The new financial year can bring with it a lot of pleasure. It can be the precursor for new opportunities, new challenges and new borders to be conquered. It’s enough to make any entrepreneur dizzy with excitement at the thought of what lies ahead.

But….before you get too carried away with grandiose ambitions and heady goals, start the year off on the right foot with a more boring and tedious task. Clean up your office and in particular your desk – that special place where you do most of the work.

Here are Eight points to focus on;
• Dump that pile of printed-out news stories you were always going to read along with…those old magazines – if you haven’t read them by now, you most probably never will.
• Gather those files languishing in a top heavy pile on your desk where they belong – in the filing cabinet – that’s what it’s there for. Keep only those files you really do need to have at a moment’s notice.
• Clear out your inbox. This is my Achilles heel and I have to make a concerted effort to ensure that it doesn’t become excessively cluttered.
• Organise your computer desktop so that your time spent at the computer is more efficient.
• Get everything off the floor other than the furniture.
• Place those reference books or professional development books where they belong – in the bookcase.
• Clear a space so people can visit you and have a spot to sit comfortably.
• Clean the office from top to bottom – scrub hard if need be.

I make a point of doing this at last twice a year i.e. at the beginning ofJanuary and the New Financial year and I always love the result. Clearing away the clutter that is so easily manifested makes a huge difference. It’s like this cleaning and re-orgsnising of the workplace breathes new air into the lungs of an office space. It’s literally a breath of fresh air so….get it done today, you won’t know yourself. Give it a go!!