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Mike: This is tiny improvements.

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I'm Mike by Foco.

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I live in a fast growing city
in the Southeast us where.

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Urban design and city planning
are always a hot topic.

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As population density has increased.

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It's become apparent that Charlotte
needs to make drastic and sweeping

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changes to accommodate the growing
number of people living in the area.

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Naturally, this means I'm also
reading heaps about urban planning.

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Which is where I first heard
the term third place being used.

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The third place is a term
coined by sociologist Ray.

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Oldenberg referring to places where
people spend time between home their

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first place and work their second place.

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Third place have traditionally been
where people go to socialize to relax

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and to be a part of their community.

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You've probably seen them in
urban areas in the form of a town

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square Piazza or public park.

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There might also be a subway station,
uh, heavily trafficked intersection

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or a kiosk on a street corner.

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These spaces are important for people
to feel like they belong and have

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purpose beyond just home and work.

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It gives space for one to decompress and
find entertainment to find reprieve from

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the pressures of work and home life.

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Simply put the third space is a place
where you're not expected to work or look

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after your household and family chores.

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It's an important part of
life in finding balance.

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Each and every one of us will have
our own personal third spaces.

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Spending time regularly in your third
space can provide balance and tranquility,

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social interaction and serendipity.

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Notably for people living
in suburban places.

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The third place might
be completely missing.

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Folks, commuting from the suburbs
will skip third places as they

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drive straight to and from work.

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This phenomenon is particularly common
amongst Americans where it's typical

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to drive to work rather than walking,
cycling, or taking public transit.

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As you might imagine, this means that
people living like this don't experience

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the benefits of a third place in the
same way than an on foot commuter might.

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This is particularly harmful for
people who might need a third place.

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The most.

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Those with demanding jobs, parents
with young children and so on.

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For people living in cities, the
third place is often more accessible.

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City dwellers are more likely to
live in smaller apartments, which

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encourages them to get out more often.

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City dwellers are also more likely to
use public transit or walk to work, which

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gives them time to socialize or relax
on their way to, and from their job.

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The third place is also an
important part of city life.

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And it's one of the things that makes
cities such great places to live.

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People who work remotely may
find themselves one degree

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further away from a third place.

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Living and working in the same place
can create a life with only one place.

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Blurring the lines between the
home space and the workspace.

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This makes finding the benefits of a
third place, even more challenging.

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The past several years of post
pandemic living have been extremely

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challenging for all of us.

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And for many adapting to remote
work has had a steep learning curve.

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I have found that in order to
work remotely and live well.

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I've needed to make a concerted
effort to build a life that

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intentionally includes second and
third places that fit into my routines.

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If you're looking for a third place.

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There are a few things you can do
to find one that's right for you.

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The first step is to find
a place that suits you.

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If you're an introvert, you
might want a third place.

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That's quiet and relaxing.

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If you're an extrovert, you
might want a third place.

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That's lively and social.

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There are third places
for all kinds of people.

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So it's important to find
one that's right for you.

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One way to find a third place
that suits you is to explore.

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Wonder around your neighborhood and
see what kind of places are there.

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Visit a shop or a park you've never
been to, or take a class at a new gym.

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If you see a place that looks
interesting, go in and check it out.

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You might find a third place that
you never would've thought of.

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Otherwise.

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For each of us, the third
place will be a unique choice.

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It might be your favorite coffee, shop
your backyard, a beach, a hiking trail

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or something completely different.

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What's important here is that the
third space is literally anything

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other than where you do your home
things and your office things.

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If you work from home,
this has to work for you.

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Find something that makes you feel good.

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Energized empowered and different
for me, this has taken many forms.

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The first of which is co-working spaces.

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Co-working is obviously
near and dear to my heart.

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Since once I built a company
around a co-working product.

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These are great because they supplant
your typical work community with

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like-minded co-located people who
don't have the same problems as you.

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You can complain to them or unplug
completely from work and just hang out.

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In my experience, people are
far more likely to have a Eureka

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moment at a co-working space than
in the stuffy hallways of your

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typical cube, farm or open office.

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Serendipity is a happy byproduct of
interacting with people who don't

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have the same colleagues as you.

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Their problems and their joys are
different and they can share their

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perspective on your world just
as you can do the same for them.

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I really do enjoy cafes as another option.

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I have great gear for
making coffee at home yet.

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I still spend plenty of time at cafes.

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This is because for me, there's
a change in mindset in a cafe.

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I know I typically have one to two
hours of comfortable time at any given

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coffee shop and I can hammer through
some really great work during this span.

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It also requires transit and transition
time on either side of it where I can

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clear my mind and give myself a break.

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Go out and see nature
on my walk or ride or.

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drive over to the coffee shop.

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This has a multiplicative
effect on my productivity.

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Small doses of repose are really amazing.

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Many times I'll use the
outdoors as my third space.

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Going for a long walk in the morning of
one to two hours while listening to a

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podcast can set my energy for the day.

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When I know I've got calls and meetings
and deadlines all day, it helps me

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to feel like I haven't burned the
entire day behind my computer screen.

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This can also take the form of a run or a
bike ride or whatever you do for exercise.

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Turning your mind off of
work is really a booster.

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At the end of the day, you still
have to get things done, but doing

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so with a mindful eye on balance
can keep you healthier and happier.

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There are also times when I know
I'll be on a super long call of 30

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minutes or more where I just need
to listen to the people on the call.

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Going for a walk during these calls,
even in super hot or super cold weather

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is often a guarantee that I'll pay
better attention to the content of the

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call than if I'm left to poke around
in my browser on Twitter or Reddit.

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I have several regular one-on-ones
with teammates where this is

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the expectation and the norm.

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Even though we're not in the same place.

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We pop in our earbuds and go
for a walk at the same time.

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Just talking together, like a
normal old phone call instead of

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performing in front of a webcam
for the sake of business normality.

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Generally speaking, I've been
really happy as a remote worker

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for a long time by creating a
series of third places for myself.

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If you're new to working remotely and
you're having a difficult time being

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productive, this may provide some relief.

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It's also a great way to meet new
people and to find a sense of community.

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If you live in a city,
there's a good chance.

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You already have a third place.

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If you live in a suburb.

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You probably have to work a
little harder to find one.

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Either way, it's important to find a
third place that suits you and to make

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it a habit to spend some time there.

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This has been tiny improvements.

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I'm mike by foco