Annual Office Clean-Out: The Working Simply Guide

It's time for my annual office clean-out, and I'm inviting you to follow me as I work through the process in my office.

3 Big Advantages of an Annual Clean-out:

• Spur Creativity - As you look through your files (and piles), you will be reminded of ideas you have forgotten and make connections between ideas. Keep a sheet of paper on your desk or a file on your computer to jot down the ideas as they occur.
• Create Space - in the example below, the client gained over 1/3 more space in a drawer, and that's normal. Imagine not just your file drawers, but your entire office with more 'white space'.
• Increase Focus - with space comes the ability to focus and work without distraction.

Why do you need an annual clean-out? At a client's this morning, we discovered a drawer with 19 files. In 10 minutes, 7 of those files (37%) were discarded because they were obsolete. That's just a file drawer - in the coming weeks, I will also walk you through the process of evaluating your current equipment and optimizing your office set-up. By the end of August, you should be ready to jump into September truly ready to work more simply.

Who has annual clean-outs?

• Large companies- often scheduled as one day solely focused on the clean-out. Dumpsters are rented, lunch is supplied, and prizes given for the department dumping the most weight.
• Small companies - have more flexibility, and can schedule smaller blocks of time over a week or more. Individuals can work together or can stagger their purging time.
• Solopreneurs and Home Offices - my suggestions is to treat this as a month-long project, and schedule small amounts of daily time in a month that is traditionally slow.

If you, like me, feel relieved when you can recycle rather than dump, I will also give tips on finding new homes for your discards.

Every Tuesday and Thursday for the rest of August, I will blog on one phase of the clean-out, including how I think through and analyze what needs to change. The goal is to give you tips you can implement, and spur you to action as you learn the steps to become more 'lean' as you follow my real-life example.

P.S. If your company would like to schedule an Office Clean-Out, call me to discuss scheduling a half-day training/goal-setting session a few weeks prior. That way your employees have clear-cut objectives, their questions have been answered, and they are at maximum effectiveness during the Clean-Out.

Call 805-616-2466 to discuss training options.

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