You know that feeling you get after making your bed, fluffing your pillows, and smoothing out the covers so that everything looks totally pristine and beautiful?

You stand back and admire your Instagram-worthy bed and you’re like, “Yup. I’m basically the greatest. I’ve seriously got it together.”

It takes like 5 minutes to make your bed—but it upgrades the entire room! It’s amazing! So tidy! So inviting! So delightful!

Now, let’s take that “sprucing” energy and… apply it towards your business!

Here are 7 fun ways to tidy up your business and give your customers some extra love before the end of the year.

None of these ideas require very much time or money—and most of them require just slightly more effort than making your bed. Totally doable, even if you’re already super busy. You can do most of these things while binge-watching Netflix or listening to your fave podcast at the same time. Once you’re done, you’ll feel so good, knowing that you’re wrapping up the year on a strong, organized note. So profesh!

STEP #1 – SEND YOUR FANS SOME LOVE

Nothing says “I appreciate you!” like an old-school handwritten note. Snail mail is so rare and unexpected these days—it really makes an impact! Before the end of this year, send a personal “thank you” note to 5 of your biggest fans.

You could send a note to your 5 bestest clients of the year, or 5 customers who have rocked your world, or 5 people who have supported your work since the very beginning. Got more than 5 people that you want to thank? Keep going!

If writing really isn’t your “thing,” then record a quick “Thank you! Love you forever!” video with your iPhone or record a little audio voice-note and send that instead. Whatever medium you prefer—go for it!

This is such a simple way to make your clients, customers, and supporters feel oh-so appreciated.

#2 – DO A 10-MINUTE WEBSITE REVIEW

Head to your website. Pretend that you’re a brand new website visitor—someone who has never visited your online world before.

Click around really quickly. Check out the main pages. You don’t need to read everything super-super closely—just “skim” the text like an actual customer would.

Do you notice anything that’s totally out of date—like an old workshop description from 2 years ago? Anything that’s broken—like a page with a 404 “not found” error?

Make a list of 3-5 “uh oh!” things that you could easily fix up.

Again: this isn’t about doing a meticulous, fine-toothed-combing of your entire website. If you want to do that at some point, go for it! But this is just a quick 10-minute review. You’re just looking for anything that’s glaringly “off” or woefully out of date.

Fix those things. Then breathe easy, knowing that the “big stuff” has been taken care of!

#3 – DO A 5-MINUTE NEWSLETTER REVIEW

Sign up for your own email newsletter. (You might need to unsubscribe first if you’re already subscribed.)

After signing up, what happens? Do you receive a “welcome” auto-responder email? What does it say? Is anything out of date or inaccurate? Do you have any new goodies (like a free workbook or a new podcast series) that you could mention in that “welcome” email? If so: add it! Freshen things up!

It takes literally 5 minutes (or less) to test your newsletter sign up process, but it’s so important to do this periodically. Lots of entrepreneurs set up their newsletters and then totally forget about them. Years roll by, and meanwhile, new subscribers are receiving “welcome” notes that are totally outdated and janky. Don’t let that happen to you. 😉

#4 – MAKE YOUR BIZ-MAZING LIST

What are the most AMAZING things that have happened for you, professionally, over the past 12 months or so?

Make a list of anything you can remember. Big moments. Victories. Achievements. Happy experiences with clients. Creative projects that you started and/or completed.

Things like:

— Serving your 100th client
— Releasing your first e-book
— Receiving your first piece of fan mail
— Earning a new professional certification
— Getting invited to be a guest on a cool podcast
— Helping multiple clients to land their dream jobs
— Putting the finishing touches on your new program
— Getting to meet your #1 business-hero and getting invited to speak at her conference
— Etc.

Post your BIZ-MAZING LIST on your blog, or add the list to the ABOUT page of your website. Encourage your clients and customers to acknowledge and celebrate THEIR awesomeness, too!

Lots of people feel shy (or even ashamed) to talk about their achievements, and that’s really unfortunate. The world would be a much better place for everyone if we all celebrated our hard work—proudly and publicly!

Plus: this is a great way to give your website visitors a quick glance at everything you’ve been up to recently, including different ways to hire you and purchase your work!

#5 – MAKE YOUR “BEST OF” LIST

Think fast:

What are the BEST things you’ve created this year?

Make a list of 5 (or more) things that pop into your mind.

Then write a special blog post or newsletter for your business community and say, “Here’s the BEST OF my work for 2016.”

Include links to your fave blog posts, podcast episodes, interviews, e-books, videos, pieces of advice, tools, art projects, collaborations, programs—anything you want to draw attention to.

This is a great way to “recycle” old content that you’re really proud of—and make it feel fresh and new again!

#6 – MAKE YOUR WORKSPACE PRETTY AND SPARKLY

When your workspace is Pinterest-level beautiful, it makes everything better!

Spray off your desk with organic cleaning spray. Power off your computer completely, then wipe it down and clean the Ritz cracker crumbs out of your keypad. (LOL! No shame…)

Dump everything out of your desk drawers. Toss out old papers, broken paperclips, and anything you definitely don’t need.

Buy some fresh flowers or a gorgeous candle—or maybe a new piece of artwork to hang above your desk!

When your workspace is tidy and beautiful, you feel happier, ideas flow more quickly, and working feels like a guilty pleasure instead of a horrible burden. It’s a gift for yourself and for your clients and customers, too! When you’re really enjoying your day, and enjoying your work, it shows. The peeps in your business audience can feel it. 🙂

#7 – SEND A FEW THINGS INTO RETIREMENT

Take a few minutes to think about all of the various things you do, and offer, through your business right now.

Ask yourself, “What could I gently put into ‘retirement’? What could I remove from my website, from my shop, or from my weekly to-do list?”

Maybe it’s time to retire that e-course you created… five years ago. The one filled with links that are totally out of date, or lessons that just don’t excite you anymore.

Or maybe it’s time to retire that monthly webinar series. The one you totally hate recording and only do because you think you “have” to. The one that fills you with resentment every time.

Make a list of products, services, events, commitments, and projects—anything that feels out of date, out of sync, tired, stale, or just not particularly fun anymore. Clear ‘em out of your business and your life! Byeee!

If you want, you could throw a “retirement party” for a few of your older projects—give pieces away to your audience for free, as a special surprise gift, or find some other way to recycle the materials for “one last hurrah!” before they disappear.

It feels sooo good to “clear the decks” like this. It’s one of the simplest ways to re-energize your business.

I do this type of “decluttering” at least once a year, and it always leaves me feeling refreshed and excited to work on new projects that really light me up.

Out with the old. In with the new. Onward and upward!

Happy sprucing and sparkling!

xo.