Each week, we publish a portrait of someone who plays Paatch. It's a very short format that talks about remote working habits and Paatch's experience! Paatchers come from different backgrounds, from different professions, from different cities and have different statuses (entrepreneurs, employees or freelancers) but they share the same credo of free, productive and friendly teleworking.
This week, we present to you alice.
Alice, what do you do for a living?
I am in charge of community and nurturing third places at France Tiers-Lieux.
Where (TV) do you work from most often? How often remotely?
I am mainly working from home at the moment, because, after a long period of nomadism, I decided to settle down again, since the start of the school year, in the city of Tours. Sometimes I go to spaces of co-working in the city, but it is still extremely rare. The rest of the time, I go to Paris where France Tiers-Lieux has offices in a space of co-working in Saint-Lazare.
During my period of nomadism, I experienced everything: cafes/co-work, the spaces of co-working, the Coliving, cafes sometimes, quite simply, third places... in the countryside, in big cities, in small towns, by the sea, in the mountains. For six months, I changed locations every week. It was very exhilarating to be able to discover new places but also new regions at the same time. Each location is adapted and chosen according to the needs of the moment. Personally, I really enjoyed the spaces of coliving, highly adapted to the life of a nomad, because they allow you not to feel too alone in these periods. But in reality, the best thing is to alternate. Third-places in the countryside are also good vectors of sociability when you find yourself having to telework in more remote areas.
What advantages do you see in teleworking?
For me, the biggest advantage of teleworking is to be free, and to be able to listen to yourself, to listen to your rhythm. Sometimes I don't have breakfast, then have lunch at 11:30am, or make myself a big breakfast, have lunch later, etc. Sometimes I work 6-hour days, like 9-hour days. Sometimes I eat in front of my computer, take long, short breaks. In short, it is the freedom to be able to do according to one's physical state, according to one's primary needs. And that for me is priceless. The big advantage is also being able to organize your day as you want, do sports, take a medical appointment, even if it means finishing later in the day. Get rid of traditional office hours. For me it's the most important thing. I am thirsty for freedom and I feel really good in this life.
The second advantage is being able to work from anywhere. In the same space, to be able to work standing, sitting, lying down... To be able to work in Belgium, at the seaside in the southwest, in Marseille, in the Ardèche mountains... In short, it is an advantage that also increases efficiency.
The last advantage is time savings, or rather efficiency. In the office, you have a coffee, you gossip at the machine, you smoke a cigarette with your colleague, you have lunch for hours... At home, this time does not exist, so you necessarily earn it. This increase in productivity is also closely linked to the first advantage, which is that of freedom, flexibility and adaptation at one's own pace.
What are the disadvantages? What do you do to avoid them?
The only disadvantage of teleworking that I identify is isolation, loneliness. Sometimes I didn't leave my house for 24, even 48 hours... Sometimes this loneliness is heavy. But the reality is that there are also plenty of solutions to fill this “lack” of social interactions. Personally, when I start to feel alone, I go to work elsewhere, I organize lunches with friends...
What are your 2-3 tips for someone starting to work from home?
The first piece of advice I would give is to go out at least once a day.
The second is to try to give yourself a minimum of rhythm, despite the great freedom that teleworking offers, it is good to have rituals.
The last advice I would give is to travel; to take advantage of this freedom to visit regions, countries, etc...!
What is your best memory when you participated in a Paatch?
I participated in Paatch'life in Cap Ferret in summer 2022, and what I loved was the proximity to the beach, being able to run, swim, at any time of the day to take a break.
The other big advantage is to experience collective life. This makes up for the isolation that can sometimes be felt when working from home. I think that we have forgotten far too much about collective life in our current society.
To learn more about the Paatchers community, go to www.paat.ch/community