managers, I became aware that many of them were showing signs of severe business burn-out. They all worked extremely long hours, taking no time out for themselves, their families or community.

It was apparent that their communication interaction was a serious problem the moment I entered their offices. One of the most common signs of a stressed-out boss is a disorganised cluttered working environment.

A dead giveaway is a senior manager's office and departments cluttered with papers all over the place. This is a clear indication that they have difficulty communicating effectively with their various department heads and others. This naturally lends itself to low productivity, leading to low bottom lines and even lower employee self-esteem than the norm.

After speaking to a few senior managers, I found they were mostly suffering from trying to figure out what to do next because it all seemed so very important and they were only dealing with the urgent and pressing critical matters. This made them fall even further behind, because they were experiencing only a brief moment of getting things done, meaning that they were not dealing with the important things that were required. Yet, if they sat and carefully prioritised the urgent, critical and important tasks together, the picture would become much clearer.

Some time ago I found this uncomplicated stressed indicator test -- answer yes or no to these statements to figure out if you are stressed out: 1. Waste time in meetings 2. Procrastinate important things 3. Burned out, stressed out, rundown and tired 4. Important relationships are in jeopardy 5. Others getting me down with negative attitudes 6. Come home beat and exhausted 7. Not achieving personal goals 8. Don't get the recognition I deserve 9. Not enough time to relax and unwind 10. Feel trapped, stagnant and passed over 11. Not enough time for friends and personal development 12. Not enough money in my life, financial pressures 13. Need to spend vacation time unwinding 14. Experience some regrets about my life 15. New Year's resolutions made and not realised 16. Rushed getting off to work in the morning 17. Not enough "goof-off'' time 18. Frustrated with wheelspinning -- not making progress -- in a rut 19. Less satisfied with what I'm doing now than a few years ago 20. Too much to do; not enough time for family and me 21. Feel like I'm just drifting and life is passing me by 22. Signed up for an exercise programme but didn't stick to it 23. Feel overwhelmed; low morale and self-esteem 24. In crisis management, putting out fires 25. Push off unpleasant tasks, miss deadlines and arrive late 26. Things are getting backed up 27. No clear vision of the future -- waiting for the next shoe to drop 28. Enjoy my days off more than my work week 29. Have to work with an unreasonable boss 30. Don't enjoy going to work on Monday 31. Always being told what to do -- not enough freedom 32. Feel worried, guilty, depressed, tense and anxious 33. Feel indecisive -- too many choices 34. Have to work through lunch, late and during time off 35. Spend time daydreaming; wish I were retired 36. Don't accomplish things on time; rushed and under the gun 37. Feel I have to compromise too much 38. Interruptions are throwing me off the track 39. Too many priorities, often feel unprepared and pressured Count how many questions you answered yes to and measure your results: 0-5 You are 80 percent effective. Some minor adjustments would help 5-15 You are 65 percent effective. Several improvements will make a difference 16-20 You are 50 percent effective. You are missing out on half of your potential.

20 You are 20 percent effective. What are you going to do about it? If you scored 65 percent and below, there is a clear indication that some changes would be helpful. My next article will deal with some suggestions and secrets from highly successful managers.

Cindy Swan is a Professional Organiser with over 20 years of office administrative managerial experience. She is a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers. Her column appears in the Business section of The Royal Gazette twice a month.