The new year provides the perfect opportunity for a clean slate and fresh start. It’s a great time to start implementing new systems and set goals for the future. Decluttering aspects of your business that no longer serve you gives you the space and time to focus on the big picture.
Here are a few things you can do to minimize the clutter in your business and simplify your life:
1. Declutter Your Office/Store
Take a look at the physical space around you and determine what supplies you still need and which ones you can part with. Do you need all those pens stored in the bottom drawer of your desk? While it seems more efficient to buy in bulk and always have a wide range of supplies on hand, sometimes it can cause stress by cluttering your space. Having a clean workspace can increase productivity, so it’s time to get rid of what you don’t need anymore.
2. Digitize your records
If you haven’t already, now is a great time to start digitizing your records. Having digital records instead of paper ones offers a tremendous amount of benefits including:
Higher security
Less clutter
Easier searchability
It may seem like a lot of effort to scan and transfer all your files onto your computer’s server, but once this initial process is completed, it becomes much easier to maintain. Set up a digital filing system that makes sense to you so that you can easily save and locate files. After we switched to digital storage, we saved lots of time, space, and paper!
Having your records stored digitally can help in the case of an audit. If your business gets audited, they usually request documents in a PDF format. If you’re already scanning all your files, this takes one step out of the stressful process of being audited.
Using digital software can also help you streamline and simplify some business processes. We use the digital bookkeeping software, QuickBooks, to easily track income and expenses. This allows us to record information and create reports with ease while also saving time.
3. Digital Declutter
Decluttering your email inbox is something that is important to do regularly. Having a cluttered inbox can cause you to miss important emails. Create a system the works well for you to organize your inbox and unsubscribe to any email lists that you don’t want to receive.
If your desktop is filled with 50 shortcuts, it might be time to review them to clear it up. Go through your folders and delete what you don’t need and back up what you do.
4. Make Sure Everything is Up to Date
Review aspects of your business to make sure that they are up to date and accurate. This includes:
Employee information
Payroll
Address, phone number, etc.
Marketing collateral
Website
Brochures & flyers
Business cards
Social media profiles
Rates and prices
Inventory
Physical count
Discontinuations
Client database/customer management system
Email
Phone number
Subscriptions
Digital services
Magazines
Newsletters
Reviewing these things regularly will let you know what information is still relevant and prompt you to make updates as needed. Keeping your inventory, client information and subscriptions up to date can help you save you time and money in the long run.
5. Outsource duties
One of the best ways to declutter is to pass the duties that you may not have the time for off to someone else. Small business owners commonly hire contractors for positions such as marketing, graphic design, HR, accounting and bookkeeping. This is because it’s usually cheaper to outsource compared to hiring a full-time employee.
Outsourcing a bookkeeper can help declutter your business since part of their job is to keep accurate and organized records. It’s one less worry for you. A bookkeeper can also help you stay up to date so you can meet tax deadlines, create financial reports and manage payroll without needing to scrambling at the last minute.
Here at Summit Bookkeeping, we can help take the stress of doing your own books out of the equation. Give us a call at (360) 756-5020 to see how we can help you!
Happy Decluttering!