3 Takeaways from Smiley Poswolsky

In this month’s Deep Dive series, we were joined by Smiley Poswolsky, a millennial workplace expert, keynote speaker, and author. We discussed his most recent book, Friendship in the Age of Loneliness, as well as what trends he’s seeing in the future of work. 

Here are three things that stood out from our conversation.

1. 4% of our time is spent with friends

When Smiley shared this number, I had to stop him to make sure I’d heard correctly. A study published in 2020 showed that, on average, Americans spend only 4% of their time with friends. Compare that to our time spent working (17%) & consuming media (10%). 

4%

This statistic has me wanting to schedule more friend dates, dinner parties, and mini celebrations (Hooray, it’s Wednesday! Let’s celebrate!).

2. Fostering connection will be a challenge for the future of work

Technologies continue to theoretically improve workplace systems, but leaders inside organizations cannot forget that employees still need to feel a sense of connection.

Smiley shared that workplace belonging will be one of the biggest challenges for the future of work. With hybrid and remote teams, organizations need to think creatively on how to foster genuine connection. You can only have so many remote happy hours or virtual team bonding experiences. I’m personally excited to see how organizations will come up with unique and meaningful solutions!

3. It’s okay to have social media seasons

From time to time, I delete social media from my phone. I always feel like I lost the game when I inevitably reinstall the apps. Smiley, though, reframed this for us. 

Think of it as having seasons for social media. Smiley shared that when he’s writing a book and needs real focus time, he takes a social media sabbatical. And when it comes time to promote or engage with his audience, he dives into a social media season. This way of thinking, in a way, gave me permission to be less hard on myself and remember it’s okay to take breaks and it’s equally okay to have a stronger “season” in which it might actually be useful.

Watch the entire conversation here:

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Caveday is a company aimed at improving your relationship to work. We write regular posts here and send out monthly newsletters with productivity tips, life hacks, and recommendations. Sign up for the mailing list here.

Smiley Poswolsky is a millennial workplace expert, keynote speaker, and author. Learn more about Smiley and follow his journey here.

Molly Sonsteng is a Co-Founder of Caveday.