It’s the first week of Spring here in Australia (or the start of Autumn if you’re on the opposite side of the globe) and I’m excited. The days are getting longer, the temperature warmer, flowers are starting to bloom and there’s just so much more positivity in the air. While living in the sunny state we don’t get a real winter, the temperature sits around 18-24 C during the day and between 8-12 C at night. And yes, it’s usually dry and sunny.

But enough about the weather.

Now is the time to do a spring clean and ensure that you’re on track to finishing the year feeling content with your business, goals, health and life in general.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed with a clean up. There’s just so much to do and it’s difficult to know where to start.

So here are a few tips and tricks to get you on the way to spring cleaning your business and your life.

Your Business
Is your business where you want it to be today?
Have you made progress since the beginning of the year?
Is there anything that you can do differently?
If you could focus on just one thing for the rest of the year, what would it be?
How would this one thing improve your business?
Are you willing to commit to achieving this thing?
What are you going to do today, this week, this month, to get where you want to be at the end of the year?

Your Goals
Have your goals changed or evolved since January 1?
Which ones can be crossed off the list?
Rate the goals in A, B, C. Then focus on the most important ones, the A’s.

Your Life
What do you want to achieve in life?
How do you enjoy spending your free time?
What do you enjoy doing most?
How can you find more time to do more of it?

Your Health
How much exercise have you done in the past month?
How many pieces of fruit and vegetables have you eaten this week?
Do you have a sedentary job?
How’s your posture?
Are you getting enough sleep/taking enough breaks?

Things that you can do to improve the flow of positive energy into your life and business.

Clean up your writing
– Create folders for ideas/pitches/templates/books/blogs/etc
– Sign up for Scrivener it’s the best thing you can do for your writing!
– Want to improve? Change direction? Sign up for a writing course.
– Put all your salvageable ideas into a folder, throw out anything obsolete
– Create a folder for your ‘Works in Progress’, ‘Drafts’, ‘Templates’ etc

Clean up your computer
– Organise your files
– Delete obsolete files
– Back up your laptop (you should be doing this regularly. You can even email any important files to yourself for safe keeping and easy access anywhere, anytime. I often do this to back up my works in progress).
– Transfer photographs to an external hard drive (your laptop/computer will work more efficiently)

Clean up your wardrobe
– Take out all your clothes from your wardrobe and drawers (don’t be shocked by the massive pile)
– Select the items you wear all the time and put them to the side
– Sort what remains in piles of keep, donate, throw.
– Get rid of anything that doesn’t fit well, is worn out or makes you feel like shit
– Do the same with your shoes
– Segregate what is left by colour or season

Clean up your finances
– How’s your budget looking?
– Go through your statements and assess your spending vs income
– Create a savings plan, even if it’s only 1% (it’s still better than 0%!)
– Ask for a pay rise (especially if it’s been a while since your last one)
– Find ways that you can improve your earning potential/qualifications
– Photocopy your receipts for tax time
– Create a financial folder will all your accounts, insurances, investments in one place

Clean up your health
– Keep a diary of everything you eat and how much you exercise for seven days
– Make a healthier choice with just one meal a day, for example: start eating breakfast or swap the mid-morning biscuits for a piece of fruit and some greek yoghurt.
– Get outside more, aim to walk at lunchtime a few times per week
– Take every opportunity to move during the day. Your body was made to move and not be stuck in the same position all day, so sit, stand, walk, stretch, and you will feel better each and every day.
– Stock up the fridge with your favourite fruit and vegetables and make sure to eat them every day.

You’ll feel so much better with your business and yourself after a solid spring clean. It’s a lot to do so you can spread the tasks out over a week so not to rush them.

Do you do a spring clean of your life/work/finances/health? Feel free to share your tips and tricks in the comments!