On pace, making space, and staying connected
Last week I took 1.5 days off to reconnect, unplanned.
Among the best things I do for my health are walking and hiking. I don’t mind walking alone. I do it to think more clearly and to start my working days from home feeling energised. Still, I much prefer having company. The cost of sometimes adjusting my ideal pace is easily outweighed when a walk or hike turns into something social.
I have been working mostly from home, and most of the time on my own, for over five years now. The advantages clearly outweigh the disadvantages for me, yet I am the first to admit that it can sometimes feel lonely.
Before I moved to Asia, I spent most of my working days in the offices of large or mid-sized companies. There were always at least a couple of hundred colleagues around me. I have worked in, and experienced, countless offices during my corporate career. More recently, my professional focus has been workplace experience and workplace strategy. I still find that field fascinating. As my work has shifted, however, I now spend most days in my home office, with occasional days elsewhere.
I do not miss trying to get deep focus work done in an overly busy open-plan office. Yet I do miss the people, and the spontaneous connections that happen when you bump into someone by the coffee machine. Loneliness as a solopreneur is something to take seriously if you intend to work this way over time.
That is written by someone who is almost never alone at home, hello dear family, and who has genuinely appreciated many quiet working hours since the rest of the household returned to school and the office post-pandemic. I love the quiet, and I value the focus it allows. At the same time, I need interaction beyond my immediate circle. When I choose it intentionally, it feels energising rather than draining.
Over the years I have joined several online communities for solo entrepreneurs and freelancers. I also prioritise in-person meet-ups, both in my current city and when travelling. I am genuinely happy when someone from my network comes to town, and fortunately that happens more often now.
Last week, a former colleague, someone I had always appreciated but had not seen in many years, came to Hong Kong for a holiday with her now grown-up son. We had not seen each other in over ten years, though we have stayed in touch sporadically since leaving the employer where we once worked together. A few weeks ago, she asked whether I might have time to meet during her visit.
One of the aspects of self-employment I value most is the flexibility it provides. Being able to say yes to something meaningful and unexpected still feels like a privilege.
I moved most of my planned activities to this week, apart from a few meetings that required my presence, and spent 1.5 days with them. We were fortunate with the weather and spent most of our time outdoors: hiking, swimming, long lunches by the water, and even a few hours at a local mahjong parlour before they headed home.
Today it is Lunar New Year’s Day, and I am catching up on last week’s work before the rest of the family wakes up. It was entirely worth making the time. Choosing to create space for reconnection felt aligned with what I write about and what I try to practise.
Most of the time we spent together, we were hiking. I have written before about why I value hiking so much. It supports physical health, strengthens mental clarity, and creates a setting where conversations unfold naturally. When shared, it also reduces the quiet isolation that can accompany independent work.
Pace matters in walking, and it matters in life. Sometimes progress comes from maintaining your rhythm. At other times it comes from slowing down enough to make space for people. Creating space is rarely about having spare time; it is about deciding what deserves it.
For me, movement continues to be a foundation for health. Shared movement, in particular, adds something more: connection, perspective, and a reminder that flexibility is one of the greatest assets of building work on your own terms.
I also am Self-employed. Not necessarily the solo entrepreneur because I am in business with my wife. As someone who deals with depression, I’ll be it pretty good these days. I need to be around people. Social interaction is something that keeps me grounded positive and focused more on how I can give to others rather than turning inward of course we want to make money, but it is important to be a contributing part of the physical community if not just for sales, but to give back. Thank you for this. I’m hoping that you will subscribe if you like my posts like comment and possibly recommend. Thank you for this I’ll be subscribing.
"Yet I do miss the people, and the spontaneous connections that happen when you bump into someone by the coffee machine." I think when I move to Sydney, the first think I'm going to try and find is a good environment to work and meet people because I can also feel myself missing those spontaneous interactions!