Are you ready to start spring cleaning?
It’s been a long year for me. The first sign that I need to get busy tidying up from all the iterations of upgrading my brand is that the closets and cabinets in this house are cluttered and overflowing with so much extra stuff. I’ve packed on a few extra pounds, too, uncomfortably spilling out of my snug clothes. Being in a state of change causes so much chaos with every part of life. Spring cleaning seems to be the only way to clear out all the cobwebs.
Normally I have this Martha Stewart habit of purging things from the house every 3 or 4 months, such as clothing, toys, school supplies, or anything we’re done with. My office typically gets a once-over a couple times a year, too. As a family, we typically prep meals on the weekends, make something mid-week, and hobble into the next grocery trip by eating every morsel we have left in the house, so we can keep a handle on our calorie intake (and food budget) week to week.
Not this year….While I gained 10 or 12 pounds, my house gained about 100.
After being in a state of furious creativity for so many months with the proverbial balled up papers overflowing the trash bin, it’s time to do some spring cleaning.
It started with watching a few episodes of Hoarders. Yes, the show that walks you through the most disgusting homes you could ever imagine, owned by people who typically have the most extreme cases of OCD fathomable. Now, my house is nothing like those homes. As soon as we start to bulge at the seams just a bit, I get antsy. I’ve been antsy for the last 4 to 6 months, but I couldn’t find a stopping point. Once we started approaching the holidays, there was no way I could ignore it any longer.
I made an organization plan for the closets in our home.
- Dump everything out of the closets and sort into like items.
- Clean the closets of dust bunnies. Make a stuffed animal from them if it’s been long enough.
- Line up bags and boxes to separate items we aren’t keeping into donations, trash and hand-me-downs.
- Put all items we are keeping back into the closet where they belong.
- Send the donations, trash and hand-me-downs where they need to go.
- Repeat this every season, so you aren’t in this dire of a situation again.
You can take this same concept and clean up your business, diet, finances, and so much more.
Let’s talk about finances for business since that needs my attention at the moment.
- Pull out every receipt and account statement you have. I know. It’s painful.
- Have a spreadsheet ready to input amounts, descriptions, dates, and categories.
- Check things off as you move through them. File receipts accordingly.
- Double check e-mail receipts to make sure you don’t miss anything.
- Sort and subtotal your expenses and compare to your income to see your return.
- Make sure all your expenses and income run through the same bank account.
- If you are running at a deficit, invest capital into your business by making a transfer to keep your bank balance above board. Do not just charge the family credit card. Keep things separate.
- Get an online program to help you keep things straight from now on.
- Create a system for filing your expenses every month or quarter to stay on top of it.
There’s more to it than this, but it gets you moving in the right direction at least.
I haven’t done all my financial tasks yet. I started with the house and my waistline because my physical environment and physical appearance really have an affect on my psyche if things get out of hand. Next I need to wrap up 2016’s taxes, budget for 2017, and purge what didn’t work.
It’s coming together…I’m ready to start my spring cleaning.
Sally Hendrick, public speaker and founder of Social Media Traffic School, has been helping entrepreneurs navigate the social media maze for 5 years by using her analytical skills from her statistical and actuarial career of 25 years. She specializes in target market research, marketing funnels, digital courses, and Facebook advertising strategies.
