Introducing Minimalism into Your Retail Space: NJ Pros Share Tips
Minimalism seems like an interesting concept, but what is it exactly? From the website Becoming Minimalist: “It is marked by clarity, purpose, and intentionality. At its core, minimalism is the intentional promotion of the things we most value and the removal of everything that distracts us from it. It is a life that forces intentionality.”
The concept of minimalism can be boiled down to one word: less. It’s about owning less items, but the idea extends to a lot more spaces. We have a lot in our lives that we don’t need – whether it’s information, stress, to-do list items, or furniture. So now, let’s take a look at the various benefits a minimalist approach to life can offer you.
Benefits of minimalism
Did you think minimalism was only an aesthetic trend? Many people do, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. It offers a range of benefits – many of which are rather surprising.
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Better health
We mentioned stress and to-do list items earlier, and this is where they come in. Minimalism isn’t just about your material possessions; it can be applied to just about any aspect of your life. If you want to introduce the concept to your retail space in NJ, make sure your employees fully understand what it means.
We expect way too much of ourselves. We overload our to-do lists, we take on too many responsibilities, we overbook ourselves. The result is disappointment, disorganization and stress. Minimalism will help you keep your to-do list simple, and that’ll help you work your way to the root of the problem. As a result, you’ll have better mental health, less stress, and more free time.
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Increased productivity
From Inc.com: “Minimalism in all aspects of office design isn’t just an aesthetic choice–it’s a business one. A lack of clutter drives productivity, making every task your employees perform a little simpler and easier. Simplifying the user experience for everyone means eradicating bureaucracy, doing away with clunky organizational structures, and creating an effective, more attractive workplace.”
Whether it’s by trimming down your to-do list or by tidying up the office furniture, minimalism will help you increase your productivity manifold. Visual clutter is a huge distraction (and a major cause of stress), and by moving to a simpler, more minimalistic design you’ll eliminate that problem.
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Breaking out of the loop
This is a personal benefit, but it will change the way you work. No Sidebar says: “If you really spent some time thinking about it, I bet you would be shocked to think of how many physical possessions you own, desire to own, or work hard to own what you don’t even want—all to impress someone at your office, or even in your family.”
Is your retail space in NJ designed as per your needs, or is it designed to impress? There’s nothing wrong with wanting to make a good impression – after all, a professional office will attract more business – but the downside of this is that people push themselves so hard to earn more money to buy things they don’t need. In other words, you don’t need all those possessions to make an impression. Minimalism has broken age-old trends, and less is indeed more now.
Introducing minimalism into your retail space in NJ
Here are some tips for introducing minimalism into your life, and office.
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Change processes if needed
From minimalism blog The Tiny Life: “The most dangerous words in business (and life) are, “That’s the way it’s always been done.” This mentality prevents us from growing, improving and changing; companies and employees that can’t change, improve and shift are the first to lose their jobs or go out of business.”
Much like customs, a lot of processes that we follow aren’t strictly needed. They had a purpose once, but over time they became a habit. If you’re spending ten minutes every day doing something that doesn’t serve a definitive purpose (and add to your productivity), you should give it some thought. Don’t hesitate to change how things are done – especially not in your own office. Change is both necessary and good.
The author from The Tiny Life shares their experience: “I discovered nearly half the work the previous person was doing wasn’t needed. I effectively cut the time required for the position in half. Later, I reduced the scope even further, all by asking questions, assuming nothing and doing a bit of digging.”
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Go paperless
We discussed this in detail in our last blog, but we feel it’s important enough to repeat. Our last blog focused on efficiency and environmental preservation, but in this one we’ll look at digitization from a different angle. How can going paperless help you make your retail space in NJ minimalistic?
“Paper is the number one way our desks become cluttered. Luckily more and more offices are going paperless, making workspace organization easier than ever. To tackle your paper pile, start by looking at the paper on your desk. Ask yourself why each document is there in the first place. Remember to question everything!”
Set aside some time every day to go through the paperwork. An hour every day will not only make you feel more productive and prevent burnout, but it’ll also encourage you, because this is a process where you should see results quickly. The Tiny Life shares some tips:
As you review your paper pile, you’ll find most documents fall into one of several categories. Sort them into each:
- Paper that’s old and needs to be tossed
- Paperwork that’s completed and needs to be filed
- Papers waiting for action by others to complete
- Paper waiting for you to complete
Once you have the papers sorted into neat little files, you can tackle them day by day doing whatever needs to be done. Then get a good scanner and turn your printed documents into PDFs.
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Do you need to do everything personally?
One trick which can help you save lots of time at your retail space in NJ is automation. If you need to do something over and over every day, in all likelihood you can automate it. Automation will help you save time and cut back on distractions.
From The Tiny Life: “Automation may mean creating a macro in a spreadsheet; using a software function called autocomplete to type common phrases faster; setting up templates to copy and paste into common tasks, or creating forms that you use to make the work go faster.”
Other than that, you can eliminate tasks that don’t need to be done at all (see our first point), and outsource a few others. This will help you ensure you aren’t overworking yourself, and that the work is evenly distributed according to everyone’s capabilities. If your secretary can handle queries, why should you, as the business owner, waste valuable time on them?
The Tiny Life says on the subject of outsourcing: “Many people freak out over this concept because they fear they’re working themselves out of a job. I’ve found the opposite to be true: in most cases, I was freed up to take on new, interesting projects which look great on performance reviews, I can do a better job with less on my plate and focus on the task at hand.”
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Manage your time better
Minimalism is about streamlining operations, minimizing stress, and making everything simpler. What can be more important in this scenario than efficient time management? It’s something every working person needs to do, but sadly, a lot of people don’t know how. One tool that will help you get on track (and go paperless) is Google Calendar. It’s accessible everywhere, and you can use it on your phone or computer. Use it to plan your day and create a to-do list.
Whether you use Google Calendar or a different app (or even a plain old notebook), remember to schedule time for each of your tasks throughout the day. Include tasks like lunch, meetings, rest, and research. It doesn’t have to be work-related to be on your calendar – the goal here is to have your day planned out in advance.
Try to leave a little time free, because contingencies can and do arise. The biggest one is the fact that we often overestimate our abilities (or expect too much from ourselves), and end up loading way too much onto our daily schedule. Not only will you not get it all done, but you’ll also need some time to relax and de-stress. Be easy on yourself, observe trends, and adapt. If you find you aren’t very productive after lunch, for example, don’t schedule too many items for that time period.
Finding the perfect retail space in NJ
Whether you’re adopting minimalist practices for increased peace, clarity, or for its aesthetic, the very first step is to get the ideal office space. If you work in a doddering old building downtown with barely enough space for your employees, implementing minimalist practices won’t help you very much.
To give your business a boost and to get the right atmosphere at your office space, get in touch with Blau & Berg. The Blau & Berg Company, headquartered in Short Hills, New Jersey, provides clients with a complete range of commercial real estate services, including site selection, acquisitions, dispositions, leasing, tenant representation, portfolio sales, asset repositioning, and property & construction consulting.
