Every business deserves a spring clean!
In Spring, as a home owner, you seem to go through and cull items in your home which you no longer need , you dust, clean curtains and start afresh! But what about your business?
This is a wonderful opportunity to go through your home office or office area and de-clutter.
When was the last time you did this?
What does this actually mean?
My office had a major spring clean (well not actually a spring clean!), but a clean recently where I went through my entire office and culled old paperwork, sorted out books which I gave to charity, scanned important papers and then shredded them and boy my office was cleared.
However, you don’t need any major reason, you just need incentives! Such as I would love my office to look neat and tidy OR so that you can find that piece of paper you were looking for, for a week!
When was the last time you de-cluttered your office and had a spring clean?
My bet is possibly on the “I never have”, or “Not for a few years”…. This is the response of most people I know.
That could be for a number of obvious reasons like ‘I don’t have time’, or ‘it is only my office, so why do I need to?’.
The point is that you collect and hoard things which you may have never looked at since the time you either printed it off or were handed it at a conference.
But what does it mean to de-clutter and how do you do it?
1. Well, take a section of your office at a time.
2. Make sure you have set aside time to do this, even if it is a couple of hours at the end of your day or the weekend.
3. Start by going through the section and sorting into piles (Yes, I NEED to keep / No, I definitely do not need / Perhaps – I need to go through).
4. The ‘Yes, I NEED to keep’ pile should be put to the side ready to file.
5. The ‘No, I definitely do not need’ pile needs to immediately be thrown away (remember to shred first if confidential information).
6. The ‘Perhaps – I need to go through’ pile should be placed in a pile and a note scheduled in your diary to go through and add to one of the piles in ’4′ or ’5′ above.
7. Remember to organise a time for filing of the pile ‘Yes, I NEED to keep’…. This must be scheduled to ensure that the final part of your de-clutter is completed.
8. If you have a collection of business books, make sure you see if any are still relevant to your business. Is this where you are at now? If not, either sell on EBay, ask associates if they would be interested in having them or donate to your nearest library or charity shop. A good idea for your business books is to put your name in the front, especially if you are lending them to other business owners. You would always like them back at some point.
9. Did you find business cards laying around? Do you remember that person or have you made notes on the card? If you know why you have that card, or feel that this person may be a great associate or lead for you – then add the details to your database, set up a follow up date to contact them and then discard that card!
10. Stationery – this is another place we tend to hoard items. There is generally a build up of notepads half used, envelopes which can no longer be used etc. Great time to sort through and even purchase a box or something to keep them all especially if you have a home office which is not big enough for a stationery cupboard or filing cabinet.
Once you have carried out these steps – step back – I bet you have more space and it looks de-cluttered?
I hope these steps help you in your quest for a tidier, more efficient office space – whether at home or in a rented space! It can take some time, but the benefits to your business can be more efficiency, less time taken to locate important paperwork and subsequent a lot less stress!
Happy Spring Cleaning everyone.
Warm wishes
Hazel
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