Ah, spring. It brings warmer temperatures (eventually!), fresh breezes, and new life. At this time every year, we naturally find ourselves cleaning and tidying our homes. But it’s also the perfect time to do a clean sweep across your business admin.
Many admin tasks can benefit from a spring clean, with the result being an uncluttered mind.
Diary. Is your diary in disarray, with too many meetings? Are you short on time for planning, invoicing, or eating lunch every day? Step back and consider which appointments you can delay or delegate. Then, consider grouping related meetings or tasks together, like having catch-ups with your direct reports one day each week. And let’s not forget – it’s so important that you add time for the strategic work at the heart of your business.
Email. It’s easy to miss important business opportunities if they’re buried in a sea of unread email. Can you categorise items – for example, placing them in folders for emails to read, to file, or to action? Automated email rules might be useful as well – for example, all emails from a certain sender can be automatically filed in a designated folder. Take time to unsubscribe from news and other mailing lists that you no longer need to reduce inbox clutter.
Documents and filing. Is your shared drive working for your team? Can everyone easily find what they need? For example, some businesses organise files by project or client, while others file by date. Some businesses like detailed, nested file folders, while others keep the filing system “flat” and encourage staff use keyword searches or tags to find what they need. It’s also important to get everyone on your team to actually use the filing system – so key documents can easily be found and aren’t saved on someone’s desktop. Have a chat to your team and make sure the system works well for everyone.
Preparing for the silly season. The holidays will be here in a flash. It’s a great time to plan annual leave – so everyone can take some much deserved time off. Anticipating cash flow across the holiday period is also important – will your business be in a lull, or will it be booming? Smart Santas also use the spring season to start organising holiday gifts.
If you need a breath of fresh air added to your work life and help with a spring clean, get in touch with us today.
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