Second Cup: Work side by side
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Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeart Radio. Good morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's tip is that if you want more connection in your life, but also need to get your work done, you could try working side by side with a friend or favorite colleague. You will log time together and you just might make each other more productive. Today's tip comes from an interview I did recently with Anna Goldfarb, author of the book Modern Friendship. During our conversation, Anna mentioned that she and a writer friend worked side by side at a cafe once a week for seven years. They logged a lot of time together. It turns out that consistency is one of the essential elements of friendship.
When you see each other regularly, as Anna and her writer friend did, you create conditions for intimacy to grow. Anna points out that an additional secret of their success was that their get-togethers had a clear about or purpose. They both knew that they were there to write. I think this is great, and as a bonus, these get-togethers may have eased the isolation that freelancers and remote workers sometimes feel. So if you are looking for more connection, and you have the flexibility to work where you want to at least some of the time, you might also benefit from working side by side. This could work in a variety of ways. If you work remotely, one option is to occasionally work side-by-side with a colleague who lives in your area.
Maybe every Monday afternoon you could meet up with her at a coffee shop and work side-by-side. Of course, if you and she need to meet about anything, you could do that while you are together, too. If you are a freelancer or remote worker without colleagues nearby, you could work side-by-side with a friend who is also a remote worker or freelancer. As Anna and her friends showed, it can be enjoyable and productive to work side by side, even if you're working on different things. While you are working side by side, you will likely spend a little time chatting, just as you would chat with the person in the cubicle next to yours if you worked in an office. If you want time for deeper conversation, you could talk during your lunch break or stay for a while after your workday ends.
As for where to work with a friend, a coffee shop or somewhere like Panera is probably the easiest option. But you could also work at one of your homes, perhaps alternating between them. Your dining room table one week, her kitchen counter the next. The library is another possibility. Some libraries even have rooms you can reserve so you can chat rather than needing to be silent the entire time. Now, I brought up working side by side as a way to build a relationship while getting your work done.
What is the quick tip for combining connection and productivity?
But you may find that working near a friend actually increases your productivity. If anyone in your life has ADHD, you may have heard of body doubling. A person with ADHD works in the presence of another person who is also working. When you are near someone who is calmly getting their work done, it creates a model for how you can get your work done too. When you work side by side, you and your friends serve as each other's body doubles and offer a model of focus and productivity. In other words, if working at home leaves you frequently distracted, maybe a little co-working is what you need. Work side by side with a friend and you will know that it is work time. And you will log the hours that will make you even better friends in the future.
In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening. And here's to making the most of our time.
Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach me at laura at lauravandercam.com.
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