Ever want to get out of the house and find some community, but you don’t know where to go? Need a place outside of the home to focus on your work or studies? Maybe you need to find your third place.
What is a Third Place?
If your home is your first place, and your work/school is your second place, a third place is anywhere else you go regularly.
Examples of Third Places:
- Libraries
- Coffee shops
- Breweries and bars
- Gyms
- Running or hiking clubs
- Local parks
- Community centers
A third place can be a wonderful place to study, work, socialize, read, journal, exercise, or learn. Third places connect us with our local communities by supporting our local businesses and providing us a place to interact with other members of the community. However, frequenting a third place doesn’t necessarily mean directly conversing with others; it could simply mean being around other people.
If you’re struggling with productivity, find your third place!
Tips for Finding Your Own Third Place
1. Consider Your Goals.
Do you want a third place so you can focus on work, studying, reading, or writing? Do you want to meet new people? Do you need a place to socialize with your existing friends? Are you looking for a place you can exercise? A place to have fun?
What you’re trying to achieve will determine what type of third place to seek out. For example, if you’re looking for fitness, you might try a running club or gym. If you want fun, you might look for a local pub with weekly trivia nights or live music. If you want a quiet place to study, a library might be the best place.
2. Decide How Far You’re Willing to Travel.
Choose a sensible radius around your residence or workplace, and only consider places within it, or between your home and work. If getting to your third place is onerous, it will be harder to make it a habit.
Ideally, you’d be able to walk to your third place, so that you never have to consider transit schedules or traffic. But most people don’t live within a walkable distance of businesses or libraries. So pick a place that’s easy to reach and, if you’re driving, has easy parking so that getting there never feels like an obstacle.
3. Pick a Budget.
Your financial situation will most likely determine how often you can afford to frequent your third place. So consider what you can afford. If money is no issue, you could join a social club, gym, class, or sports league.
If you need to be cost-conscious, look for libraries, local parks, or hiking/running clubs, which are free. Coffee shops and breweries are not, but they’re not too expensive, especially if you just grab one beverage. A class at a community center might be more affordable than a private institution.
Libraries are fantastic third places and offer much more than just a place to be.
4. Select a Weekly Time Slot and Be Consistent.
The key to becoming a regular somewhere, to making a third place into your third place, is to show up regularly. Especially if you’re hoping to meet new people, you need to consistently put yourself in the same place at the same time every week. If you’re just looking for a place to get some work done, that regularity is less crucial, but it can improve your productivity to commit to an hour a couple of times a week.
5. Try a Few Options.
Even if a place seems perfect on paper, it might not have the right atmosphere for you. Know before you start trying that you’ll likely need to test out multiple different places before you find one that has the right vibe.
For example, if you’ve decided to study every week at a library, check out different branches. Not every library is set up well for getting work done. Some have quiet corners. Others have large open spaces. Some host evening or weekend events in the main reading room, which could be distracting. Others have limited desk space but are calmer.
If you’re considering a coffee shop or brewery, you’ll want to like the drink or food choices! Seating may not be readily available or comfortable. Some places may get so busy that taking up a table to linger over a beverage isn’t appreciated.
Make a list of possibilities and do a little exploring before you settle on one.
You Don’t Need to Choose Just One
You might end up with multiple third places for different purposes. You might end up attending a Saturday class at the community center and also grab a beer with friends at the local brewery on Tuesday nights. Perhaps you’ll pick a Wednesday study spot and a Sunday hiking trail.
Be flexible, but also don’t stretch yourself too thin trying to fit in as many third spaces as possible. Consistency is the key.
