3 More Ways to Declutter Your Business and Get More Done – Part 4

Welcome to part 4 of this blog series on 21 ways to declutter your business, get organized and get more done. I have been rolling out 3 tips at a time! Long lists can be completely overwhelming to someone who is already disorganized and buried under piles of paperwork. Pick one tip at a time to implement or one tip a week. Don’t try to do all 21 at once. That makes it too hard to create a habit of staying organized.

#10 Invest in Better Physical Storage

This tip may seem obvious, but it’s amazing how often we manage to put up with things like magazines or file folders awkwardly placed in under-desk storage cabinets or shelves that are too short for our magazine holders.

Take a look at your office storage. Is it working for you? Do you need more? Less? Just something different?

As soon as you can, schedule a trip to places like Home Depot, IKEA or even Target where you can check out different storage options and re-vamp your office.

This doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. I love Ikea for it’s affordable and yet stylish solutions. I also love clear storage boxes which you can get at Target, Home Depot or most other stores. These are great for storing supplies, files and paperwork you don’t need frequent access to.

We also use banker’s boxes to store old files that we need to keep but don’t want taking up space in the office.

When we moved to California two years ago, it created an awesome opportunity to cull paperwork, get rid of books and cut down on everything superfluous in our house. Now the paperwork is piling up and it’s time to start over. We made the mistake of allowing things to collect dust that could have been recycled right away.

I will often have my kids shred bills and other paperwork that we don’t need to hold onto or do filing for me. Great way for them to make a few bucks and me to clear the clutter!

#11 – Change your Chair

One other source of “office blindness”: Office chairs! If you’ve been sitting on the same rickety swivel chair for years (and you habitually end up going to bed with backache), it’s time for a change!

Go to your local office supply store—or the Re-Store, if you’re on a tight budget—and choose a new (or at least different) office chair. Test it out.

And do make sure you get the best chair you can afford. (It will be worth it in increased comfort, better temper—and increased productivity.)

In the long run, you will get more done and be more creative when your body is happy! Having a good office chair or even a standing desk can be just the ticket to get you back on track.

#12 –Get Rid of that Annoying Software

If you’ve been struggling along for years with a clunky graphics editor or an invoicing system you have to practically re-learn every time you access it, junk that too!

Read reviews. Shop around online. Look at apps, if you prefer apps.

Find software that does a better job and is easier to use, saving you time and money.

Or even better yet, get help! Outsourcing graphics and invoicing are two easy ways to save yourself time, frustration and even money. Yes, I know you spend money to outsource, but it frees you up to do more sales, write more content and do the work you love the most.

When you begin to implement these small changes to declutter your business, it will become a habit and you will find yourself continuing to find systems that work for you and increase your productivity!