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Are you attracted to the minimalist lifestyle? Want to start but don’t know where to begin? Perhaps you are about to launch a new business and you wonder how a “less is more” mindset holds up as a business model?
If any of these questions strike a chord, then read on. Here are ways the pursuit of minimalism can help you in your business life.
Declutter your sphere.
Minimalism is a mindset, but that mindset is most often translated into actions. When your space is cluttered with non-essentials, the result is living and working in a non-streamlined space. You may find yourself taking more time than necessary to complete tasks because of this.
Kickstart your minimalist lifestyle by decluttering all the items in your universe. Donate those unused items to charity or get cash for junk cars. You will feel lighter at the end of the day and readier to take on what’s up ahead.
Focus on the important.
Do you often find yourself fiddling with busy work because you don’t want to tackle an important project? Take a minimalist approach and ask yourself what is the one task that you absolutely must complete by the end of the day. Do that thing first. You might even be able to get away with not doing the time-filler work. By eliminating the non-essential things, you can get more done.
Offer only the best.
Offering a multitude of services might be a nice bonus, but sometimes, this array of services can be a time and money drain. You may want to ask yourself: What is the one main reason customers come to me and not to my competitors? Focus on honing that aspect to where it can stand on its own, without needing the prop of additional hype or service to gain new clients or ring up more sales. The old adage rings true in business: Do one thing and do it well.
Do only what you can do.
Are you a micro-manager? Do you feel that you are the only person in the world who can fill out a form in the correct way? Stated like this, it sounds silly. Yet many small business owners and entrepreneurs fall prey to this mindset. However, if you have hired a team to help you, allow them to earn their paychecks. If you don’t have a team, consider getting one so you can outsource the nonessentials. This should free you up to focus on the heart and core of moving your business forward.
Re-evaluate priorities.
Often, where business and minimalism diverge is in how both fields view success. Businesses see growth in profits as their measure of success. Whereas, minimalism evaluates whether one has “enough.” This thinking might be hard to swallow for those entrenched in the corporate world. But it might be good to evaluate whether “more” for you will truly equal more of the things that you want in life. Aspects such as happiness and quality of life have been shown to taper off after a certain income threshold. So pursuing money for an investment in happiness makes sense only to a certain point.
In fact, trying to achieve more in business could hurt your health or relationships. Ask yourself how much business success is enough for happiness, retirement, and the fulfillment of your goals. Pursue enduring success and realize that success metrics are not rigid.
At first glance, it might seem that minimalism and the pursuit of less stuff can’t possibly overlap with one’s business pursuits. You might be tempted to think that you can keep to your minimalist ways at home, but at work it’s a different story. You’ll be happy to hear that the minimalist lifestyle’s key tenets are those of striving for simplicity over complexity. And this way of thinking can benefit you—no matter the sphere of life.