WEBVTT - Second Cup: Work side by side

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,

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<v Speaker 1>This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>tip is that if you want more connection in your

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<v Speaker 1>life but also need to get your work done, you

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<v Speaker 1>could try working side by side with a friend or

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<v Speaker 1>favorite colleague. You will log time together and you just

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<v Speaker 1>might make each other more productive. Today's tip comes from

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<v Speaker 1>an interview I did recently with Anna Goldfarb, author of

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<v Speaker 1>the book Modern Friendship. During our conversation, Anna mentioned that

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<v Speaker 1>she and a writer friend worked side by side at

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<v Speaker 1>a cafe once a week for seven years. They logged

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<v Speaker 1>a lot of time together. It turns out that consistency

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<v Speaker 1>is one of the elements of friendship. When you see

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<v Speaker 1>each other regularly, as Anna and her writer friend, did,

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<v Speaker 1>you create conditions for intimacy to grow. Anna points out

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<v Speaker 1>that an additional secret of their success was that their

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<v Speaker 1>get togethers had a clear about or purpose. They both

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<v Speaker 1>knew that they were there to write. I think this

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<v Speaker 1>is great and as a bonus, these get togethers may

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<v Speaker 1>have eased the isolation that freelancers and remote workers sometimes feel.

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<v Speaker 1>So if you are looking for more connection and you

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<v Speaker 1>have the flexibility to work where you want to at

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<v Speaker 1>least some of the time. You might also benefit from

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<v Speaker 1>working side by side. This could work in a variety

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<v Speaker 1>of ways. If you work remotely, one option is to

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<v Speaker 1>occasionally work side by side with a colleague who lives

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<v Speaker 1>in your area. Maybe every Monday afternoon, you could meet

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<v Speaker 1>up with her at a coffee shop and work side

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<v Speaker 1>by side. Of course, if you and she need to

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<v Speaker 1>meet about anything, you could do that while you are

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<v Speaker 1>together too. If you are a freelancer or remote worker

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<v Speaker 1>without colleagues nearby, you could work side by side with

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<v Speaker 1>a friend who is also a remote worker or a freelancer.

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<v Speaker 1>As Anna and her friends showed, it can be enjoyable

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<v Speaker 1>and productive to work side by side, even if you're

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<v Speaker 1>working on different things. While you are working side by side,

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<v Speaker 1>you will likely spend a little time chatting, just as

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<v Speaker 1>you would chat with the person in the cubicle next

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<v Speaker 1>to yours if you worked in an office. If you

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<v Speaker 1>want time for deeper conversation, you could talk during your

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<v Speaker 1>lunch break or stay for a while after your work

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<v Speaker 1>day ends. As for where to work with a friend,

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<v Speaker 1>a coffee shop or somewhere like Panera is probably the

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<v Speaker 1>easiest option, but You could also work at one of

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<v Speaker 1>your homes, perhaps alternating between them. Your dining room table

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<v Speaker 1>one week, her kitchen counter the next. The library is

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<v Speaker 1>another possibility. Some libraries even have rooms you can reserve

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<v Speaker 1>so you can chat rather than needing to be silent

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<v Speaker 1>the entire time. Now, I brought up working side by

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<v Speaker 1>side as a way to build a relationship while getting

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<v Speaker 1>your work done, but you may find that working near

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<v Speaker 1>a friend actually increases your productivity. If anyone in your

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<v Speaker 1>life has ADHD. You may have heard of body doubling.

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<v Speaker 1>A person with ADHD works in the presence of another

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<v Speaker 1>person who is also working. When you are near someone

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<v Speaker 1>who is calmly getting their work done, it creates a

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<v Speaker 1>model for how you can get your work done too.

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<v Speaker 1>When you work side by side, you and your friends

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<v Speaker 1>serve as each other's body doubles and offer a model

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<v Speaker 1>of focus and productivity. In other words, of working out

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<v Speaker 1>at home leaves you frequently distracted. Maybe a little coworking

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<v Speaker 1>is what you need. Work side by side with a

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<v Speaker 1>friend and you will know that it is work time,

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<v Speaker 1>and you will log the hours that will make you

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<v Speaker 1>even better friends in the future. In the meantime, this

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<v Speaker 1>is Laura, thanks for listening, and here's to making the

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<v Speaker 1>most of our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast.

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<v Speaker 1>If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach

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<v Speaker 1>me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia,

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<v Speaker 1>please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you

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<v Speaker 1>listen to your favorite shows.