Just a little flip.
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Just a little flip.
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Just a little hair.
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Hey, it’s Marie Forleo and you are watching
MarieTV, the place to be to create a business
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and life that you love.
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Now, if you’re somebody who feels oddly
alone with all your freedom working from home,
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this episode is for you.
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Today’s question comes from Megan and she
writes:
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You have a great show and tons of good advice.
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I started working from home for an online
business just as I moved to a new town where
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The first year my job gave me a great paycheck
and more freedom than ever.
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Yet my soul was longing for connection and
casual face time with others.
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Social media and texts does not fill that
void for me.
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I’ve never felt so out of sync.
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There were times when I only talked with the
daycare people when I picked up my kids for
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2 weeks at a stretch.
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Everything else was email.
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There’s a reason that isolation is effective
punishment in prisons.
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I’d love for you to talk about ways bosses
can acknowledge this new world phenomenon.
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Workers don't want to admit that they feel
an utter lack of connection and feel completely
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After all, who wants to pay a socially silly
loser that feels lonely on the job?
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So my question is this, do you have any suggestions
to avoid getting sucked into isolation, do
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my work productively, and keep myself emotionally
healthy and connected?
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Thanks so much, Megan.
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Megan, this is an awesome question.
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As millions more people start working from
home, whether it’s part time or full time,
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the issue of loneliness and isolation, it’s
real.
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I mean, it’s actually something that we’ve
dealt with in our company.
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Now, I’m going to tell you some of the strategies
that we’ve used and some other ideas for
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you in just a few minutes, but first I need
to address one thing.
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I don't think that you can place responsibility
on your boss or think that your bosses are
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unsympathetic and don't care about you personally.
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I mean, bosses, we’re not mind readers.
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And the only way that they can support you
is if you speak up and not only communicate
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about a challenge, but also bring them proposed
solutions.
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Look, being a boss myself, I can tell you
firsthand that we are busy busting our humps
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trying to keep the lights on in our business
and doing everything we possibly can to keep
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our people employed.
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And of course every boss, including myself,
wants their team to be absolutely happy and
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productive, but we need you to be proactive,
to talk about what’s up for you, and to
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propose solutions, not just bring us complaints
or problems.
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I also want to say as someone who runs a virtual
company that this is a very real issue for
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some team members, but not all of them.
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So it’s not wise to expect bosses to force
more interaction for people who don't want
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That’s why it is so vital that each of us
take responsibility for ourselves, that we
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communicate openly, and we be really proactive
and look for ways to not only take care of
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what we need, but also be sensitive to others
and to the well being of the company itself.
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Now, with that said, I’ve gotta say Megan,
I totally feel ya.
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It’s great to have the freedom of not punching
a clock and not even taking a shower if you
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don't want and not even wearing pants.
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I mean, sometimes I don't wear pants.
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But boy, it can get lonely.
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And, as you said, it can even feel prison
like.
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Oh, the laptop lifestyle.
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Got no shoes on, no shower, no problem.
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Seriously though, if this is how you’re
feeling, here are 8 really smart strategies
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to help you fight that loneliness when you’re
working from home and you're all alone.
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Number one, get your social fix outside of
work.
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So I know you said you’re in a new town
and that can be really, really tough, but
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you can’t expect people to just knock on
your door and bring you cookies.
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I mean, I know you know this, but you’ve
gotta get out there.
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And I want you to start building real relationships.
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And you can just do it one at a time.
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Once you do, make this your focus.
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You’ve got to plan things.
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I do this all the time because, again, I can
relate to you.
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I plan trips to Great Adventure to go on roller
coasters, I make dates with my friends to
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go to the movies, to do weekend getaways,
just to come over and have dinner at my place
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even if we order in.
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Again, the whole focus is build those relationships
and then plan, plan, plan.
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Number two, you should consider a coworking
space.
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So since remote work is growing so quickly,
there are coworking spaces popping up everywhere.
