Spring-time puts us in the mood to clean up, clear out and beautify our business spaces, not only our physical space, but our virtual spaces as well. Much like spring cleaning in our personal home space, business cleaning will employ the same approaches, but will allow you to have a clear mind as we approach a beautiful time of year. A new quarter is starting so let’s start off with a clean, organized business.
Begin with whatever physical space you conduct most of your business in – office, home office – where ever you call “work”. Clearing and cleaning out is infectious, the more you do, the more you will want to do. It brings you a sense of accomplishment and helps you recognize areas in your business that you need to give more attention to. By beginning in the physical space, our progress will be continually in our sight. Start with your desk, first the surface, then the interior.
The exterior of your office space should be one that is functional for you. And, only you. This has to be the place you think, work, plan, dream, so look at your desk – what works for you – what doesn’t?
What inspired me to reorganize my office was knowing it always has room for improvement – and I love seeing what others do to get inspired.
Do you have a filing system – yes a paper filing system? What is that system? Does it work for you? How can it be better? I have drawers that I keep files in with information. I need to know where this information is and may touch if occasionally, but not daily, so I don’t need to have it right in front of me. That is the great thing about a filing drawer, right? There are some files I need to touch daily. So, I have this great little office organizer sitting on my desk, that has the folders I need at my finger touches daily. It has to be pretty, but also function for me. My BFF came for a visit, and because she works from home, she was able to bring her office so we could work side by side during the day and visit, work, then play at night. It was fabulous! She pulled out the amazing little file organizers, which are called
Fold and File organizers. I was like WHAT? It was so cool to see such a great idea that helps us stay organized and mobile! So off I went to get mine. These sit right on my desk and I can move them from room to room or when I travel, I just take it with me.
Now for my project planner – this is a blog of it’s own, but I have to have a daily planner that works for my brain. I am in the process of reviewing planners now and I think I have every one on the market so I will keep you up-to-date on what I decide, but just know you need something to put pen to paper to. If you don’t then have an app that works well for you. Something like Microsoft OneNote, Google Keep, Evernote, whatever you like – just make sure to use it. Do not store all that information in your head as to avoid overload.
Make sure you have a system in place and dedicated space for each category of physical material used, file it according to your use, and discard whatever is already completed and recorded, or needs no further attention. Clean out and organize supplies and then actually clean surfaces and environment just as you would in home cleaning.
The next step is more important – virtual cleaning and organizing. This will most likely take a good deal of time but will make your business run much faster and smoother. Don’t get overwhelmed…if you need to break it down into time slots – then do that, but devote at least 30 minutes a day to organizing.
First, clear out your email inbox – either save to read later if needed, forward, file or delete until you’re at zero.
Keep your planner near by so you can write down your daily tasks – cleaning your inbox daily is a must. If you can’t do daily then schedule time in your planner to do 30 minutes every Tuesday and Friday. This also means your SENT BOX – move those sent emails to the appropriate folder to find quickly as well as the string of emails regarding that topic with that recipient.
Clean up your computer desktop, just as you cleaned your physical desktop. Create folders to organize, save or delete. Clear out subscribed mailing lists no longer needed or of interest. A good tip here is to create a bogus email, so when you see or need to subscribe to something you can use this email address and check it once a week, in your leisure to read. When I did this my world and inbox became free of inbox clutter. When I am the passenger in the car or I waiting on an appointment, having lunch alone, I will jump over to read newsletters, see what stores sent me coupons, what other “stuff” is in there that I want to read, but not necessary or time sensitive.
Examine your auto-pay statements for services you no longer use or need and remove. Organize passwords, perhaps with a password service, then do a backup. I also keep a little planner notebook to write my passwords down or you can create an excel spreadsheet – update it every week and print then put in that cute little planner or file system from Thirty Something.
Next, update social contacts and networks. Review who you are connected to – do you really need all those connections? NO! You should have a great list of connections, but by organic methods only. Know who you are connecting with. Review and update those social profiles every month or at least quarterly. And, another little tip – you may be amazed at how much faster your computer runs!
And last, beautify all that wonderful clean and organized space! Whatever appeals to your sense of color, texture and décor, be it flowers, artwork, containers, organizers, or new furnishings, indulge in new and soothing or inspiring elements that lend stimulation or composure to your work space. You may find that your productivity increases and you also may enjoy working more. You invest a lot of time and energy at work, why not make it easier, faster and happier!
This is a topic I could talk about all day, but these few tips should help you get going in the right direction and stay tuned as I will be writing more about great tips to organize your business and life by just tweaking a few things here and there.
Ready to create the changes that will help you move towards living the life you REALLY want? Now is the time to take control of your personal development by eliminating self-doubt. Give your confidence a boost so you can value the life as well as the business you have dreamed of. Contact Kim Hughes when you are ready to Bring Clarity, Balance, and Confidence to your business. Visit KimHughesCoaching.com for details!
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