This is one of my favorite times of year.
It’s spring here in Wisconsin.
Normally if you ask me what my favorite season is I’ll tell you that it’s autumn. We get really pretty fall seasons here in Wisconsin. All the leaves are changing. The air is getting crisp and cool in the morning. There is frost on the ground and the world often seems very still and peaceful.
But right now I’m loving spring. And I get that feeling each year around May. Things are starting to grow. People kind of come out of hibernation from the winter and spend more time outside.
Spring also must bring out the urge in people to do some cleaning. I know I definitely get those feelings. I’ve already cleaned out a closet by creating a couple piles for my wife to examine. I’ve learned my lesson from throwing things out without asking her first.
And being in the spring cleaning spirit also has me thinking about doing some business spring cleaning.
Here are some things that I think are good for business owners and managers to do from time to time.
1. Software, Tools, etc.
We live in a great time. The phrase, there’s an app for that, really is true. There is software for just about anything. And that’s great, but it can lead to software overload and glut.
Do you really need a software to manage every aspect of your day?
It can be a job just to figure out all the software that you use. And in many ways software can drag you down especially if the software isn’t quite as efficient as you need it to be in order to make your life better and to make the price worthwhile.
So now is a good time to assess the software you’re using and clean up the ones that you really don’t need or even the ones that are dragging you down.
2. Office Clutter
A mess causes stress. It’s science.
It’s not good for your health, your employees’ health and your business’s health to have clutter around the office. Take the lead on this one and have a spring cleaning afternoon at the office where you clean up.
You could even arrange to have trucks in the parking lot that will take things to Goodwill or the Salvation Army along with recycling and shredding areas for papers and maybe even compost areas for things that could be composted.
And in office settings some items may require special disposal like computers or things like that so arrange for proper disposal and help rid your environment of clutter.
3. Computer, Email & Cloud Clutter
Computers also get bogged down easily these days with clutter. Old files, folders and those kinds of things can bog your computer down.
Spring is a good time to go through all that and figure out what can be deleted and what can be reorganized.
This means your hard drive, your email and your cloud storage areas like Google Drive or other online drives.
4. Processes
Now is a good time to assess the processes that make your business tick. Have each employee assess the things they do to accomplish their job. Have them determine if there are any tasks that are inefficient and that could be cleaned up a bit.
Reward employees for finding inefficiencies. Remind them that when things are more efficient for the business that everyone benefits and that just because they might not be doing one task (because it’s not needed anymore) that they have an opportunity to do something even more important and meaningful to the business.
5. Equipment
Earlier this year it was time for me to get a new laptop. I had had mine for five years. It was great and I actually just go the updated model for the new one.
Assess the equipment you have and see what the new options are. Sometimes oldies will always be goodies, but other times the newer models will work much faster and that can easily pay off after a few months or even weeks.
6. Opportunities
Entrepreneurs and managers can easily get bogged down in all the opportunities a business has. But if you’re focused on too many different opportunities you’ll get bogged down and you won’t really make any progress on anything.
It’s better to assess all the opportunities, prioritize them and focus on only the most important or maybe the most important two or three.
Then once those are done you can move on to the next. But for now just assess all the things your company is chasing down and pull back and refocus.
7. Mind & Body
Finally, assess your mind and body. How is your health? How are the employees doing from a mind and body standpoint?
Look for ways to help your team relieve stress. Look for anything that might be unsafe in the workplace. Look for ways to help everyone around find better health and well-being.
The health of your team is the health of your business.
Conclusion
The grass is getting green. The trees are blooming. The birds are singing. It’s springtime in many parts of the world. People are taking time to clean around their homes, but it’s also a perfect time to do some cleaning around your business. Use the tips above to do some of that cleaning and set your business up for a great rest of the year.