6 ms·

I used to have three "spaces": work, home, and a non-work place (exercise club in my case). Now I have one, home. It was fine for awhile, but I'm finding I real

by akeck 6y ago

I used to have three "spaces": work, home, and a non-work place (exercise club in my case). Now I have one, home. It was fine for awhile, but I'm finding I really need the three spaces back.

at_a_remove 6y ago
Being a "third space" was a core component of Starbucks' strategy. Now their locales have most, if not all, of the chairs removed and it will be interesting to see if people will migrate back. I will confess that I set aside a particular afternoon a week to read in a corner of my local Starbucks, just as a way to get out of the house.
- x87678r 6y ago
  This is one thing I hate about starbucks, so many laptops it feels like being in an office.
- brokenmachine 6y ago
  Are there no parks or green space anywhere near you? Personally I'd much rather be outside than in a loud cafe. I might even get the chance to see a tree or hear a bird.
  - at_a_remove 6y ago
    I have a photosensitivity disorder, so while those places do exist, inhabiting them during the day would cause pain and permanent skin damage.
topkai22 6y ago
I find it very interesting how different people deal with this aspect of life. I've been WFH for 5 years now and mostly work out at home, and I'm fine with it. The exception is when the kids are home all day, which makes WFH a lot harder, but that is not a "space" issue, its a personnel issue :) What do you think drives your need for separate spaces? I'm lucky enough to have a SFH in the suburbs, so I can move around within my house a lot, so maybe that is part of why I find it fine (although my wife hates working from home still.)
- ehnto 6y ago
  Do you ever feel a need to leave the house? Prior to the pandemic, what would typically get you out of the house and did you enjoy it? I ask because while I am perfectly comfortable at home, there is an underlying drive to get outside and engage with the world that doesn't go away. I'm curious if some people have it and some people don't, hence why some are more comfortable with certain parts of working from home. I have been working from home for two years now, and off and on prior to that, it's always been a goal of mine, and I knew I would need to build in tools to cater for that part of me when I did go full time.
  - topkai22 6y ago
    I'm less driven to leave the house that many, including my wife. That being said, I have small and smallish children and they drag me out a fair amount, I do enjoy hiking/walking/running at least once a week, and I'm engaged with various communities around town. Perhaps I just have many 2nd spaces to pop into. I do wonder if clear delineations helps- when my kids are home (or during distance learning, when they know I'm SUPPOSED to be done with work), I'm done with work, pretty much whether I like it or not, and for a long time I had dedicated home office space; that has been taken over by said distance learning children.

by akeck 6y ago

I used to have three "spaces": work, home, and a non-work place (exercise club in my case). Now I have one, home. It was fine for awhile, but I'm finding I really need the three spaces back.

at_a_remove 6y ago

Being a "third space" was a core component of Starbucks' strategy. Now their locales have most, if not all, of the chairs removed and it will be interesting to see if people will migrate back. I will confess that I set aside a particular afternoon a week to read in a corner of my local Starbucks, just as a way to get out of the house.

x87678r 6y ago
This is one thing I hate about starbucks, so many laptops it feels like being in an office.
brokenmachine 6y ago
Are there no parks or green space anywhere near you? Personally I'd much rather be outside than in a loud cafe. I might even get the chance to see a tree or hear a bird.
- at_a_remove 6y ago
  I have a photosensitivity disorder, so while those places do exist, inhabiting them during the day would cause pain and permanent skin damage.

topkai22 6y ago

I find it very interesting how different people deal with this aspect of life. I've been WFH for 5 years now and mostly work out at home, and I'm fine with it. The exception is when the kids are home all day, which makes WFH a lot harder, but that is not a "space" issue, its a personnel issue :) What do you think drives your need for separate spaces? I'm lucky enough to have a SFH in the suburbs, so I can move around within my house a lot, so maybe that is part of why I find it fine (although my wife hates working from home still.)

ehnto 6y ago
Do you ever feel a need to leave the house? Prior to the pandemic, what would typically get you out of the house and did you enjoy it? I ask because while I am perfectly comfortable at home, there is an underlying drive to get outside and engage with the world that doesn't go away. I'm curious if some people have it and some people don't, hence why some are more comfortable with certain parts of working from home. I have been working from home for two years now, and off and on prior to that, it's always been a goal of mine, and I knew I would need to build in tools to cater for that part of me when I did go full time.
- topkai22 6y ago
  I'm less driven to leave the house that many, including my wife. That being said, I have small and smallish children and they drag me out a fair amount, I do enjoy hiking/walking/running at least once a week, and I'm engaged with various communities around town. Perhaps I just have many 2nd spaces to pop into. I do wonder if clear delineations helps- when my kids are home (or during distance learning, when they know I'm SUPPOSED to be done with work), I'm done with work, pretty much whether I like it or not, and for a long time I had dedicated home office space; that has been taken over by said distance learning children.