You work from home, and life is sweet. You sleep until you feel like waking up. You go to work in your PJ pants (or no pants, whatever, we don’t judge). And the commute from your bedroom to your home office is totally pleasant — never any traffic.
The only problem? You don’t know how to people anymore.
Working from home is a social experience by necessity. You send emails, you Facetime, you communicate with a remote team to get the job done.
But it also means there’s no water cooler talk, no BS — you get into your inbox, and you get out. No break room birthday parties. No after-office happy hour with coworkers you’ve learned to gracefully tolerate.
Oh, the things we miss.
But seriously, sometimes you just need to scratch that itch and have a conversation that doesn’t involve a keyboard or customer. Here are a few great ways (read: excuses) to get out of the house and be around the human race, even when you don’t have to be.
Try a Co-Working Space
Feeling cut off from the rest of mankind? You’re not alone.
That’s why digital entrepreneurs and remote employees get together in what’s called a co-working space: a shared office where you can get into a quiet, productive space — just add laptop.
These spaces typically charge a membership fee and have their own rules about usage, but they’re a great way to get space from the kids (if you have any) to work or just meet new people facing similar days at the office.
Go Work in a Cafe (Even If You Don’t Have To)
No co-working spaces in your area? The cafe was the original co-working space.
Get together with a few friends and enjoy the java and wifi, or go solo and enjoy the ambience chaos of cappuccino and cold brew. Yea, you’ll want some headphones that filter out background noise if you have any calls scheduled — I’ve yet to actually set foot in a quiet cafe.
Start or Join a Local Networking Group
The great thing about working remotely is that we all have pretty much the same problem: that tug of war between wanting our independence yet wanting to be around people.
Local business networking groups are more than just business card swaps, they’re opportunities to connect with other business owners and entrepreneurs in your area. Go to a few get togethers, sit through the usual meeting spiel, then troll for buddies during the post-meeting shuffle.
Parents: Set Up Play-to-Work Dates
Being a parent is isolating enough, but being a work-from-home parent?
Goodbye world, I’ll be in my office. Covered in baby drool. Taking notes.
It’s a challenging road, but thankfully, one that you’re in good company on. You don’t have to fork over the big bucks for childcare to make it work, just make some friends that are in a similar situation. Use each other for play-to-work dates and take turns working while one of you watches the kids.
Then release them on the husbands and consume wine. Repeat.
Have Virtual Coffee Dates
Sometimes you meet the coolest people online, and sometimes they live too far away to meet with in person — it’s just the reality of the era we’re living in. Don’t let that stimmy your social ambitions, just go virtual!
Virtual coffee dates are a great way to build those baby steps of a new friendship that evolve into booking flights for in-person visits, so enjoy them! Share business, ideas, passions, but don’t let distance keep you from knowing incredible people.
Join a Mastermind
If your business is more than you’re willing to shut up about, even when the day’s over, it might be time to join a mastermind. Masterminds are groups of highly motivated people that are striving towards similar goals, whether financial, business, or personal.
Get together with like-minded doers and be selective about who you invite in. When set up right, these groups not only become great social opportunities, but literally have the power to change your life. If you’re the average of the people you spend the most time with, make those people extraordinary.
Get Outside of Your Comfort Zone
The bottom line is that it takes real effort to socialize when you work from home. Organic scenarios for making new friends are simply harder to come by. Be more proactive, and before you have time to freak out about it, walk up to someone you don’t know and strike up a conversation.
How have you overcome the isolation that comes from working from home?
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