WEBVTT - The New Corner Office: Never eat lunch alone

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<v Speaker 1>Good morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the New Corner Office,

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<v Speaker 1>the podcast where we share strategies for thriving in the

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<v Speaker 1>new world of work where their location and hours are

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<v Speaker 1>more flexible than in the past. Today's tip is to

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<v Speaker 1>never eat lunch alone, even if you're not physically in

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<v Speaker 1>an office. Lunch time can and should be social time,

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<v Speaker 1>regardless of the circumstances, and even if you have to

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<v Speaker 1>get a little bit creative about making it work. You've

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<v Speaker 1>almost certainly heard the phrase to never eat alone before.

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<v Speaker 1>Keith Ferazi, for instance, used this phrase as the title

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<v Speaker 1>of his book about Relationships and professional Success. We all

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<v Speaker 1>know that networking is vital to our career growth, and

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<v Speaker 1>we also know that relaxed interactions like lunch help build

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<v Speaker 1>authentic relationships. What's new now is that many people are

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<v Speaker 1>working remote for the first time, as the world engages

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<v Speaker 1>in social distancing measures to slow the spread of COVID nineteen.

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<v Speaker 1>If you work from home, even in normal times, it

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<v Speaker 1>can be tempting to embrace your freedom and flexibility and

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<v Speaker 1>to avoid scheduled commitments. If you're in charge of your

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<v Speaker 1>own schedule, you may not want to stop for lunch

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<v Speaker 1>until you're hungry, and there may be some wisdom in

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<v Speaker 1>that which will discuss in other episodes. Or to be honest,

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<v Speaker 1>maybe you're sitting there in sweatpants and don't feel like

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<v Speaker 1>needing to shower by a certain time. Having lunch with

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<v Speaker 1>a companion then seems to disrupt your efficiency, and perhaps

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<v Speaker 1>it does, but that's true. If you're a workplace too,

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<v Speaker 1>you may have to stop your work when you're in

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<v Speaker 1>a state of flow to go to scheduled lunch date.

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<v Speaker 1>So be it. What's gained in relationships will probably make

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<v Speaker 1>up for what's lost in efficiency. For those of us

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<v Speaker 1>who work at home, whether by choice or necessity, more

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<v Speaker 1>intentionality is required for developing and maintaining relationships. Lunch dates

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<v Speaker 1>can be a key part of fostering our professional relationships,

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<v Speaker 1>since we don't cross paths with each other as much

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<v Speaker 1>as inoffice workers do. When social distancing is over, it

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<v Speaker 1>will be great to do these dates in person. Right now,

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<v Speaker 1>virtual lunch dates are a great substitute. Here's how this works.

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<v Speaker 1>Make yourself lunch and then log on to a video

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<v Speaker 1>call for conversation with a professional colleague or friend. If

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<v Speaker 1>you haven't done this before, you may be surprised at

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<v Speaker 1>how much real connection can happen and how much you'll

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<v Speaker 1>enjoy it. Yes, it's a little weird to eat on

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<v Speaker 1>a video call, but you watch people eat when you're

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<v Speaker 1>in a restaurant too, you'll figure out how to avoid

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<v Speaker 1>doing anything uncouth. You can schedule these lunch dates or

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<v Speaker 1>text one of your colleagues last minute to join you,

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<v Speaker 1>just like you would in person. Lunch dates can happen

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<v Speaker 1>with people in your house too. If you have a

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<v Speaker 1>partner or kids who are home right now, you can

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<v Speaker 1>have lunch with them. Not just grab and gost sandwiches

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<v Speaker 1>that everybody eats in front of their own screens, but

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<v Speaker 1>lunch on a plate at a table, talking with each other.

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<v Speaker 1>Enjoy the opportunity to share a meal together in the

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<v Speaker 1>middle of the day. Someday this will all be over

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<v Speaker 1>and family lunches on a Tuesday will be a lot

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<v Speaker 1>harder to pull off, So embrace it now. If you

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<v Speaker 1>commit to never eating lunch alone, even if it means

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<v Speaker 1>having virtual lunch dates, let me know how it goes.

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<v Speaker 1>You can reach me at Laura at Laura Vanderkam dot com.

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<v Speaker 1>In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and

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<v Speaker 1>here's to succeeding in the New Corner Office. The New

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<v Speaker 1>Corner Office is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts,

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