How do you balance quiet time and connection time when working?

Do you structure your diary in a way that works for your needs or are you at the mercy of others and have little or no agency over how your day unravels (yes, unravels as opposed to unfolds).

Agency is a core need of ours and in the workplace having appropriate agency means being able to make choices about how we schedule parts of our day – i.e. when we schedule certain tasks, when we block out protected time for quiet work, when we connect with others and when we take our breaks.

If your role requires deep thinking and processing (don’t they all at some point?) are you getting enough quiet time to do this?

Global Tech firm Atlassian work fully remote; however, to foster connection (also an essential) they have been piloting a Melbourne based “connection hub” where staff can come in whenever they like and connect with others, or sit in a comfy couch in the corner and work quietly away from home.

This has been a huge success for the company and I particularly admire how it helps staff balance connection and quiet.

I need connection and I need periods of quiet. When those conditions are met, and I have control over how that looks – amazing things happen. 🙌

How do you ensure you get your periods of quiet each week? Are you intentional about it?

Or does it only happen if you get into work 2 hours early – chewing up your precious personal time?