Since last December, I have helped my brother’s pastry shop on weekend days. Despite his delicious products, his management was terrible.
Recently, I have tidied up the shop to improve the management environment. Then, I finally achieved my first partial success. That showed me the condition of people who cannot change. Let’s discuss it.
Where to change?
Sometimes, we want something that will change our lives.
However, we sometimes don’t know where to start. Everything is messy, and the situation is chaotic. We cannot improve, no matter how patiently we try to be. In the end, we will be exhausted and want to give up everything.
That is why we want to change something.
One trigger is organizing things, including invisible ones, such as information and relationships. Today, I will show you an example. This experience may help you identify where to start to change your life.
Two types of stagnation
Organizing things can be a trigger that changes your life. It is a part of management. Since people are socially collaborative animals, the more we can manage our resources rationally and socially, the more abundant we can become.
There are two types of stagnation, as follows:
- Being too busy with business right in front of us and having no time to manage things
- A life lacking meaning caused by organizing things without the purpose of social contribution
In other words, management, including organization, is a social activity. By including social purposes, organizing enriches us. The skill of tidying things up is one of the strengths of empathic and logical people.
The confusion that causes a messy state
To make it easier to understand, let’s look at an example of my brother.
His stagnation was the former, due to his being terrible at organizing things and neglecting tidying up.
His shop was overflowing with unnecessary things. Many places and passages were piled with things. Staff had to twist the body and dodge objects on the floor just to go through the passageways to the restroom. Even in the area where the customers can see, garbage is piled up. It was an unbelievable situation for a pastry shop specializing in high-end cakes.
He was in a situation where he could not start to organize for the following reasons.
- Although he wanted to tidy up the things on the floor, the table was already filled with the necessary ingredients.
- Although he wished to clear off the things on the table, the drawers were already full of tools.
- Although he desired to transfer the items in the drawers to the shelves, they were already filled with cardboard boxes, which contained trays and cups for cakes.
- Although he wanted to put the things on the shelves in the warehouse, it was already full of stuff.
- He was so busy that he could not leave the factory for a long time. In addition, tidying up the warehouse was inefficient—it would not affect his baking efficiency immediately. That was why he had no choice but to pile things on the floor. That made his workplace more stressful and inefficient.
You will soon guess that his management environment will collapse.
That was a typical example of the stagnation caused by confusion. He didn’t know where to start. No matter how hard he worked, it never got any easier.
That may be a typical stagnation for those who are confused. We don’t know where to start.
Tidying up the confusion from a part
My solution was simple: start by tackling the most effective, easiest area. It would be easy for those who love organizing and cleaning up.
In my case, I realized that there was a large shoe rack between the factory and the warehouse. It was filled with clearly old, unused for many years, half-rotted shoes. I got permission and threw away everything inside.
Then, I transferred all the carpentry tools placed directly on the floor of the corridor that led to the staff restroom.
That effort made one of the passageways walkable without any obstacles. We could walk without twisting the body. The comfort was beyond expectations!
Although it was a partial improvement, my brother, his wife, and the staff were delighted. It was as if they were experiencing the refreshing feeling of tidying up for the first time.
Their pleasure may be natural. It carries a meaning beyond simply becoming neat. For them, who had been struggling with seeking a breakthrough for a long time, my improvement was hope. They might have felt that they could actually change their future.
When I was leaving the factory that day, my brother and his wife saw me off together and said thank you. I realized that I was enjoying that improvement.
That was how organizing helped management. Although it was a partial improvement, that changed the possibilities.
Conclusion
That was why organizing things can be a trigger that changes someone’s life, including yours.
Organization is a part of management. Despite a partial improvement, it can change the possibilities.
My experience may help you find where to start to change your life.
Thank you for reading this article. I hope to see you in the next one.
