This is tiny improvements. I'm Mike by Foco. I live in a fast growing city in the Southeast us where. Urban design and city planning are always a hot topic. As population density has increased. It's become apparent that Charlotte needs to make drastic and sweeping changes to accommodate the growing number of people living in the area. Naturally, this means I'm also reading heaps about urban planning. Which is where I first heard the term third place being used.
The third place is a term coined by sociologist Ray. Oldenberg referring to places where people spend time between home their first place and work their second place. Third place have traditionally been where people go to socialize to relax and to be a part of their community. You've probably seen them in urban areas in the form of a town square Piazza or public park. There might also be a subway station, uh, heavily trafficked intersection or a kiosk on a street corner.
These spaces are important for people to feel like they belong and have purpose beyond just home and work. It gives space for one to decompress and find entertainment to find reprieve from the pressures of work and home life. Simply put the third space is a place where you're not expected to work or look after your household and family chores. It's an important part of life in finding balance. Each and every one of us will have our own personal third spaces.
Spending time regularly in your third space can provide balance and tranquility, social interaction and serendipity. Notably for people living in suburban places. The third place might be completely missing. Folks, commuting from the suburbs will skip third places as they drive straight to and from work. This phenomenon is particularly common amongst Americans where it's typical to drive to work rather than walking, cycling, or taking public transit.
As you might imagine, this means that people living like this don't experience the benefits of a third place in the same way than an on foot commuter might. This is particularly harmful for people who might need a third place. The most. Those with demanding jobs, parents with young children and so on. For people living in cities, the third place is often more accessible. City dwellers are more likely to live in smaller apartments, which encourages them to get out more often.
City dwellers are also more likely to use public transit or walk to work, which gives them time to socialize or relax on their way to, and from their job. The third place is also an important part of city life. And it's one of the things that makes cities such great places to live. People who work remotely may find themselves one degree further away from a third place. Living and working in the same place can create a life with only one place.
Blurring the lines between the home space and the workspace. This makes finding the benefits of a third place, even more challenging. The past several years of post pandemic living have been extremely challenging for all of us. And for many adapting to remote work has had a steep learning curve. I have found that in order to work remotely and live well. I've needed to make a concerted effort to build a life that intentionally includes second and third places that fit into my routines.
If you're looking for a third place. There are a few things you can do to find one that's right for you. The first step is to find a place that suits you. If you're an introvert, you might want a third place. That's quiet and relaxing. If you're an extrovert, you might want a third place. That's lively and social. There are third places for all kinds of people. So it's important to find one that's right for you. One way to find a third place that suits you is to explore.
Wonder around your neighborhood and see what kind of places are there. Visit a shop or a park you've never been to, or take a class at a new gym. If you see a place that looks interesting, go in and check it out. You might find a third place that you never would've thought of. Otherwise. For each of us, the third place will be a unique choice. It might be your favorite coffee, shop your backyard, a beach, a hiking trail or something completely different.
What's important here is that the third space is literally anything other than where you do your home things and your office things. If you work from home, this has to work for you. Find something that makes you feel good. Energized empowered and different for me, this has taken many forms. The first of which is co-working spaces. Co-working is obviously near and dear to my heart. Since once I built a company around a co-working product.
These are great because they supplant your typical work community with like-minded co-located people who don't have the same problems as you. You can complain to them or unplug completely from work and just hang out. In my experience, people are far more likely to have a Eureka moment at a co-working space than in the stuffy hallways of your typical cube, farm or open office. Serendipity is a happy byproduct of interacting with people who don't have the same colleagues as you.
Their problems and their joys are different and they can share their perspective on your world just as you can do the same for them. I really do enjoy cafes as another option. I have great gear for making coffee at home yet. I still spend plenty of time at cafes. This is because for me, there's a change in mindset in a cafe. I know I typically have one to two hours of comfortable time at any given coffee shop and I can hammer through some really great work during this span.
It also requires transit and transition time on either side of it where I can clear my mind and give myself a break. Go out and see nature on my walk or ride or. drive over to the coffee shop. This has a multiplicative effect on my productivity. Small doses of repose are really amazing. Many times I'll use the outdoors as my third space. Going for a long walk in the morning of one to two hours while listening to a podcast can set my energy for the day.
When I know I've got calls and meetings and deadlines all day, it helps me to feel like I haven't burned the entire day behind my computer screen. This can also take the form of a run or a bike ride or whatever you do for exercise. Turning your mind off of work is really a booster. At the end of the day, you still have to get things done, but doing so with a mindful eye on balance can keep you healthier and happier.
There are also times when I know I'll be on a super long call of 30 minutes or more where I just need to listen to the people on the call. Going for a walk during these calls, even in super hot or super cold weather is often a guarantee that I'll pay better attention to the content of the call than if I'm left to poke around in my browser on Twitter or Reddit. I have several regular one-on-ones with teammates where this is the expectation and the norm. Even though we're not in the same place.
We pop in our earbuds and go for a walk at the same time. Just talking together, like a normal old phone call instead of performing in front of a webcam for the sake of business normality. Generally speaking, I've been really happy as a remote worker for a long time by creating a series of third places for myself. If you're new to working remotely and you're having a difficult time being productive, this may provide some relief.
It's also a great way to meet new people and to find a sense of community. If you live in a city, there's a good chance. You already have a third place. If you live in a suburb. You probably have to work a little harder to find one. Either way, it's important to find a third place that suits you and to make it a habit to spend some time there. This has been tiny improvements. I'm mike by foco