It’s not just your house that can become cluttered; your business can, too! Between messy systems, too many apps, and piles and piles of emails, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by your business. That’s why I recommend all my clients to spring clean their business along with the rest of their lives.
Ready to simplify, organize, and spring clean your own business? Here’s how to get started!
What’s the Point of Spring Cleaning Your Business?
Spring cleaning is the practice of deep cleaning your home to help you recover from winter and get ready for spring. And while it typically refers to your physical space, there’s no reason you can’t use springtime to give your business a much-needed tidying up as well.
Just like a clean home, a tidy business improves your mental clarity and productivity. When you spring clean your business, you create an environment that makes work more peaceful and enjoyable.
5 Steps to Spring Cleaning Your Business
Ready to start your spring cleaning? Start with these five steps.
STEP 1: Take stock of your business.
Before you can start spring cleaning your business, you need to understand where your business lives. As an online business owner, I use several programs and softwares to communicate with clients, manage projects, and schedule meetings.
Make a list of all the programs you use in your business–everything from Google Drive to Honeybook to Instagram. If you use it for your business even just a little bit, write it down.
STEP 2: Consolidate wherever you can.
Once you have your list, you can start paring it down. In my experience as a coach, most business owners start out with way too many softwares, social media platforms, and digital tools. You can start consolidating with…
- Your CRM. These days, there’s no need to invest in a separate scheduler, payment processor, and project manager. A CRM can do it all for a fraction of the cost.
- Your task management system. If you want to make your to-do list more manageable, consolidate it to one place. Whether that’s pen and paper or a to-do list app, pick a system and stick with it.
- Your storage platform. Keeping all your files in one place will make life easier for both you and your clients. Create a system in Google Drive for organizing your files, and use it as a central ‘hub’ for all your work.
- Your simple marketing plan. Pick one to two social media platforms, and get good at them. It’s much better to perfect your marketing on one platform than to do it inconsistently on many platforms.
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There will surely be a few apps and programs that you can’t consolidate. In those instances, just be sure that those programs add value to your business and your life. If they don’t, you might want to eliminate them to reduce your digital clutter.
STEP 3: Refocus your energy.
Most business owners rethink and refocus their businesses at the start of the year. Personally, I like to do this in the springtime. When the sun starts shining and everything becomes green again, I feel a renewed sense of creative energy that feeds into my business.
Take some time to look at your business top-to-bottom: your branding, your offers, your values, everything. Make sure what you’re doing still feels aligned with who you are and where you want to be in one year, five years, and ten years. You might find that some parts of your business need adjusting, and now is the perfect time to start that work.
STEP 4: Set boundaries.
Maybe you started your business with high hopes of taking every Friday off, not working past 5pm, or taking endless vacation days. But after a while in business, those boundaries start to creep. Spring cleaning is the time to identify those places where your boundaries have slipped and redefine them for yourself and your clients.
Take a look at your boundaries around…
- Your working hours and days.
- How often you communicate with clients and how.
- How you price your services.
- The amount of energy you spend on your business.
- Your vacation schedule.
Set new, stronger boundaries, and communicate them with your clients. Chances are, they’ll respect those boundaries and you’ll feel at ease knowing you’ve maintained a firm separation between your work and home life.
STEP 5: Celebrate!
Spring cleaning is always something to celebrate, but especially when it means you’ve improved your business. Congratulate yourself for spending time on your business instead of just in your business.
Maintaining a Simplified, Organized Business
Of course, a clutter-free business requires maintenance. Every month or so, take stock of your business and identify areas you can simplify and tidy and your systems. It’s a never-ending process, but it’s one that can help you love your business even more.
Want to declutter your business and invite ease into your life?
Your environment–physical, mental, and digital–plays a huge role in your wellness. If you want to invite more ease into your life, check out my course, Clear Your Way to Calm!
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