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So have a look around your new neighborhood.
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And one benefit here is that you get to meet
people who are in the same position doing
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kind of similar things, meaning they’re
either working alone or they’re working
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virtually without a big, huge corporate office
to go to every day.
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Number three, and this is one that I do a
lot too, work outside the house.
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So if you don't opt for a coworking space,
at least get your butt out once or twice a
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So you can go work from the park or a coffee
shop, just anything that will give you a change
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of scenery and a chance to be around other
humans.
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Plus you’ll start to get to know people
in your community.
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And I’ve gotta say, having simple conversations
with someone other than your pet can do wonders.
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Number four, schedule regular group chats.
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So, for example, our customer happiness team
meets daily on the phone and they don't just
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talk about work or what’s happening in the
company.
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They do it to stay connected to each other
and to stay connected to what’s happening
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in each other’s lives.
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We also have non-negotiable weekly team meetings
too and, again, we have a distributed team
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all around the country.
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Sometimes I do Skype meetings with people
and sometimes we even do group video chats,
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which is terrible if I haven’t showered
but it’s entertaining for most people.
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Now, you can do this with people you work
with too and you can do it with industry friends,
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You just want to schedule it and make it recurring.
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Don't just do it once and then forget about
it for months.
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And I’ve gotta say, either phone or video
really helps you to feel connected a lot more
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than email or text.
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Number five, you might want to try taking
regular phone-free or computer-free breaks.
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So do not just sit and stare at your computer
all day long like a zombie like uhhhh.
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You want to set an alarm maybe every 90 minutes
or so and get up and stretch your body and
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Maybe go walk outside for a few minutes.
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And this is another thing that can help, take
a lunch break away from your screen.
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Number six, another one of my favorites, go
to group fitness classes.
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So nothing is more powerful for your brain
and your emotional health and your productivity
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Science backs this up all day long.
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So rather than doing it by yourself, you should
go take a group class.
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I mean, you can do dancing or spin or CrossFit
or whatever floats your boat.
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And you’ll start getting to know people
in your community, again, which is really
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important for you, and you’re gonna feel
a lot better too.
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Number seven, hit up some local meetups about
entrepreneurship or your industry.
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And here’s the deal, if there are no organizations
that fit what you're looking for, do not cry
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You’ve gotta start one.
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You are a leader and you can start gathering
people around and have meetings once a month
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Finally number eight, you can pitch in person
time.
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So I don't know how big your team or your
company is, but why not pitch your boss on
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the idea of having an in person meet-up for
the whole company at least once a year.
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You could volunteer to help organize it and
keep costs down and then map out a whole agenda
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that will help move the company’s goals
ahead.
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I want you to be creative and make your boss
an offer that they cannot refuse.
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And look, you never know unless you ask.
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Now these ideas, they’re just the tip of
the iceberg.
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I’m sure our incredible audience will come
up with a lot more ideas right underneath
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And for anyone who thinks getting to work
in your pajamas is really like the be all
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end all, I want you to remember this.
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Working from home might not demand much human
interaction, but your soul does.
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That was my A to your Q, Megan.
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I really hope it helps you and all those folks
out there who are just starting to get their
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groove on working from home.
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And now I would love to hear from you.
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So can you relate to this loneliness and isolation
that comes from working from home and being
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I would love to hear specifically what works
for you and what doesn't.
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So leave a comment below and let me know.
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Now, as always, the best, richest conversations
happen over at MarieForleo.com, so head on
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over and leave a comment now.
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09:30
I just got a double up.
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I just got a times 2 from my girl, Louise.
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Fresh bottle of Chianti and some fava beans.
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Do you do this dance with her?
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Did you make this up together?
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Did you guys know that this was the Jams dance?
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Drop it down low, brother.
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I’m gonna actually do it on the airplane
next time I’m on the airplane.
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It’s like elbows out.
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