professor of psychology, adds, "Organizing becomes pathological when it’s interfering with your ability to focus or function, or it’s overly distressing."
(Time)