(5 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading...By Kat Byles, Founder, True Business School
For a proper and effective spring clean of your business, you need to do more than shift some filing cabinets for a proper vacuuming session. A proper declutter can feel like bursting open the windows to breathe in the fresh air of a whole new creative chapter – for your business and for you.
If you are irritated by any of the suggestions or want to dismiss any, these are the ones to pay particular attention to.
Image: Yay Images
1. Clear Out Your Mind
Cut out the external noise in your environment causing irritation, overstimulation, and stress to your mind.
Turn off social media, unfollow any people and groups you respond negatively to. Unsubscribe from expert newsletters letting you know daily the 5 mistakes you are making in your business. Petitions and campaign updates, turn them off. Turn off the news too.
Turn off phone notifications beeping, interrupting your focus and flow, pulling your attention away from what is truly important into time wasting apps. Delete all the apps and games from your phone that are distracting you; and remove yourself from any WhatsApp groups draining your creativity and lifeforce energy.
This doesn’t have to be forever. For now, turn down the volume (right down) on external stimuli so you can hear your own heart’s wisdom and inspiration leading and creating this fresh chapter of your business.
Get out into nature. Go to the water—rivers, lakes, oceans, and seas—and clear your mind.
2. Clear Out Your Body
Cut out stimulants, such as caffeine and sugar habits that may have crept in, that give you false energy bursts and can amplify and exacerbate unwanted thoughts on repeat on your mind. If you can’t cut them out completely, reduce them a little each day and notice the difference.
You may like to dive in deeper into a full body detox cutting out alcohol, gluten, meat, and dairy too, perhaps working with a nutritionist or you may like the ayurvedic approach.
3. Clear Out Your Energy
Notice if there are any outstanding business relationships, commitments, or ties, any beliefs and behaviors draining you of energy that are ready for a timely good-bye. Saying no to what is no longer in alignment, serving, or relevant to you, your clients, and customers might feel uncomfortable for a moment; but makes the space for what supports you, your business, your clients, and customers to grow now.
4. Clear Out Your Office
Look around your office. How does it make you feel? Are you inspired or irritated? Do you feel clear and expansive or hemmed in and cluttered? What needs to go and be recycled, thrown out or given away? What needs to be organized more beautifully?
Go through your entire office. Start with the desk draws and cupboards and clear them all out. Organize any piles of filing, old receipts, contracts, and agreements. Recycle, throw away and give away anything that no longer serves your business.
Find some lovely storage boxes to tidy up, straighten out, organize, and brighten up a space that you love being in, a space that inspires you when you walk into it, a space that says you are ready for the new.
5. Clear Out Your Diary
Look at your diary for the coming week and month. What’s scheduled out of habit or obligation? Which meetings are time-wasting? Are there meetings that can be delegated? What can be canceled if you make and communicate a decision now?
Now schedule your priority time in nature to listen to your heart’s wisdom and receive the inspiration that will guide the next evolution of your business. Make space for this fresh, new creative emergence.
6. Clear Out Your Email
Do you have 1000 unopened emails in your inbox? Take 2 minutes and scan for the one or two that are truly vital and important. Create an action mailbox folder and move these one or two into that. Delete the rest. Double delete by emptying the deleted or bin folder. How does that feel?
7. Clear Out Your Business Structure
Lastly, the biggie – an honest business reflection. What about the structure of your business is no longer working? Scan your purpose, audience, product, pricing, marketing and PR, financial structure of your business. Which areas need a clear out, a reboot, and refresh to welcome in new life and creative energy?
Is there a product that has run its course or is crying out for the next evolution and relaunch? Does your value and pricing need an upgrade? Perhaps staying hidden away in the background needs to go as you listen to a calling to step up and be the creative, vibrant leader and spokesperson for your business that you are? If chasing financial goals or financial survival during the pandemic has left you burnt out, let it go and reconnect with your heart’s wisdom, purpose, and reason for being in business. Be brave. Clear it out to make space to welcome in the fresh, new creative energy, lifeforce, and success for you and your business to evolve and grow.
The business spring clean and declutter program offered here are suggestions and reminders that you can go through one by one for a deep letting go and rebirth with spring; or if you find that overwhelming, pick one of two for a gentler approach. You never know you might find you love it and want to continue
Kat Byles is the Founder of True Business School, for creative leaders, entrepreneurs, teachers, artists, and healers who want to do business differently. She works with people to find and align with their purpose and creativity to build a happy, healthy, wealthy business and world.
The views and opinions expressed in this blog post or content are those of the authors or the interviewees and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other agency, organization, employer, or company.
Related Posts
By John McLachlan, co-author of Real Leaders: A Practical Guide to the Essential Qualities of Effective LeadershipWhen you drill down into leadership ...
By Fiona Hudson-Kelly, author of Grow and Sell your StartupWomen run around 29% of UK small businesses. As with most small businesses, many do not suc...
By John McLachlan, co-author Real Leaders: A Practical Guide to the Essential Qualities of Effective LeadershipIf you are trusted, your team will foll...
By Chris Thomason, Author of Freaky Thinking: Thinking that Delivers a Dazzling DifferenceBig problems need big answers. So, when you’ve got lots of c...