The other day I was reading a review about the internet access provided by Starbucks.
As well as reviewing the service the article talks about the concept of a ‘third space’ for working.
With the first two being a normal office and a home based office a third space is any other space you can use to work.
This set me to counting my spaces.
I found I have four.
- the office in London I work in on my current freelance contract
- my home in London where I set up my laptop and tap away building up my own business
- our apartment in Gran Canaria. Well maybe this is only half because we don’t have internet access.
- the classroom of my husband’s divecentre in Gran Canaria.
So mobile technology really does allow me to work anywhere I have an internet connection.
While my jet-setting lifestyle may sound glamorous, the truth is that at the moment I spend most of my time in London while my husband is in Gran Canaria. Though even here technology can bring us closer, I am about to buy a webcam and skype so we can see each other when we phone or message each other.
I suppose any space can be a third, fourth of fifth space. As work isn’t just about firing up your laptop and diving into cyberspace. We also need to spend time daydreaming up new ideas for our business. Time to play and come up with new ideas that revive our energy and enthusiasm for our businesses.
So should I start counting again?
- Any bus journey when I can ponder ideas
- Drinks with friends discussing all our hopes and dreams for the future
- Chatting about my business with a friend who suggested a potential contact for developing work
- The terrace of the divecentre at sunset, drinking cold beer and chatting with some divers about web design and networking
Of course the list is endless, but at none of these times did I feel I was working – I was enjoying myself and that is why I decided to start my business to enjoy myself and my business and to help others do the same.
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