I’ve been crashing with my parents these past couple of days (no I’m not moving in with them @JK), and I have noticed a positive change in my average mood throughout the day. We don’t spend much of the day together until dinner, but we will briefly chat/hang in passing during “work hours”. I think these casual interactions have been a major source of my improved mood (or it could simply be my return to the nest…).
Just a week ago, my typical NYC social life would, at best, consist of meeting someone for coffee and then meeting other people for dinner that night (I worked from home). One important distinction is that these social events required both planning and large time commitments, plus I wasn’t usually interested in going out for dinner Mon – Thurs.
Anyways….what am I trying to say? I think frequent, casual, in-person interaction is crucial for (my) “happiness”, and I think my lack of it was a contributor to many long days spent alone in my NYC studio.
Am I arguing for working in an office? Not necessarily. I think an office environment absolutely solves this problem, but I don’t think it is the only solution (not to mention I still think remote, asynchronous work is probably the optimal structure for most companies). Some solutions:
- Working from home if you have roommates/sig other doing the same thing – I have fond memories of wfh with JK during the first couple of COVID months
- Working from a co-working space – I haven’t done this but assume that many spaces have a welcoming, social vibe where one can easily alternate between focused work and chatting by the water cooler
- Working from an office
This turned into a bit of a ramble, but I hadn’t recognized the importance of these casual, in-person interactions and now understand that spending time in environments that promote them is crucial.
Noah's (Life) Ark 