By Alycia Morales @AlyciaMorales

This month, we’re going to talk about spring cleaning our office space (both digital and physical). But before we do that, let’s enjoy a few quotes about spring cleaning and decluttering life:

From time to time, one must release the grime built up inside them

to free their emotions like the ocean.

 – Suzy Kassem

When’s the last time you freed your emotions and allowed the Lord to clean up the grime you’ve been hoarding inside your heart? Psalm 139:23-24 says, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.” When we trust God with all of the things we carry in our heart—even our anxieties—we allow Him to lead us in His way, which is everlasting.

What I know for sure is that when you declutter, whether it’s in your home, your head, or your heart, it is astounding what will flow into that space that will enrich

you, your life, and your family.

– Peter Walsh

I would like to add that what flows into that space would also enrich your writing and speaking ministry. Don’t forget Proverbs 16:3: “Commit your works to the Lord, And your thoughts will be established.”

Your home is living space, not storage space. – Francine Jay

Ask yourself, what is taking up space in my life that is preventing me from fully and abundantly living my life in Christ? Matthew 6:19-20 reminds us not to store up earthly treasures that thieves can break in and steal, but to store up heavenly treasures that moths cannot destroy and thieves cannot break in and steal. Get rid of the things you are storing up that get in the way of your relationships. And stop overworking yourself for the finances to afford those things that you will never take with you. Instead, spend that time with those you love or serving others who Christ has called you to serve.

Okay, let’s move into tips for cleaning out our office space, both in the digital world and the physical world.

Your Physical Office:

I have had to “move” my office space around my home these past few years, depending on which adult child needed a place to flop for any amount of time. Which means my office space has been cleaned out a few times. Here’s what I’ve discovered while loading laundry baskets and bins full of items to move up and down stairs from room to room:

• I don’t use half of what I have. If you don’t use what you are keeping, it’s time to get rid of it. There’s no need for that thing to continue taking up space (and the time it takes you to move it or clean around it) in your life. If it’s only valuable to you, throw it away. If it could be valuable or collectible to someone else, take a few photos and/or a video of it and post it for sale on Facebook Marketplace or eBay.

• Paper takes up too much space. Use your printer/scanner/copier to scan old notes or handouts from classes or the angst poetry you wrote in high school into your computer and save them digitally. (I may or may not currently have a laundry basket full of these that I am slowly but surely scanning or typing into my computer and backing up in Dropbox.) It’s okay to have all the notebooks and binders and journals filled with your life’s lessons and what God has spoken to you over the years. But if you’re drowning in paper, it’s also okay to save these digitally and toss the paper.

• I don’t have to keep every single book I’ve ever bought or been given … even if the author signed it (GASP!) or I haven’t read it yet. If you’re a book dragon hoarding all the books, I get you. However, if you find your shelf and floor space are running out, it’s okay to thin out the books. Some go for pretty pennies on eBay. Your local high school or community library would be grateful to have your books. Last year, I sold one book on eBay for $60 and donated a couple of boxes of books to a grateful high school librarian when I cleaned out my office. Go ahead, make room for more reading!

• Organizing physical objects helps me sort out my brain. This is something I recently realized. I probably spend more time organizing my home or my computer, sorting items, and cleaning than I do actually working. This also applies to my planner, where I spend more time planning than actually doing. This may sound like I’m a professional time waster, but I realized this week that as I do those things, I actually sort out my emotions, my thoughts, my work, my relationships, my life … So, when you spring clean your office closet, declutter not only your closet, but your brain as well. Allow the physical process of sorting to help with the mental process of sorting.

Your Digital Office:

By digital office, I mean your computer.

Let’s start with a recommendation: If you don’t already have a cloud service and an external hard drive where you can back up everything you create, it’s time to get these.

I cannot tell you how many times I’ve regretted not having my pictures backed up and lost years of photos of my kids, our trips, my family members, writers conferences, and so much more because my computer’s hard drive crashed before I could finish downloading them to something external. Did you know it costs over a thousand dollars per hard drive for someone to attempt to retrieve your treasured files, if they can even do so? Not to mention the pricelessness of those photos I now no longer have.

I personally use Dropbox (and pay for it) so that I have access to an online cloud to store my digital files. I also have multiple external hard drives (and older CDs and thumb drives) where I back up my photos and writing files. It is recommended (at least by me) to have your files backed up in three places: on your computer, in a cloud, and on something external in case the cloud ever goes away.

Now, let’s talk about organizing and spring cleaning out your files:

Taxes and financial files:

It’s recommended that you save your tax files for anywhere between 3 to 10 years, depending on who you talk to. The IRS recommends keeping tax returns and supporting documents for 3 years, unless you “file a claim for a loss from worthless securities or bad debt deduction.” Then it’s 7 years. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce recommends keeping all banking and investment documentation for at least 7 years. I, personally, keep all these records for 7 years. Whether digitally or physically.

