Category: Work

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The Third Place

From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_place

Oldenburg calls one’s “first place” the home and those that one lives with. The “second place” is the workplace—where people may actually spend most of their time. Third places, then, are “anchors” of community life and facilitate and foster broader, more creative interaction.[1] In other words, “your third place is where you relax in public, where you encounter familiar faces and make new acquaintances.”[2]

Other scholars have summarized Oldenburg’s view of a third place with eight characteristics:[1][3]

Neutral ground

Occupants of third places have little to no obligation to be there. They are not tied down to the area financially, politically, legally, or otherwise and are free to come and go as they please.

Leveler (a leveling place)

Third places put no importance on an individual’s status in a society. Someone’s economic or social status does not matter in a third place, allowing for a sense of commonality among its occupants. There are no prerequisites or requirements that would prevent acceptance or participation in the third place.

Conversation is the main activity

Playful and happy conversation is the main focus of activity in third places, although it is not required to be the only activity. The tone of conversation is usually light-hearted and humorous; wit and good-natured playfulness are highly valued.

Accessibility and accommodation

Third places must be open and readily accessible to those who occupy them. They must also be accommodating, meaning they provide for the wants of their inhabitants, and all occupants feel their needs have been fulfilled.

The regulars

Third places harbor a number of regulars that help give the space its tone, and help set the mood and characteristics of the area. Regulars to third places also attract newcomers, and are there to help someone new to the space feel welcome and accommodated.

A low profile

Third places are characteristically wholesome. The inside of a third place is without extravagance or grandiosity, and has a homely feel. Third places are never snobby or pretentious, and are accepting of all types of individuals, from various different walks of life.

The mood is playful

The tone of conversation in third places is never marked with tension or hostility. Instead, third places have a playful nature, where witty conversation and frivolous banter are not only common, but highly valued.

A home away from home

Occupants of third places will often have the same feelings of warmth, possession, and belonging as they would in their own homes. They feel a piece of themselves is rooted in the space, and gain spiritual regeneration by spending time there.

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From Fired Up to Burning Out.

Over the last 10 years, I have seen so many passionate community leaders light up, explode with effort, and slowly but surely burn out. Having burned out hard once or twice, it is painfully obvious when I see someone now heading full speed for that same painful wall.

One thing that has helped me manage my energy and avoid burnout is knowing more about the Maslach Burnout Inventory. MBI identifies six areas that lead to burnout:

  • Workload (too much work, not enough resources)
  • Control (micromanagement, lack of influence, accountability without power)
  • Reward (not enough pay, appreciation, or satisfaction)
  • Community (isolation, conflict, disrespect)
  • Fairness (discrimination, favoritism)
  • Values (ethical conflicts, meaningless tasks)

This gives me a framework for reflection, evaluation, action, as well as for self-care. By being able to identify the contributing factors to my exhaustion or approaching burnout, I can often take the necessary steps to implement meaningful change and recalibrate.

For leaders who are responsible for small communities or non-profit organizations, the burden of responsibility (workload) is at times extreme and often paired with feeling a lack of appreciation and acknowledgment (reward).

Make sure to set up a time to check in and evaluate!

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Action vs Think Tanks

A thank tank is a group of experts that come together to provide advice and ideas on a specific social, economic, or political problem, and typically engages in some form of public advoacy.

An action tank is a group that works to develop and execute those solutions generated through think-tank activity.

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Lean Coffee

Lean Coffee is a structured, agenda-less meeting approach that is effective for getting people to create and share ideas. I really like this approach when dealing with slightly larger groups that have some common goal or project but a lot of different directions or areas of focus.

I also think this is a great tool for brainstorming around a specific topic in respect to organizational strategy and direction. By giving people a prompt ahead of time to think about they can come prepared to pitch and bring topics–IE If you were give 10,000 for a program, what program would you want to build and why? or What do you think is the biggest challenging facing our organization right now? / What problem do you think is our number 1 obstacle that needs solving? or etc.

Resource 1

Resource 2

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On Burnout

I’ve had a few conversations around work life balance this past week with some close friends. In a world where value as a human is often conflated with your level of production, it’s easy to get stuck in a vicious cycle where you deprioritize self care and rest.

I’ve definitely been guilty of this, especially when I’m excited about what I’m working on. Routine and deeply setting healthy habits are two powerful ways to beat burn out and keep balance, as well as learning the power of saying No to people and projects that are not actually important!

You are allowed to make yourself and your mental health a priority!

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