4 Spring Cleaning Tips for Your Business
Second quarter is coming in hot! As you tackle spring cleaning in your home, why not do the same for your business? There are certain parts of our professional life that we often neglect as new fires arise. Stop us if this sounds familiar – a computer desktop overflowing with old files, a car riddled with water bottles and crumpled receipts or a desk sprinkled with crumbs, random print outs, and several other odds and ends.
Spring is a great time to tackle these messy areas and get organized for the rest of the year. When your physical space is clean, your head space will follow! You’ll feel more productive and at ease when you follow these four spring cleaning steps for your business.
- Clean Your Desk.
- Start with your physical workspace! Shred old paperwork with personal information and recycle non-essential papers. Wipe down your desk, keyboard and mouse, and use a dust cloth to clean your screens. This is also a good time to go through your snack drawer (we’ve all got one), clear out the crumbs and stale cookies and wipe down the interior.
- Organize Your Digital Files.
- Once the physical desk is spick and span, go to work on your digital desk – a.k.a. your computer! Sort through your files, delete what you don’t need, and make an archive folder for what you might need later. Clear up your desktop too, so you keep only essential files on the home screen, rather than using it as a junk drawer. Lastly, delete any computer applications you rarely touch. Your machine (and brain) will run much faster with a clean up! Pro tip – remember to empty the trash bin once you finish organizing.
- Deep Clean Your Car.
- If you’re in real estate, you know your car becomes a mobile office. Take this time to get a nice car wash with all the perks. Go hard on this one, then focus on maintaining it the rest of the year. Throw away all the wrappers, old receipts, napkins, etc. Vacuum the inside, and clean the floor mats. Check for surprises under the seats, and also sort through whatever might be hiding in your seatback pockets, glove compartment and center console!
- Prioritize Your Calendar.
- It’s easy to just throw events into our calendar without much structure. Whatever calendar app (or physical calendar) you use, jump in and create a system for organizing events. Color-code your events by type – i.e. business, personal, family, etc. Add in vacations, kids’ obligations, planned days off and deadlines. If you don’t have one already, consider investing in a large at-a-glance wall or desktop calendar. You can put all your activities in one place, and have an easy visual to glance at as you make new appointments and plans.
Put these tips into practice and you’ll get more pep in your step this quarter! Cleaning up your business will help you cleanse your mind too, leading to a more productive business and life. Happy organizing!
Buffini & Company
