7 Ways to Declutter Your Business

The other day I was reminded that it’s quarterly tax time. Like always, this year is really flying by! Having a successful and profitable quarter is always a priority for business owners because it adds up to an amazing year. At the start of the year, my business systems are super organized but by the halfway point, I know it’s time to do some serious decluttering. Declutter your business throughout the year so you can purge all the unnecessary baggage and clutter in order to free up space to refocus on your core goals and what’s important for growth.

Here are 7 ways to declutter your business so you can work more effectively, efficiently, and gain more clarity.

1. Declutter Your Brain

Being scatterbrained all the time will get you nowhere. If you have a bunch of ideas floating around in your head at all times, it can be exhausting. Sometimes less is more as it will enable you to focus better.

So how do you start decluttering your brain? Start by doing a massive brain dump and writing everything down. Then, categorize all your big thoughts and rank them in order of importance.

You can also try mind mapping which is a process that allows you to organize all your thoughts visually in diagrams. Once you re-evaluate your current goal and focus, give it most of your attention and let the other things go.

If need be, you can go back to them later since you’ll have everything written down.

2. Declutter Your Calendar

Is your calendar doing more harm than good? Your calendar should be keeping you organized and current. Keeping a record of past meetings and events just creates clutter and unnecessary distractions.

Take some time to go through your calendar and delete those annoying notifications that don’t matter to you anymore. Update your calendar reminders to make more relevant notifications. Implement your project management system if possible, and update your availability as your schedule changes. You can also use a meeting scheduler to plan future meetings

Having a clear and clutter-free calendar makes my day in terms of having a productive week running my business.

3. Clean Up Your Marketing

It’s time to assess what has and hasn’t been working when it comes to marketing your business. Perhaps you have old marketing funnels or email opt-ins that are ineffective or don’t function well anymore.

Get rid of old marketing tactics and systems that aren’t doing your business any good. Update social media images and all your profiles.

Also, if you’ve changed any of your products or services, be sure to update your marketing to reflect that.

4. Consolidate Your Business Expenses

Sometimes I get into the bad habit of considering every business expense a necessity for the long term. Circumstances change throughout the year and you may realize that you’re paying for a subscription that you don’t really need.

Or you could possibly consolidate some of your business expenses by using an all-in-one service or asking your team to help take on more tasks.

Just like with your marketing, you want to consider what has and hasn’t been working so that you don’t waste your money paying for a uniform expense throughout the remainder of the year.

5. Declutter Your Inbox

Your email inbox should be decluttered regularly. If it gets out of hand, it could take several hours or even days to straighten everything out.

Try to implement an efficient filing system for your email inbox. I do this by creating different folders for clients and projects. When new messages come in I check them, respond, and file them away in the appropriate folder. Junk mail and spam often get deleted daily.

For other important messages, you can file them away in a separate folder or download externally so you can keep record in a more secure place. If you’re able to do that, you can delete old and irrelevant emails that are cluttering up your inbox.

You also might want to unsubscribe to email lists that you no longer want to be apart of anymore.

6. Declutter Your Workspace

Keeping your workspace clear can help with productivity and get you in the right headspace as you start each work day. Having a bunch of papers junk lying around can take you in the opposite direction.

Start by tossing out old papers and mail and digitizing the important items. Then, use an efficient filing system to store the physical copies you want to keep.

If you’ve been holding on to old documents, worksheets, etc. that you have plans to look at and work on someday, create tasks on your calendar so that you actually do get to go through those items and get rid of the clutter afterward.

You may also want to invest in some office organization items and choose a few small pieces to customize your workspace and provide inspiration. Some wall art, motivational canvas quotes, a good luck charm, or fresh flowers can all liven up your workspace and give it a little TLC.

7. Purge Yourself From Social Media Groups

Social media groups can be a great way to connect with other entrepreneurs and move your business forward. However, too much of anything can become harmful. I’ve had some business owners tell me that they’re in over 100 social media groups for entrepreneurs.

That is just way too much and actually limits your potential for growth.

If you’re in too many Facebook groups, you probably aren’t interacting much in most of them and therefore, you’re not getting any value out of it. Go down the list and remove yourself from groups you no longer participate in.

You can also do this with Meetup or LinkedIn groups that don’t align with your business or current goals anymore. It’s better to be fully present in a handful of groups than to join a ton of groups and never participate.

At the beginning of the year, we start out with good intentions but as time goes on we pick up clutter that drags everything down. Focus on decluttering your business in these 7 areas to regain your focus and get back on track.