With spring in the air, a common topic is spring cleaning.
I started my own spring cleaning a couple of weeks ago when I downsized the piles and the storage in my office.
I moved on last week to cleaning out our clothes closets.
Spring seems to make you want to pull everything out and start with a new slate.
But it doesn’t have to be spring to do this kind of stuff. If you find yourself under stress for any number of reasons, getting tidied up and organized can really help you alleviate that.
Stress is one of those things that others point out to us. Not something that we often notice ourselves. Being a small business owner is sometimes like being a superhero (‘look at all the things I can manage!’). But it doesn’t have to be – and in fact, it shouldn’t be.
Look at your daily routine. If you are experiencing stress in one or more of these areas, it could be time to spring clean your approach.
If you have too much client work, you could be under a lot of stress to complete it. Look around your desk. Is it organized? Are your projects and files organized? Sometimes when we get too busy, even just for a short period, it can really take its toll on us if our surroundings are not in order. If you are running around and feel like you are not organized, it’s time to stop for just a few minutes and get everything in its place. Think about what you need to help you approach your client work more easily, and put it in place. Often it’s just getting things filed away on our computer or our paper files that helps us feel better.
If you don’t have enough client work, you could be under a lot of stress to find work. Look at your follow up system. How are you plotting your strategy there? If you are not organized enough to have people that you are networking with and planning follow up with, you could be causing yourself more stress than you need. Get things in place. How many clients do you need? Where are they? How much contact do you have with them? How many people can you schedule sales conversations with (that’s where the clients come from!) Put a plan in place to reach out to ‘x’ number of potential clients each day (my favourite number is 2 – easy to do!) and you will be well on your way to new clients in no time.
If you are having a hard time managing your team or your books or your marketing, look at the support system you have in place in your business. Is it too much physically for you to handle? Or do you just need a better system? As we get busier and more successful, it’s essential to realize that we can not keep doing all of the management pieces ourselves. At some point it’s necessary to either outsource projects (like bookkeeping) or bring on support (like a project manager) or seek advice (for marketing). Look at your business objectively and decide what you need to do to help yourself be more successful.
For more tips on getting inspired to spring clean your business, listen to this free audio that I’ve put together for you:
10 Tips To Spring Clean Your Business
Enjoy!
I’d love to hear if you have been hit by the spring cleaning bug … visit my Facebook page: www.facebook.com/yourvamentor