Recently, I was chatting with another home-business, work-from-home person and she confessed that she had a closet full of antiquated office supplies–paper, and old fax machine, a computer printer that takes that old paper with the holes along the side–we’re talking old, out-dated, and never going to be used again stuff. I am all for thrift and careful consideration of resources and expense when it comes to business operations–but it is time to let that old stuff go!
The fact is–even office supplies can become too old. You may not know it, but paper absorbs moisture and can become unusable or at least less usable. Old labels definitely become brittle and lose their “stickiness,” and tape and pens don’t last forever either–and if you are holding on to machinery that you can no longer get ink cartridges or parts for–there is no reason to be hanging on. These things are actually a liability to your business. They are taking up storage space and by recycling, donating, or selling the stuff–you’ll free up not only space, but energy and “flow” that could go into energizing your home business. Not to mention, old machines can be leaking toxins into your work space or home and should be disposed of properly instead of being kept around for “some day.”
I fully believe that we can weight ourselves down with too much “stuff” and this goes for our home businesses too. If you have boxes of old supplies that you will never use, or that have already been replaced two or three times over, you are not running your business efficiently. Get rid of it! You might actually be surprised at how much space you create, or how much leaner you feel in your business operations once you let all that old stuff that you are not using (nor are you going to use it) go. It is time…let go…
Also: Unfinished Tasks Equal Stress
Why Home Businesses Are Good for the Environment
Forget the Internet, I Love the Post-It Note