The new normal - things we don't really need.

With Brexit on the horizon and a world-wide pandemic to deal with, many people are already having to deal with a new normal; a new way of doing things and looking at things. I have compiled a short list of things I think we no longer need (or at least need a lot less than we used to.) See what you think...

Barbers

OK you can tell from my profile photo that I'm more Yul Brynner than Russell Brand; but I've been DIY ing for 7 months already.

Exhibitions, Trade Shows and Conferences.

We've had 3 cancelled this year and those scheduled for 2021 are already looking dodgy. Some like Innotrans are undoubtedly worthwhile (it's hard to demonstrate a whole train on a PC screen) but make no mistake, exhibitions and trade shows are organised to make money for the organisers. Anything else is incidental.

Expensive contactless equipment.

Avoid crowds; wash your hands (and everything else) frequently, wear a face-covering - those are the most important things to do.

Some manufacturers are determined to make money from the Covid-19 pandemic by selling expensive "contactless" equipment, and then trying to convince us that we need it. Sure, you can now make a cup of tea without touching the "kettle", but you still touch the door handle, pick up a cup and spoon, still touch the ingredients, get the milk out of the fridge and open the dishwasher afterwards. So what is the point?

Foreign holidays

Yes, we all like to escape and enjoy the sun and the sea. But how about the 4am start? The taxi to the airport? The waiting about and being moved along like cattle? Lumping the heavy suitcases?

Britain is great - if you haven't visited Cornwall, Devon Somerset, Wales, Scotland and all the lovely counties in between, then shame on you!

New company cars

My company car is usually changed every 100,000 miles or so. That used to be about every 3 years (see reps below) - under the new normal that will be about every 5 years. There's no longer a need to change it as frequently.

Offices

Of course we will still need some offices; but the number of people successfully working from home has shown that many of us no longer need that long daily commute in order to be a good effective worker. How much can we save personally, as a business, and as a country if millions of commuter miles a year can be saved?

Reps

And I am one! Some companies task their reps with making 4, 5, 6 or even more calls a day. Why? It's not for the reps' benefit, certainly not for the customers' benefit. Some face-to-face meetings will still be necessary, but the emphasis should be on quality, not quantity. If a phone call or online meeting will be enough, then why visit?

There are so many others.

Some more contentious than others. I would add Costly Coffees, bottled water, football matches - but what do you think?