Is it Time for Spring Cleaning?

My wife, Beth, and I were doing some Spring Cleaning in our garage and going through some old clothes this week and it got me thinking about work. I wondered, when was the last time you did a good Spring Cleaning at work? No, I am not asking you to read Marie Kondo. No, I am not asking you if each assignment brings you joy (well, maybe you might want to review your day and see what activities do give you joy—more on this in a minute.) What I am asking you to do is to wake up from your Zombie Zone and notice what is going on around you.

Let’s start simple—your office.

1.     Do you have books that you have not touched or never planned on reading? Donate them and clear some space for future books.

2.     How about your pictures? If your 19 year old kid’s last updated picture is their 8th birthday then it might be time for some updated photos.

3.     Files—they can take a life of their own. Schedule a 30 minute clean up time. Get rid of the old files or least get them in a different location.

4.     Chotskies—you know all those things you picked up from conferences or vendors that were cute at one time. Now, they are just filling up office. Keep 1 or 2 and clear out the rest.

Customers/Clients

1.     Okay, what customers/clients bring you joy? Oops, I did go Marie Kondo on you! Let them know why you enjoy working with them and do they have any referral for you.

2.     Do you have customers that used to bring you joy/satisfying work but do not any more? What do you need to change in the relationship for you both to find this a rewarding partnership?

3.     Are there some clients that are no longer a good fit for your organization? What is your plan to let them know and find a better solution for them?

Calendar

1.     Let’s review where you are spending your time. What meetings no longer make sense? If you started the meeting, when can you end it? Aim for no more than 1-2 more meetings. A good place to start are recurring meetings with no set agenda!

2.     Length of meetings—we default to 1 hour or 30 minute meetings. Can you cut 15 minutes from these meeting to get some time back?

3.     What activities do you find joy in? What activities suck the energy out of you? What things could be delegated?

4.     Have you put vacation, 3 day weekends and fun times with family on the calendar? If not, your calendar will get filled up with lower level activities and you will be bummed you are missing out a great 3 day weekend!

Okay, I need to make a trip to Goodwill to drop of some clothes for someone else to find joy in. Let me know how your Spring Cleaning goes. I hope you can open up some space for your clearer thinking, fun and reconnecting with your purpose. Have a great spring!