Working outside of Work

ArticleAmber Lambke and Allan Grinshtein start[ed] a group called the New York Nightowls, a sort of study hall for entrepreneurs, freelancers and software developers who gather at 10 every Tuesday night and stay as late as 4 a.m. “The goal is to come, get inspired, meet new people and get work done,” said Ms. Lambke, a creative consultant. “It’s six hours of uninterrupted, productive time where you’re surrounded by other creative people doing awesome things.” Although the New York group has been meeting only since April, the concept is catching on. [..] Participants say a spirit of collaboration and camaraderie percolates through the night, one that can be hard to come by during normal working hours [..].One big advantage of the late-night hours is that they are blissfully free of the distractions that clutter the daytime. Even the Web goes quiet. [..] “When you don’t have your co-workers constantly interrupting you, fewer friends bored at work and on IM, it’s easier to get things done,” said Montana Low, a scientist.Yet another example of working habits, and the concept of work changing. People are finding it increasingly hard to work during regular hours, in regular offices, so instead, they form a group to work at night. But when we look at this structurally, people are working outside of work, it’s obvious we have a serious problem. The system is wasting time and money by placing people into “work areas” with “people they do not want to be around with”, making the option of going outside the system more tempting.We do not live in an industrial world anymore. People dont have to be “near unmovable things” such as factory machinery to be productive. Just like old style journalism, education, and politics collapse due to changes in production, the concept of work is also being redefined.

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November 17, 2010