Your vacation is over and you come into the office in a good mood in the morning, looking forward to the first day with your team after your great vacation. You are deeply relaxed, have the last pictures of your trip in front of your eyes. And you want to share a story or two with trusted colleagues and your team. You walk in the door. You greet cheerfully to the right and left. You say "hello" to your boss and make brief small talk with your colleague from Sales.
And then you walk into your office
Your eyes fall on your desk and you catch your breath. Your happiness level plummets. The relaxation is blown away and you immediately feel stressed again - because your gaze falls on the chaos on your desk! This morning, the piles of sheets, the unopened mail, the criss-crossed files, the transparent pockets, the scribbled and illegible notes, the disorganized magazines, the many colourful post-its bring you back down to earth. You would love to turn around and go home again. Because you think: "So many unfinished tasks! How am I supposed to manage and juggle it all? Why didn't Mr X and Ms Y do it during my vacation, as we discussed?" Your relaxation is gone in seconds. Her stomach tightens, her neck muscles tighten instantly under the supposed burden.
"Order is half the battle", they say
That's why, as a manager, it doesn't matter how you run your management office and how you find your desk after your vacation. Don't underestimate the impact it has on you, your team and possibly the entire company if you work chaotically as a boss, as a line manager or as a team leader. Because the chaos on your desk will almost certainly lead to chaos in the handling of your projects, chaos in filing and chaos in the assignment and management of your employees' tasks. Could it be that there are no clear rules for handling emails or processes, for example? No organization chart? No job description? Perhaps meetings are not prepared and there is no clear allocation of tasks with clear, well-structured minutes at the end? Not to mention the goals of your team or company?
Remember: a tidy desk means a tidy mind.
If you have clarity in your executive office when it comes to handling tasks during your absence on vacation, this will lead to success. Because you and your team work efficiently with a clearly defined goal in mind and with precisely explained work tasks and assigned work processes.
As a boss, as a manager, you are a role model for your team, for your employees.
Your employees quickly lose the incentive to keep their desks and the tasks assigned to them in order. They also very often lose track of things. If you can't organize yourself, don't have a clear goal in mind and signal this with a chaotic desk.
What can you do now as a manager? Because the next vacation is sure to come!
There are many tools, Kanban, boxes, folders, Outlook and various software solutions on the market to help you bring order to your chaos. Start the project "Away from chaos towards an efficient process" with small but continuous steps. Otherwise you could run out of steam. Start step-by-step in the right direction. Perhaps you are now asking yourself: what is the best solution for me?
Here is my tip for you
I felt the same way at the beginning of my career. I thought it was okay to have a bit of chaos. Quite the opposite. I was quickly overwhelmed and stressed. I was always trying out new things. I was never really completely happy. Until I introduced ISO certification in my former job as a QM officer. And my external consultant said: "So, dear Ms. Schmied-Wolfsbauer - first of all, buy yourself a desk folder with 31 compartments. And a monthly folder for January to December." And I thought to myself: "How old-school is that?" He really insisted. No ifs, ands or buts. I couldn't get around it. So at some point I finally had the desk folder in front of me. Today I love it and can't imagine my life without it. Both professionally and privately.
It has helped me,
- minimize the pressure in the hectic pace of everyday work.
- get rid of stress.
- to keep an overview.
- no longer overlook deadlines.
- to work in a structured way.
- leave my desk tidy and orderly in the evening.
- keep track of what's coming up the next day.
By the way: introducing new structures is no walk in the park. It takes time, it's annoying, exhausting and nerve-wracking. You will encounter resistance. Your own and also that of your team when you introduce something new. So persevere and plan at least 3-4 months for new things. Keep at it. Be aware that old habits and processes will not leave the field without a fight.
How will you benefit?
So that the next time you go on vacation you can say with confidence: "I can relax. Spend relaxing time with my loved ones. Because I know that all matters in the office and in the company are crystal clear and run smoothly."
