The 4 part spring clean that will re-energise and re-motivate you in your business!
Business isn’t always unicorns and rainbows. It’s a lot of hard work. That’s fuel for self-doubt and procrastination to fester, leaving you frustrated that you can’t make this ‘running your own business’ thing work. Well I say - You absolutely flipping can!
YOU can find YOUR way forward so you can achieve everything deep down you know you’re capable of, become the best version of yourself and enjoy a life that fulfils your truest wants and desires.
Like I said, this business thing isn’t easy and can get you stuck in stagnation (or a downward spiral!) Let’s start with bumping up your motivation and tripling your energy levels so you can do the damn thing. How? By spring cleaning your business!
The 4 Part Spring Clean
Spring cleaning can be more than just taking a bag of clothes you no longer wear to the charity shop or cleaning the kitchen cupboards. You can use it as an opportunity to filter out what is holding you back and embrace what drives you forward. I like to do it across 4 areas: physical, mind, digital and time. It covers the main areas of your life and influences on your success as a business owner.
Physical space
This is the first one that comes to mind. Still, it’s undeniably important. Whether you like it or not, your physical space impacts how you feel. It can boost or deplete your energy levels because a cluttered environment full of visual stimuli leads to cognitive overload. There have been Princeton studies on it and everything. You may be particularly sensitive to this if you are neurodivergent. I know I am!
Turn your workspace, however big or small, into a haven for productivity. What kind of environment will help you to do that flipping thing you keep putting off? Maybe there are some distractions that could be relocated or additions that would help you feel even more excited to face the workday. You’re your own boss, embrace that by making your workspace yours.
Mind space
Everything going on in your head can be what feels the most overwhelming about being a business owner. There’s a juggling act between serving clients, maintaining business admin, promoting the business and everything else going on in your life. It’s very hard to perform at your best when you have an overwhelming number of things on your mind. It’s a massive drain on your energy and focus.
What can you let go of? What can you ditch feeling responsible for and therefore stop feeling the need to worry about it? Prioritise what matters to you and say no to what you don’t have the capacity for. That’s allowed! Raise awareness of unhelpful beliefs and negative thought patterns that could be cluttering your mind and delaying your progress.
Use the following journal prompts to identify mind clutter and free up your energy and focus.
What are you currently worrying about that you have no control over? How is worrying about this helping you and your business?
What is causing the biggest amount of overwhelm at the moment? Who can help you with this?
What would you do with the time you'd have if you didn't say "Yes" so much?
Digital space
We spend so much of our time online, especially as small business owners. It makes sense to give your digital space some TLC. This could mean organising admin-y bits like sorting through your folders and files or cleaning out your email inbox so it’s not so time-consuming and headache-inducing to look at. It could also mean reviewing how you interact with others online. Are there some social media accounts that would be best to unfollow because they don’t make you feel great about yourself?
Take a look at your own online presence. This is as good a time as any to review your website, social media profiles and email automations to make sure you’re still happy with them. If you’re not, you could be subconsciously or very consciously avoiding sending people to these key marketing opportunities. It’s a clog in your business growth! There might be something you’ve changed like introducing a new service or maybe you understand your ideal client even better so you can refine the wording you use.
Time
Ah, time, the thing we never have enough of! How are you actually using it? I challenge you to track how you use your time during the work day. It will surprise you!
You might realise that a certain client task is taking you a lot longer than you thought which isn’t reflected in your pricing. You might notice a massive time leech that prevents you from being as productive as you could be. How could you make that activity more efficient? You could research digital tools or just outsource it. There might be things you want to make time for. I love a good positive habit. See if you can rejig your routines and find a place for it.
One productivity-boosting strategy you may want to experiment with is having meeting-free days. Research shows that one meeting-free day a week boosts productivity by 35%, two meeting-free days boosts productivity by 71% and three meeting-free days boosts productivity by 73%. That’s scientific validation to own your time. After all, it is completely up to you how you use it.
Your Spring Clean Accountability Buddies
The process of letting in and letting go is one we often ignore and procrastinate on. As humans, we like what’s familiar to us and fear change. We don’t want to look at never mind deal with the hard stuff. The funny thing is that’s what is going to help to make meaningful and sustainable progress.
So if you like the idea of doing a 4 part spring clean but know yourself well enough to admit that you will struggle to follow through with it on your own, I have the answer. Join a group of like-minded women in business who know they are capable of more and are on a journey to figure out how to unlock their full potential. That’s the community we foster inside the Find Your Vibe Business Club.
During March, we’ll be spring cleaning out businesses together. We’ll explore what to let go of and what to let in across all 4 areas through daily journal prompts and guided workshops and then get it done through weekly accountability sessions and daily coworking calls. Join the Find Your Vibe Business Club if you'd like a safe space, supportive community and business coach as you go through this spring cleaning process for your business. Sign up ASAP so you don’t miss the monthly topic kick-off in March.
