The Einstein Paradox
Being Awesome While Completely, and Utterly, Alone.
For some, the idea of working alone is a dream scenario. You skip the commute, avoid the pointless meetings, and are pleasantly unconcerned with the hassle of wearing pants. Furthermore, you have the opportunity to build a distraction-free work environment for yourself by setting up the ideal workspace that allows for maximum productivity.
But ideals rarely measure up to reality. Personally, as someone who has worked with distributed teams for nearly a decade, I can confirm there is a challenge to being productive in an isolated work environment. Despite the emails, Zoom calls, and the exhaustive amount of social media options, however, we are ultimately, by ourselves - alone. So how can we stay productive when isolation borders loneliness?
Find Your Tribe
Even Einstein was not immune to the emotional and mental toll of working in isolation. How did he push through? The short answer is: Einstein found his tribe.
“Although I am a typical loner in my daily life, my awareness of belonging to the invisible community of those who strive for truth, beauty, and justice has prevented me from feelings of isolation.”
As evidenced in the quote above, Einstein never denied the isolation of working alone and the pressure that came with it.
Like Einstein, we are all building invisible communities as more and more creative work moves digital. Whether it's for personal or professional reasons, creating opportunities to be with friends, family and colleagues can secure a connection to your tribe and increase mental and physical resiliency.
Find Your Sacred Space
Nikola Tesla also notoriously worked in isolation at his Experimental Station in Colorado Springs, CO. His workspace was specifically built to study the use of high-voltage, high-frequency electricity in wireless power transmission. While most of us aren't able to create such an elaborate workspace, we can learn from Tesla's approach to hyper-productivity. By creating a purpose-driven space, he was able to focus not only on his creative efforts but his time. Like Tesla, if we want to do our best, we must create purpose-driven spaces that support peak performance.
Find Your Time of Day
In 1735, Ben Franklin popularized the phrase “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”
But what if you’re a night owl?
Although many of us are required to work the standard 9-5 schedule, some find those hours to be the least productive. In Daniel Pink’s book “When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing” he theorizes “our cognitive abilities do not remain static over the course of the day” suggesting the “fluctuations are more extreme than we realize.” Whereas the common 9-5 demands we are productive and energetic within those hours, working alone affords us the opportunity to respond to our energetic impulses.
Rather than try to accomplish all of the work as it arises, it’s important to be aware of your energy level and match the work accordingly. If you are a “morning person” then be most productive in the morning by tackling the most taxing work.
