Get out of the house

Even if you don't have to, getting out in the world can be wise

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,
This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
tip is to get out of the house. For people
with in person jobs or kids to watch at sports practices,

(00:24):
a day spent completely at home may feel like a dream.
But if your daily life doesn't require you to get
out of the house regularly, you're wise to get yourself
out the door sometimes anyway, and in particular to a
place where people know and recognize you. So you may

(00:44):
have heard of the concept of a third place. This
is a place that is not home and is not work,
where you can interact with people and feel connected. Howard
Schultz famously claimed that Starbucks was a third place, and
of course there was the bar and the TV show Cheers,
where everybody knows your name. Much has been written of
late about the decline of traditional third places, like say

(01:07):
a union hall or the VFW or other such places
where people would gather. And that's too bad, since these days,
for many people such places wouldn't even be a third place.
They'd actually be a second place. A lot of us
don't go into an office regularly thanks to the rise
of remote work and of course, stay at home parents

(01:29):
wouldn't have an office but still have the same need
for connection as everyone else. So if you fall into
these categories and spend many hours a day in your house,
consider where you might go regularly for a change of
scenery and some conversation. That is a place that might

(01:49):
be a second or a third place for you. It
might be a coffee shop, but it might also be
a library or a bar, or a community center, or
a coworking space, or a busy local playground where you
tend to go at the same time most days. Maybe
it's a regular fellowship at your house of worship, or
a volunteer gig, or a space associated with a particular

(02:12):
form of activism that is important to you. Now, I
will say that in many cases, getting out of the
house is inefficient. Maybe you only have a few hours
where all your kids are out of the house at school,
you're trying to cram a full time job into that time.
People might be allowed at the coffee shop, or maybe

(02:35):
the Wi Fi at the library is sometimes spotty, but
it still tends to be a human need to want
to cross paths with other people and stay connected. You
don't have to discuss the meaning of life for your
deepest hopes and dreams. For a conversation to feel good,
even talking about something mundane can work. What's more, weak

(02:57):
ties are often how we find things like new jobs
and meet new people in general, because our strong ties
already know about the same jobs and people we do.
The guy at the coffee shop with the public radio
sticker on his laptop who drinks a lot of tea
just like you do. Maybe the person who points you
to your next big client. The woman at the dog

(03:18):
park may mention how her son volunteered at the Humane
Society when he was a kid, and you realize that
is the perfect summer experience for your animal loving daughter.
Crossing paths with more people means we become more aware
of more opportunities. Another reason for getting out of the
house is just practical. It keeps your social skills sharp.

(03:42):
A remote worker I know of says only half jokingly
that if she doesn't leave her house for a couple
of days, she starts feeling herself getting weird. Remember your
first in person interactions after the worst of the COVID pandemic,
and you will know what she means. So be on
the lookout for a good third place, or perhaps a

(04:03):
second place, if that's what it is for you. Continuing
with this list, it could be your gym, it could
be a bookstore. Ideally it's a place that doesn't require
a lot of advanced planning for you to go to.
As for when you go to your third slash second place,
and obvious idea is to go there to work, take
your laptop and headphones and work there for a morning.

(04:26):
You can also go to your third place for a
meal or beverage. You really can take yourself out for
bacon and eggs or a cup of coffee or a
salad without a companion. Third places are also great for leisure.
Meet up with a friend, take a book or magazine,
or people watch, and say hi to friends you run into.

(04:48):
I can see setting the norm that you will get
out of your house at least once a day. If
you have an in person meeting or a volunteer commitment,
a social engagement, a doctor's appointment or exercise class, those
could all be your outing for the day. But if
you would otherwise be home all day, maybe decide that
it would still be wise to get out of the

(05:08):
house for at least a little bit, visit your other place,
whether that's your third place or second place, and you
will probably feel better as a result. In the meantime,
this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making
the most of our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast.

(05:36):
If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach
me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast
is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia,
please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you

(05:58):
listen to your favorite shows.