How to Identify and Prioritize Your Third Place
Episode 716: Show Notes
Today’s discussion is about an idea that has had a resurgence recently for a number of reasons. The concept of finding a Third Place is nothing new! It’s actually been around for a long time; it is just popular at the moment. No matter how trendy it is, it is worthwhile to discuss and integrate into your life. The ‘Third Place’ was coined by a US sociologist who wrote a book called The Great Good Place describing a place outside of your home or work where you can relax.
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The concept is simple. Your first place is your home; a private and domestic space. Your second space is your work. However, a lot of us share a first and second place, with workplaces increasingly choosing to be remote/hybrid over the last few years. We spend most of our lives at work or home so what do you do when you need a Third Place? Somewhere to feel comfortable and safe, and have fun with no judgment? With loneliness and isolation levels rising, we have to be mindful of this!
In our opinion, a strong requirement is that your Third Place needs to be a public setting that hosts informal gatherings of people. Most people are loyal to their Third Place and often go there to socialize and unwind. It is also preferable that your Third Place is close to your home and workplace. This spot may be a coffee house, pub, bar, beauty salon, local library, dog park, or so much more!
Eight Characteristics of a Third Place
These are the things you need to look for when choosing your Third Place! We don’t necessarily feel like we have a Third Place and if we do, we know that those places don’t actually meet the standards of a Third Place. There are some things we can do to turn it into a Third Place. For small-town people, this may feel more normal as the sense of community gatherings is greater!
We don’t believe that a church can serve as a Third Place as it needs to be on neutral ground, without any power dynamics at play. People need to be free to go without consequences or ties to that place at all. Even when you are missing for long periods of time, your return to your Third Place needs to be welcomed warmly and with enthusiasm. This place should be entirely unpretentious and your social and economic status shouldn‘t matter here! The main activity in a Third Place should be playful, and lively conversation. This place should be accessible and accommodating and have long opening hours.
You should become a regular at this Third Place and you should be well-known by the people who work there. It’s also imperative for you to feel safe in your Third Place and on your way there and back at all times of the day. It should be a place that isn’t extravagant or snobby. The atmosphere should make you want to keep coming back and it should be tension and animosity free. Your Third Place should most importantly, be a home away from home.
The One Characteristic We Want You to Focus on Most
We know that we are all just craving connection and a Third Place is an incredible way to find that. There is one thing we want you to focus on when it comes to finding and creating a Third Place and that is proximity. It is all good and well having a community to go to, but if that community is too far away or you have to go out of your way to get there, it isn’t really a Third Place. You want to feel like you can just pop in and if you can’t, it just isn’t going to be the same. Everything about your experience of your Third Place should be fun and relaxed, so why not make sure it’s easy to get to too?
Why Having a Community is Essential
We want you to use your feeling of being disconnected as an opportunity to reconnect. Having a community outside of home allows you to switch off from your day-to-day life and be in a different space. It can help you meet more people and extend your bubble. Half of Americans feel alone according to a study that was done before the pandemic! We are suffering from a global epidemic of loneliness, and it is bad for your health!
If you aren’t finding time to recharge and connect with people, you are actually not looking after your physical or mental health. Developing outside relationships is imperative and people are realizing that your work community shouldn’t be your primary community! We need to scratch our itch to connect with people and find our own identity in a third space. It’s okay if you don’t know where you fit in right now, as long as you are intentional about figuring it out! We want to hear all about your Third Place so shoot us an Instagram DM!
Quote This
Rather than feeling like you’re alone, use that as an opportunity to connect.
Highlights
Eight Characteristics of a Third Place. [0:11:28]
The One Characteristic We Want You to Focus on Most. [0:20:13]
Why Having a Community is Essential. [0:22:32]
Today’s Guest:
Abagail & Emylee
The Strategy Hour Podcast
The Strategy Hour Podcast is a twice weekly show hosted by Abagail Pumphrey and Emylee Williams, the founders of Boss Project. Join us for semi-ranty biz conversations for service providers looking to ethically grow their agency businesses. Episodes cover everything from lead generation to leadership mindset to team culture and beyond.
Key Topics:
Third Place, Community, Connection, Isolation, Reconnecting, Environment, Relationships, Friendships, Social interaction, Healthy communication
