Congratulations to those that have made it through week one of our 90 Day Company Cleanse. We hope it wasn’t too difficult throwing away all those old recipes. Now that there is no longer a daunting pile of papers covering your desk we can start week two. 

Create A Positive Workspace: This week were going to focus on creating some positive energy for you and your business. Just as it was important to alter the physical environment around you it is just as important to alter the energy that surrounds you. We know sometimes things may feel like they are headed in a downward spiral, but we are here to pull you out and give you some tips that will give you enough positive momentum to set you back on the path to success.

1. Change Your Mentality,  Get rid of all self doubt and negative thinking. Stop and consider what negative thoughts you have about yourself or your business. How are those thoughts helping you to succeed? Instead of dwelling on the negative think of all the positive things that surround you. Sometimes the biggest thing standing in the way of your success is yourself! This article from Huffington Post that addresses just that:  8 Signs That Your Are Standing In Your Way And What To Do
2. Positive Affirmations, we just love positive affirmations around here. We can attest they create a positive energy that is contagious and will brighten just about anyone’s day. Tell yourself hundreds of positive affirmations everyday. If you are feeling worried or fearful about something use an affirmation to counter those fears. Perhaps you have a meeting you are just dreading, by simply repeat to yourself, “I love meetings. Meetings are my favorite. I can’t wait to meet with so and so today” your entire outlook will change. After repeating three or four times we are sure you will truly believe it and perhaps feel less anxious. Do this with any situation and your confidence will soar in no time at all.
3. Set Goals, Write out your goals as a business for the year and work to implement them. There is no point in being more confident if you don’t use your confidence to actively work toward accomplishing your goals. Use the positive energy you have created with your new mentality to reach goals that improve the quality of your life and business.
4. Change The Energy In Your Work Space, get rid of things that maybe causing negativity in your workspace such as negative people or employees with bad attitudes, broken items such as desks or printers, and throw away that dead plant in your office (we don’t think its coming back). By taking away things that are creating negative energy you are making room for positive energy to grow.  You will be surprised with difference it makes by doing these simple things, even your employees will notice a change they can quite put their finger on.
5. Inspire Your Employees by adding positive imagery, quotes or affirmations in your work space. Give them recognition, show them that they are appreciated with awards or special incentives. Something as easy as acknowledging their accomplishments can go along way. When your employees see the confidence you have in them they will be inspired to accomplish anything!
6. Take A Day Off, even when it seems impossible. Sometimes you need to take a step back from the situation to get a clearer picture of whats really going on. Separate yourself from work on your day off, that way when you can truly relax and refresh yourself.
7. Repeat! Maybe once a month or once a week, repeat whenever you feel the need to get back on track. Some months you may need it more that others.

George Bernard Shaw Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything via photopin (license)

Laboratory5 Inc. is a small business based in Tempe, Arizona

Visit our website: Laboratory5       Follow us on Twitter: @lab5     Become a fan on Facebook: Laboratory5
Contact Us at anytime – we’d love to hear from you

Does your small business feel out of sorts? We definitely were feeling a little overwhelmed here at Laboratory 5. Since tax season is right around the corner we thought why not give the company a good cleanse. Join us on this revitalizing journey with your own small business. Follow us as we lead you to a healthier, more efficient, and productive work environment. So while we sip our pineapple and kale smoothies, lets get 2015 started off right with our 90 Day Company Cleanse.

Stay Organized:

How do you stay organized as a small business? We know its tough, and while we always have the best intentions to start each new year better off than the last, the task of keeping paperwork cataloged in a neat and convent fashion always seems to escape us. Well its time to brush off your box of receipts from 2014 and a follow these seven tips to a better organized business.

1. Make time to organize your work. The first and most important step is making time to organize your work. Create a schedule or calendar that includes this time. It could be daily, weekly or even monthly just be sure to set aside an appropriate amount of time to organize and stick to it!
2. Throw away old papers and receipts. We know its hard to let go of those receipts from 2008 but were pretty sure you know longer need them. Not only do they take up space they can also add to the clutter in your workspace. If you still feel hesitant on getting rid of it invest in a document scanner for your business. Not only will you have more space in your office all your old documents will be stored forever on your laptop.
3. Color Code everything. Once your paperwork starts looking a little more organized get creative and assign colors to different categories. Be creative and make sure you label everything. If your business keeps a lot of paper work use colored binders or folders to stay organized. You can also assign different colors to different clients. A color coded system is also helpful when creating schedule. Have a different color for each area of your life. An example could be green for work, yellow for personal, and red for priority.
4. Organize your digital work space. Spend one day this week sorting files and deleting old documents on your desktop. Once your desktop is cleared create a folder called “To Organize Later ” so that you can put documents and pictures that need to be sorted in a place until you have the time to organize them next week. Clean out your inbox as well, delete or file your emails and keep your inbox up to date and current. Its is much easier finding older emails once they have been sorted into folders. Don’t forget to back up your hard drive!
5. Designate Work Zones. Have designated areas for your laptops, paperwork, and any other work you might have. It will be easier to keep each area organized and not feel so overwhelmed when its time to clean. It can also be a bit overwhelming if your digital workspace is covered with paperwork.
6. Reward yourself. Now that things may be looking better, keep them that way by picking up some desk organizers. Check out some of these fun office supplies: 30 Silly Office Supplies
7. Repeat! Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly whatever it takes to stay on track. The time you invest to get yourself organized will be worth it every time.

Laboratory5 Inc. is a small business based in Tempe, Arizona

Visit our website: Laboratory5       Follow us on Twitter: @lab5     Become a fan on Facebook: Laboratory5
Contact Us at anytime – we’d love to hear from you