There’s no denying it: Marie Kondo’s Netflix hit “Tidying Up” has entirely taken the world by storm. And as a result, no closet, bookshelf, or memory box is safe from the organization consultant’s simple tips for decluttering. Our very own Matthew May even got whipped up into the craze, spending a weekend getting to the bottom of the shelves in his garage (who needs three leaf blowers anyway?).

Which got us thinking: Are your books bringing you joy?

For the very same reasons that Kondo advises we declutter our lives, we should also declutter our books. As per her rules, our essentials should be visible, accessible, and easy to get and then put back. But the great thing is, it doesn’t just have to be about your t-shirts. It can easily be about the accounting practices that keep your business on the right track.

Here are three really great reasons to consider taking your “tidy up” from your closet to your books.

Top-notch organization makes your data visible.

Hate digging through your finances once a year for taxes? Or even once a month to find out where to put that travel receipt? We get it — it can be awful if you haven’t been keeping up with your books. But organization during tax time is non-negotiable: You need to make financial decisions, and they need to be as informed as they can be so that you can maximize your deductions and arrive at the best possible tax scenario. By organizing, you make it easy to get to the information you need and to see it whenever you need it.

You can take better next steps with accessible information.

The biggest perk of being able to see your information is the effect it has on your next steps: When things are straight-forward, you can access what you need to make the best steps and move your business forward. With clean books, you can see where things worked, where they didn’t work, and what you need to improve — all by looking at your process and seeing how it affects your bottom line. Maybe certain products (or channels) are difficult for you, or perhaps unexpected expenses came up that you need to consider when it comes to budgeting for next year. Regardless, when things are clean, you can use the insights the data delivers to be more productive for next year.

Once you’re clean, staying on track is a cinch.

Understanding what is impacting your business is the single most significant reason to clean-up, but seeing your decisions fall into place time and time again will be the reason you stay on track. It’s easily the best pay-off of all — whether you’re doing the bookkeeping or considering hiring a virtual bookkeeper. Plus, you’ll be better at decision-making and know which projects to pursue, which obligations to consider, and which processes to tweak.

With clean books, there’s no need for a deep dive: Everything you need will be visible. And even though it’s extra important when tax season rolls around, any time during the year is a good time to get cleaned up. If you’re feeling behind, we’d be happy to help you make heads or tails of invoices, incomplete data, or even payroll. As an add-on to our bookkeeping services, clean-up is a great place to begin better accounting practices and get started on the right track.

We have a saying here at Acuity: There’s not a single book on the face of this earth that is too messy for us. So if you’re looking for help with “Kondo-ing” your accounting, we’d be happy to help you get started.