17 ways to Marie Kondo your business

Ever since Marie Kondo’s documentary series hit Netflix, it feels like everyone around me is busy Marie Kondo-ing everything in their lives. Once you’re done Marie Kondo-ing your wardrobe, your kitchen and your social calendar, here are a bunch of things to declutter in your business.

How to Marie Kondo your business

 

 

It might not be Spring just yet, but that doesn't mean you can't take some time out to spring clean your business. Here are 17 ways you can Marie Kondo your business… Remember: If it doesn't spark joy, you need to fix it.

How to Marie Kondo your business branding

1. Ensure your colours, fonts and logo are consistent across all touchpoints 

I feel like I’ve talked enough about brand consistency already, so I won’t nag you again – but it’s SO important that your brand visuals are consistent across all of your business touchpoints. 

The easiest way to ensure this is to do an audit of every brand touchpoint and check that it’s all consistent. Yes, you will end up with a huge list of brand touchpoints to update, but it will feel SO oo when you tidy it all up.

Never underestimate the power of consistency in how your brand shows up.

2. Is your tone of voice consistent across all brand touchpoints?

Just like your logo, and brand colours and fonts, it’s super important that your brand tone of voice is consistent across all touchpoints too.

This one is a bit trickier, as it’s not quite as black and white as your brand’s visual appearance, but it can help to write an outline explaining how your brand does and doesn’t talk. For example, what words it does and doesn’t use. Does it use emojis? Slang? Swear words? 

Having this all documented makes it much easier when you go to outsource any writing work in the future, as your copywriter can simply pick up the outline and work with it.

3. Does your branding feel “right” or is it time for a refresh?

Only you really know whether your brand feels “right” – that is, whether it reflects how you want your business to show up. Whether it resonates with your ideal customer or client. 

If something feels a bit off, it might be time to invest in a rebrand or a brand refresh. Or maybe you just need to tighten it up and work on your brand consistency. 

How to Marie Kondo your business admin

4. Have you unsubscribed from all non-business-related newsletters that you get delivered to your business email address?

I can’t be the only one who is guilty of signing up to a newsletter, losing my $10 discount code and then having to sign up again with a different email address – usually my business email address! I don’t do this often, but the emails start building up and then suddenly it’s like “Woahhh! I can’t find my business-related emails amongst this sea of shoe sales.” 

Set aside 20 minutes to go through and unsubscribe from the emails you don’t need. It’s a nice feeling when you open your inbox and only see actual, important emails in there.

5. Have you set up a labelling or folder system to keep your inbox organised?

Keeping all your emails in your inbox is great until you need to find something important. Create a labelling or folder system that works for YOU – not one that works for someone else, but one that works for you. Otherwise, you won’t stick to it. 

(A Gmail extension that I love for keeping on top of my emails is Boomerang – and it's free!)

6. Have you created canned emails for the emails you send frequently? 

Gmail has this beautiful feature called Canned Emails, which allows you to save a templated email so that you can quickly insert it again in the future. 

Think of common customer enquiries or other emails that you’re simply sick of typing over and over again. Add them to your canned emails once, and you’re sorted.

(Just don’t forget to add the recipient’s name when you send the email. It’s a little awkward when you forget, or use the wrong name!) 

7. Have you got any tasks on your to-do list you keep procrastinating? Either do them or delete them.

You know those tasks that you’re like, “Yep, one day I’ll do that task. Maybe tomorrow but definitely not today.” 

Well, You have two options: Do the task or delete it. Don’t keep putting it off indefinitely.

Do it right now, or delete it forever.  

8. Are there any annoying notifications you could switch off on your computer or your phone?

You know those annoying notifications that you clear every day, but you never actually pay attention to? 

Switch them off. They’re not doing your productivity any favours. 

9. Have you decluttered your desk and made it somewhere you’re excited to spend time at? 

Maybe this is just me, but I actually feel stressed and distracted when I sit down at a messy desk. It might feel like you're procrastinating, but it’s amazing how much better you feel after 5 minutes of solid tidying. 

 

How to Marie Kondo your marketing

10. Have you sent a re-engagement email to subscribers who haven’t opened an email in a while?

Over time, your email list will start to become cluttered with people who, for whatever reason, are no longer interested in your emails, but who haven’t got around to clicking unsubscribe. Or, people change email addresses. Or, they've filtered you into their newsletter folder. 

You end up with a lot of people on your email list who aren’t providing any value – they’re not even opening your emails, let alone buying from you. You’re paying for the extra subscribers in your email marketing platform, and there’s really no point paying for people who aren’t interested in your emails. 

So, send your email list a re-engagement email. Let them know you’re going to delete them if they don’t take action. 

(You might also like this blog post: What to send to your email subscribers).

11. Are you following anyone on social media that doesn’t bring you joy? Unfollow them or hide them from your feed.

Whether this is an influencer who makes you feel inferior or your Aunt Marge whose political rants drive you nuts… Anyone whose posts make you feel inferior, anxious, annoyed or any other negative feelings – they’ve gotta go.

Replace them with accounts that do bring you joy or inspire you. I did this last year and it felt amazing. I could log into Instagram and know that whatever popped up in my feed was from people whose content I wanted to see. 

 

How to Marie Kondo your website

12. Have you checked for any broken links (404s) and re-directed them to the correct page?

If you Google “404 checker”, you’ll find a ton of free websites that will check for any broken links on your website. 

Why? Because there’s nothing more frustrating for a website visitor than not being able to find what they’re looking for. So make sure you fix any broken links. 

13. Have you replaced any dated images on your website or other touchpoints?

If the images on your website don’t reflect the current version of your brand, it might be time to replace them. Or, maybe you’ve changed your hair colour since you last had professional photos done, in which case it might be time to book in a new photoshoot. 

14. Do you have any pages that are no longer in use? Delete them.

But make sure you redirect them somewhere appropriate first! 

 

How to Marie Kondo your business finances

15. Are you currently paying for any apps that you don’t use or need?

I’m the worst at this. I was paying over $700 USD each month for one app that I’d been meaning to migrate away from, but I simply hadn’t got around to it. Last month, I finally bit the bullet and it took me about 5 solid days of work to migrate everything across to my new one, but I’m paying less than half what I was before. 

Do a quick audit of every app that you’re paying for each month. Write it all out and tally it up – you’ll be surprised at how quickly it all adds up.

16. Do you have a system for keeping your invoices and receipts organised?

There are a ton of apps you can download that will allow you to photograph your receipts and invoices, so you can bin them, rather than keeping them floating around your purse for months and eventually losing them. 

(Freshbooks has a built-in receipt scanner app that allows you to do this!)

17. Do you have a system to automatically follow up clients who haven’t paid?

If you’re only chasing up clients for payment when you need the cash, you really need to look at getting a system in place to follow them up for payment. It’s one less thing on your to-do list!

Yes – Freshbooks lets you do this too.

 

Pin this: How to Marie Kondo your business