Mala McAlpin Thanks to the recent Netflix hit series, Marie Kondo has been receiving quite the renown for her expertise in organisation and ‘de-cluttering’, particularly during our current ‘new year, new me’ state of mind.
Her unique method of categorisation and only retaining items that ‘spark joy’ has inspired people in droves to re-think the way they operate, both at home and in business. In the spirit of Marie Kondo and in celebration of those attempting to restructure their ways for the better, we’re sharing some of our top tips for refining, de-cluttering and re-organising your business.
- If you know you have multiple, or very large, organisational or administrative tasks to get through, set aside dedicated time or even a day or two (how ever long it takes!) to get it done. Having tasks spill across days and staff members on duty can become confusing and discouraging for all involved.
- Remember to delegate – enlist members of your team to help take on certain tasks that you know you won’t get done all by yourself. Be realistic when it comes to assessing the length of time each job requires.
- In typical Marie Kondo style, ask yourself ‘Does this item spark joy?’ – not in the immediate sense, but ask yourself if it aligns with your ultimate business goals and your branding?
- Cleanse your client card records. If physical, alphabetise (by first name or surname, but don’t get them confused!) and store those from the last 12 months on site. Store them by month, so each time a month passes, the oldest of the 12 months folder can be taken home.
- When cleansing cupboards, discard items you wish to throw away before you begin sorting items – such as alphabetising documents. Create a ‘to do next’ pile as you go, otherwise you may soon be consumed by half-complete tasks!
- If/when implementing new organisational rules and methods, host a demonstration session with your staff to ensure each one knows exactly how to follow your new system/s.
- Go through your stores of skincare, bodycare, haircare, etc. and consolidate too many open bottles of the same stock.
- Ditch any perished or almost-used stock – you know the ones, where the cream or gel is so low in quantity it requires a tongue depressor to remove any from the bottle!
- Digitalise your receipts. Photograph any you have stored away, back them up in an online folder, and immediately toss. This also applies to physical invoices for contractors.
- Go through your client database and rid it of any duplicate client entries. This may be a long and arduous task, but well worth it!
- Do the same for your stock/retail categories, deleting any that you no longer have on the retail floor.
- Go through your counter drawers and organise them top to bottom. Throw away any empty pens, old mints, floating post-its, or used up notepads. Add some drawer organisers for extra neatness.
- Go through all of your computer files and delete documents, programs and images you no longer need.
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