This post brought to you by Fellowes Brands. The content and opinions expressed below are that of The Work at Home Wife.
Now that the cold dark days of winter are finally over and the flowers have started to peek out of the ground, it is time to think about spring cleaning. If you own your own business, your spring cleaning duties do not end with a clean closet and a new set of blinds for the living room. Spring cleaning is just as important for your business as it is for your home, and perhaps even more so.
After all, cleaning out your closet and making space in your garage will probably not put more money in your pocket. Spring cleaning your business, on the other hand, can boost the efficiency of your operations and ultimately allow your business to be more profitable. If you have not already done so, you should start planning your spring cleaning business adventure without delay. Here are some tips to get you started.
Organize the Office
Especially when working out of the home, you need to make the most of every square foot. That means organizing your office for maximum efficiency and making sure that everything stays in its place.
Organizing your business is not as difficult as it may seem. In fact, all it takes is a little bit of critical thinking and a few simple supplies. Something as simple as a set of stacking letter trays can remove the chaos from your desktop and help you find that important memo quickly and easily.
You can also improve the organizational efficiency of your office by rearranging the items on your desk. Think about the things you use every day in your business, from the telephone to the computer to the calendar. Then make sure all of those items are within easy reach. You might not think a couple of seconds here and a couple of seconds there would make much of a difference, but it all adds up over the course of the days and weeks.
Keep Sensitive Documents in Their Place
No matter what the nature of your business, chances are you deal with a lot of personal and sensitive information. Whether it is a database filled with client names and addresses or a file of credit card information, you need to take steps to safeguard the information with which your customers have entrusted you.
Even if you do not deal routinely with personal information and protected health data, it is a good idea to shred documents with your name and address before discarding them. The easiest way to accomplish that goal is to set up a shredding bin in your home office.
We use the Fellowes 79Ci shredder which is a heavy-duty cross-cut shredder that can handle up to 16 pages at a time. It has a patented 100% jam-proof system and can run continuously for up to 20 minutes. It’s also energy efficient and has SafeSense Technology making it kid-friendly. The 79Ci has a retail price of $239.99 and is available at Amazon and office superstores.
Make Tax Time Less Taxing
No one likes to think about taxes, but the springtime is also IRS season. By the time spring has sprung, you will no doubt be gathering receipts and writing checks to the tax collector.
You can make future tax seasons less stressful by shredding your old tax returns and making room for all your new records. Depending on the nature of your business and the recommendation of your accountant, you will need to retain 3 to 7 years’ worth of tax returns and supporting documents. After that timeframe has passed, you can probably dispose of the old records without worry.
Spring cleaning can be a boon to your business in many different ways. From making your home office more organized and efficient to clearing out space for important paperwork, there are countless advantages to giving your office a good spring cleaning makeover.
Audrey says
Really great tips! I love cleaning so much and it really helps to be more concentrated and efficient. Planing time is of paramount importance for me. I use to organize my office before starting working day.
Angie Nelson says
That’s a great tip, Audrey!
Audrey says
Thank you) I believe so
Elna Cain says
Great tips! I’m always trying to find ways to streamline my mess! I have twin toddlers so clean isn’t really in my vocabulary 🙂 j/k. I work from home, but I’m finding my desk is getting a bit too cluttered.
I’m off to purge and plan!