Headed "Of mice and mentality", an article in The Times of 22 September explores the ways in which desk space can reflect the user’s character. According to a report by Regus, a serviced-office provider, the contents of your desk and office - from mouse mat to the presence or absence of papers and files - can reveal your personality type, strengths and weaknesses.

Research by psychologist Donna Dawson identified six desktop types: organised, organised chaos, creative chaos, personality-extension (lots of personal and perhaps jokey items), "show" (projecting a contrived image) and "trophy", aimed at broadcasting how well the individual is doing.

She sets out the character traits associated with each type. For instance, The "creative chaos" desktop is evidence of an agile, creative mind and a worker who is suspicious of technology, uninterested in impressing colleagues or visitors, energetic, work-focused and an excellent lateral thinker.

The report suggests, too, that with the advent of the iMac, "the beige-boxed technology of old is being replaced by these strange, bubble-like things as employers rethink the office environment, realising that employees relate better to something attractive"