Cleaning isn’t my favourite thing (I’d rather be gardening with the kids), but spring cleaning… that’s a whole other subject.
To me, spring cleaning is deep cleaning. Sorting, decluttering, starting afresh. It’s resetting material. Time to revisit and reassess goals for the final few months of the year and it always has a powerful impact on my headspace.
Particularly if you work from home, spring cleaning your office or workspace will be crucial in creating momentum for the coming weeks. It could be the difference between making or breaking your next big project and will almost certainly impact your mood and motivation to work. Here are some (rather unlikely) benefits of a deep clean of your business and workspace.
Spring cleaning clears the mind
It’s no secret that when you clear old stuff from your life your headspace also clears a little. It’s as if a virtual weight has been shifted inside and you’re free to enjoy the stuff that remains. I like to think of decluttering and cleaning as going hand-in-hand because in a physical sense, when you move an object, you find that there is usually dust or debris around it that needs to be cleaned up. The physical act of shifting the object and cleaning around it creates a mental shift, the affects of which shouldn’t be understated.
Action: Set a time and date to spring clean your office or workspace some time within the next week. Depending on how dramatic the need for a clean, this could take anywhere from 1 hour to an entire day, but it will be time well-spent.
Spring cleaning allows you to refocus
Marie Kondo says that “by reducing the clutter of things, we refocus to what matters.” This is so true! Especially when it comes to small but significant deep cleans, such as a desk area or workspace. Once we clear the area of old paperwork, forgotten toys, broken pencils and dead flies, we can refocus our attention on what still needs to be dealt with – that bill, project, new product launch or certification that’s nearly due.
Action: Start a list of things you want to achieve during this spring cleaning time. Make it a PEN and PAPER list so you can add to it over the next few days, as you think of things on the fly and without having to pull out your phone.
Spring cleaning creates more time
While it seems counterintuitive to say that spending time will create time, it’s an accurate statement. Taking the time to deep clean, sort and store accurately will save you time searching for lost items and could even save you money or business deals if the misplaced item is of financial importance. Creating an easy-to-use system for incoming mail will also help in maintaining those time-saving benefits going forward.
Action: Make sure your family knows that you have a date to spring clean your office and it’s something you’ll need their support to keep. If you have small children around, set them up with some special activities that they can do during your spring clean time. They may even be able to help you.
Spring cleaning creates virtual space
Not just about clearing a desk or cleaning the printer, spring cleaning your business should go a step further and create time and space in a virtual sense also. Which subscriptions need to go? What web updates need to be made? Are all your suppliers details up to date? Tax done? How’s the inbox going?
Action: Click HERE for 10 ideas for a virtual spring clean of your home business.
