As the seasons change and the weather becomes warmer, it’s time to get out of the house and enjoy the sunshine. But if you’re like many business owners, this is also a good time to take stock of your business—and make sure its systems are in good working order. Here are some tips for spring cleaning your business:
Clean off your desk.
This is a great time to get rid of clutter, especially if you’re looking to make some space in your office. If you have things on your desk that are unnecessary or haven’t been used in months, it’s time to let them go.

• Make sure all of your necessary items have places where they belong so that when you need them later on in the day or week (or even month), they’ll be easy for everyone involved–you included–to find.

Make sure all of your files are organized in folders, and if you haven’t reviewed them recently, do it now.

• You may not be a hoarder, but if you haven’t updated your files in the past year or so, it’s likely that they are a mess.

Organizing your physical and digital files is important for several reasons:

• You can easily find what you need when you need it (or even sooner). If all of your invoices are in one folder and all of your contracts are in another, it will take longer to find what you’re looking for and then move on with business as usual. With an organized filing system, everything is easy to access and easy on the eyes–which means less time spent hunting down documents and more time actually working!
• It makes room for new things; when we’re busy with work projects or other responsibilities outside of our 9-to-5 jobs that come up throughout the year (like taxes), sometimes our file cabinets become overcrowded with old documents that aren’t relevant anymore but still take up space nonetheless.”

Review all the extra paper you have lying around.
If you have a lot of extra paper lying around, it’s time to review it. You should be able to get rid of most of the stuff in this pile–so shred or recycle what you can’t throw out. Then keep a separate pile for the items that might be useful later on (like tax forms) and put them away somewhere safe until they’re needed again. If there are still too many papers left over after that, consider getting a filing cabinet or other storage system so that all those important documents won’t take up valuable space on your desk anymore!
Decide if the information is still relevant and important.
If it’s not relevant or important, throw it away. If the information is still relevant and important, keep it! If you have questions about what to do with the information, ask someone for advice.
If not, shred it or recycle it.

• If you are not shredding your sensitive documents, then stop reading this article and get to it.
• Make sure you’re shredding any paper with personal information on it. That includes your name, address and contact information.
• Keep track of what you have shredded and where it is going so that if a customer calls asking for something they can be directed to the correct person or location (if applicable).
• Don’t forget about old tax documents! If they contain personal details like social security numbers or birthdates they should also be destroyed before any sensitive data falls into the wrong hands through theft or espionage by an employee looking for some extra cash on the side (or just because).
• And don’t forget credit card statements too! These need to be destroyed before anyone else gets their hands on them either through theft or espionage by an employee looking for some extra cash on the side (or just because).
  Do the same for your email inbox.
  Next, it’s time to tackle your email inbox. This can be one of the most overwhelming tasks in business, as most people have hundreds or thousands of emails in their inbox at any given time.
• To keep things from getting too overwhelming, try using folders and filters so you can quickly find what you need when it comes time for spring cleaning. For example:
  Create folders for projects (i.e., “Project X” or “Client ABC”) and move all related emails into those folders when they come in. This makes them easy to access later if necessary.
• Set up filters so that certain types of messages automatically get moved into a different folder based on criteria such as sender name or subject line (for example: “[email protected]”). This will help keep your main inbox free from clutter while still allowing important messages through without clogging up another folder somewhere else!
  Take some time to reflect on how you manage projects, both big and small.
  As you’re spring cleaning your business, consider taking some time to reflect on how you manage projects.
• Are you using the right project management tools for each project?
• Are the people on your team using the same tools and processes?
• Do those tools align with their own personal styles of working and thinking?
• Does your workflow make sense?

If you’re not sure where to start with your business, here are some questions to ask yourself:

• Do I have a plan for each project?
• Do I know what the end goal is going to be from the get go?
• Am I working on the most important tasks first or am I wasting time on things that don’t matter as much (like updating social media accounts)?

Take some time to review how you manage projects.

• Reviewing your workflow can help improve productivity, avoid wasting time, and reduce mistakes.
  A good review will make sure nothing falls through the cracks!
  
  In the end, spring cleaning isn’t just about getting rid of clutter. It’s also about reflecting on how we manage our projects and making sure we’re doing everything in the most productive way possible. By taking some time out to do this review, you’ll be able to improve your productivity and make sure nothing falls through the cracks!