Find a New Space

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Whenever you feel like what you’re doing is really difficult, try changing where you do it. I wrote about this in-depth at Forge.

I also recently heard Paul Ford and Rich Ziade describe the office as a tool, which reminded me of a story from my student days, about how the library was a tool for me to work through burnout and study.

Between my freshman summer and my sophomore year in college, I experienced my first—and maybe worst—serious burnout. As I was working through it and recovering, and figuring out a more sustainable method of working and studying, I noticed that a lot of my friends purposely went to the library to study.

This was a habit I didn’t have. I didn’t like the library much at all. The bathrooms were gross, the food situation was inconvenient, and it would take me at least 20 minutes to commute there and often another 10 to find a decent spot. My roommate in first year, also a good friend, seemed to be able to study at home just fine—with Messenger tools open, music playing, and such. I tried doing the same, but it just didn’t work for me.

So, desperate times called for desperate measures. Studying at home wasn’t working for me like it did for my roommate, so against my preferences, I started commuting to the library. I noticed the nicest library, focused on arts and humanities, was particularly social, so I usually avoided that one—and instead I went to the science library.

That habit completely changed the experience of studying. First, I realized that a lot of people studied really hard. I would often go near the opening hour, to spare myself the time of having to find a seat, and see people there before me. The library was extremely quiet, so I also stayed quiet and opened my books. It felt normal that I should be there; it wasn’t a big deal. I would eventually run into friends there and we’d save each other seats. I knew I was expected at the library, which meant I should probably show up.

At home, I would easily spend an hour or two on social media and YouTube instead of studying. But because there were so many people studying seriously at the library, I’d feel embarrassed if they saw me doing that—so being at the library also curbed my tendency to procrastinate on the internet.

While studying at home felt like pulling teeth, it felt completely effortless when I got to the library. If I studied at home it would take a few hours, and I’d feel completely exhausted after. If I studied at the library, I’d get the same amount done in an hour or two, and I’d feel satisfied and energized. I would be in good shape to go to the gym, or catch up with a friend I ran into, or something else.

Going to the library solved the vast majority of my problems. I would get through my next two years in college and graduate with honors. It turns out that getting my shoes on and out the door to the library was way more effective than trying to pull out a textbook and flip it open at home.

As a student, the library was a tool for me to study with practically no willpower needed, and to build a peer group.

Nowadays, I still often rely on places as I would rely on tools for leverage. The library is still a tool for me to write and work. The Figma office is a tool for me to work. The gym is a tool for me to exercise. My home is a place for me to relax, not a place for me to work.

Whenever I feel like I’m thrashing on the keyboard at home, and panic at how little I got done, I stop. I take a breath. I walk over to another place—downstairs to the library, to a coffee shop, or to another workspace—and the work comes out almost effortlessly.