If you are like a lot of people, you may feel a renewed sense of energy and motivation during the end of summer/back-to-school season.  It’s still hot outside, but fall is coming.

It’s a great time to assess where you are with your business goals for the year, tweak any processes that aren’t working, and create some new habits.

We’ve put together some “Fall Clean Up” tips you can use to give your business a ‘spring clean’ just in time to finish the year strong.

1. Start with your schedule

Do you have a schedule?  Do you use it?  Failing to create a schedule for your day causes lost time, lost money and wasted energy. If you don’t have a game plan for prioritizing and completing tasks, you’ll likely find yourself easily distracted and prone to working on easier, low-priority tasks.

Two or three times a week, take a few minutes to assess what needs to get done and the time you have available, and then create a daily plan to make it happen.  Be intentional about honoring that plan, understanding that you may need to make adjustments when surprises or emergencies come up.

2. Where is your time going?

If you ever get to the end of the day and wonder where all the time went, you will probably benefit from tracking your time for a few days. It’s a simple process – simply keep track of what you do during a normal day and how long you spend on it. You may be surprised at what you learn!  Once you uncover where your time is slipping away, you can be proactive in making changes to your daily habits.

3. Clean your office

Yes, I mean declutter, vacuum, purge the file cabinet and clean the bookshelves.

Most of us instinctively feel better when we’re in a clean and organized environment, but the benefit goes deeper than that.  Neuroscientists at Princeton University found that clutter in our surroundings have a negative effect on how well we focus and process information. When your environment is cluttered, your stress goes up and your productivity goes down.

So go ahead and give your office a fall ‘spring clean.’

4. DIY? Not so fast.

As entrepreneurs, we tend to be big do-it-yourselfers.  But no one is good at everything, and when we try to do it all, we end up not doing anything very well. We also lose money when we spend large amounts of time on low-value tasks that could be delegated.  What tasks can you pass off to an assistant?

5. Update your web properties

Is your online presence current and consistent with your company’s brand and mission? Subtle shifts in your target market and changes in the products and services that you offer often need to be reflected in the copy on your website and social platforms.  This is a good time to do an audit of your web properties and make any needed edits.

Q4 is right around the corner. Use these tips to energize your business and finish the year strong.