Organizing files:

I have folders for everything, everywhere.

Start by thinking big picture: You have a home, family, business, and you (yes, you!).

Then, think one level smaller: In your home, you have finances, budgets, and bills to pay; home repairs; home purchases; meal plans; gardening and lawn care; chores, etc. In your family, you have you, your spouse, your kids, your pets, and anyone else you care for. In your business, you have finances; departments; plans; tasks, etc.

Next, think small picture, which would look like this:

• Home: Finances: Bill Pay: Mortgage, Insurance, Electric, Water, Heat/Air, etc.
• Home: Repairs: Roof, Furnace/Air, Bathroom Remodel, etc.
• Home: Purchases: Furniture, Lawnmower, etc.
• Family: Spouse’s Name: Spouse’s Files (Vic sends me stuff to “hold” for him all the time!), Medical, Job (I use the company we work for as my file title), Resume, Prophetic Words, etc.
• Family: Child’s Name: School, College, Medical, Resume, Taxes, Keepsakes, Prophetic Words, etc. (depending on ages of your children)
• Family: Pets: (Individual Pets’ Names): (Inside Each Pet’s File) Medical/Veterinary, Keepsakes, etc.
• Business: My Writing: Individual Types of Writing Folder Title (i.e. Articles, Blog Posts, Fiction Books, Nonfiction Books, etc.): Individual Project Folder Title (i.e. Title of Book, who I’m writing for (like BRMWC Blog or Magazine Name), etc.): File Name, v.1 OR File Name_Edits by Name_v.1 (increasing numbers per draft)
• Business: Social Media: Year: Month: Individual File Names leading with date (i.e. Jan 1 Happy New Year)
• Business: Finances: Taxes: Year: Income, Expenses, or Mileage: Document Name and Year
• Your Name (Remember the YOU file I mentioned above?): Encouragement: Things others have sent you that have encouraged you
• Your Name: Planning: What you’re planning (i.e. party, wedding, etc.): Finances, Locations, etc.: Individual folder for each of the previous

I also have a very important folder system for my photographs:

• My Photos: Family: Individual or Couple Names (i.e. Victor, Me, Kids’ Names, Mom and Dad, Johnson Family (extended), Morales Family (extended): Events, School Years, Baby, Toddler, Childhood, Teen, Young Adult, Graduation, Wedding, etc.
• My Photography: Topic (i.e. Landscape, People, Flowers, Animals, etc.): Breakdown of Topic (i.e. Beach, Mountain, Elderly, Teens, Roses, Wildflowers, Wild Animals, Zoo Animals, etc.): One More Breakdown of Topic (i.e. Myrtle Beach, Catskill Mountains, Couples, Boys, Confederate Roses, Cone Flowers, Deer, Pandas, etc.)

When it comes to my business files, I tend to break these down per business type. For example:

• My Businesses: My Writing: (see above for more detail on this)
• My Businesses: Freelance: Client Name: Project Name: Original Documents, Edited Documents, Contracts, etc.: Individual Files Titled with Version Numbers
• My Businesses: Coaching: Client Name: Project Name: etc.
• My Businesses: Online Courses: Course Name: Videos, Documents, Final Course to Upload, Handouts, etc.)

If you haven’t worked with a client within the past year to three years, save these files to a hard drive and delete them from your computer. You may keep them in your cloud (if you have the space) but select the option in your cloud service to store them only online. This way, you can always go back to the files if necessary, but they aren’t cluttering your “office” space.

I tend to keep all of my writing readily accessible, since most is evergreen and can be used multiple ways across multiple platforms. Always be aware of your rights before reusing your published writing, of course. And if you are okay with removing it from your computer and/or cloud, be sure to back it up on a physical hard drive, thumb drive, or other device.

I recommend cleaning out your computer files at least once per year. Reorganize as needed.

Next month, we’ll take a look at cleaning up our writing life. If you have questions about spring cleaning your writing business, feel free to let us know in the comments. We’d love to hear from you!

Read Part 1 Here

Alycia Morales is a freelance editor and writer. Her work has been featured in numerous magazines and several compilation books. Thanks to her mad editing skills, her clients have won multiple awards in several national contests. In addition, she’s the prior Conference Assistant for the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference. Alycia is currently working on a nonfiction project while characters are running around in her mind waiting to be released into children’s books and novels. Surviving the Year of Firsts: A Mom’s Guide to Grieving Child Loss released on September 17, 2024.

When she isn’t busy writing, editing, and reading, Alycia enjoys spending time with her husband taking hikes in the Blue Ridge Mountains of the Carolinas or running off to the beach with friends. She loves coffee, sweet tea, crafting, and watching crime shows.

Alycia can be found at alyciawmorales.com. She hangs out on Facebook and Instagram.