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Notes from Sarah Campbell | November 19, 2021
Non-toxic tactics for finishing a project you care about. 
 

Who else is here now?

Does Peloton show us how essential it is to bring the social to solo?
 
I don’t own a Peloton, but I’m fascinated at a distance by its success and the unbridled (even cultlike?) enthusiasm of its users. While the pandemic no doubt boosted its popularity, there’s also a “secret sauce” quality that keeps people coming back over time to do something that’s usually an effort to do: exercise.
 
A former colleague of mine, Dave Packles, now works at Peloton and was interviewed about its success for The Science of Change podcast.
 
I thought I’d share here some of what he says about the community-building features of Peloton.
Is what gets people to exercise willingly, regularly from home transferable to working solo-from-home? I'm curious to know what you think. 

Users come back to Peloton's workouts because they find “a match with an instructor” who becomes someone they want to show up for (even when that instructor never actually "sees" them).  And when they might otherwise drop off their exercise regimen, Packles says they often come back because the community “brings [them] back into the fold.”
 
Maybe, like me, you have at some point sought out co-working spaces, coaches, coffeeshops (literal or metaphorical), or accountability partners to supplement and support your independent work. Maybe the pandemic has constrained or opened up new ways for you to find the social in the solo. 

(A shout out here to the two cohorts of Finish It Friends who joined me this fall to give each other peer coaching for projects they’re trying to complete. Yeah!!)
 
If things have started feeling lonely, does the Peloton approach inspire you to find tech-connected ways to make your solo work more social? Or is the “eyes watching you” vibe just not your jam?
 
Would love to hear your thoughts on the questions below—hit reply if you're inspired. I promise to write back. (& no need to be a Peloton user--I’m not! See my janky exercise bank + iPad setup in yucky basement photos for proof.) 
Users come back to Peloton's workouts because they find “a match with an instructor” who becomes someone they want to show up for (even when that instructor never actually "sees" them).
My jerry-rigged screen-on-stroller + stationary bike setup in unglamorous basement. No Peloton vibes here. And unsurprisingly: I don't often willingly or addictively want to exercise here.
"I just don't want to be alone": the "Here now" feature
 
Packles describes the app’s “Here now” feature which lets users see everyone who’s taking the same class at that moment, offering a feeling of togetherness. More than half of users use it.
 
There’s also a “sessions” feature which essentially creates a new “room” for a given workout every five minutes to create a cohort who’s all starting a workout at the same time. That way when you’re facing a hill, you know others are too. The high-fives can follow (“high-fives” are another feature for community-building). “It’s about flexibility,” says Packles, “about that ‘I just don’t want to be alone’“ feeling.
 
Questions for you, readers:
  • Have you been able to tap into anything like this app-based community for your solo project work? Have you found any apps, spaces (virtual or otherwise), or friendships that have fostered this type of feeling of “We’re all in it together” even if you’re working independently and not collaborating?
  • What did that look like, and is it still a part of your life now?
  • Were there any downsides?
 
 

The person we want to be vs. the person we may be when no one is watching

Behavioral scientist Kristen Berman (who's interviewing Packles) interprets the Peloton motivation via leaderboards and coordinated start times as social accountability. “Our behavior changes when we think someone else is watching us,” she says. “When we think we’re being observed, we do things that align with the person we want to be in the eyes of others versus the person we may be when no one is watching. We self-regulate.
 
“In fact,” she adds, “just displaying images of watching eyes has been shown to make people behave in more socially desirable ways—not littering, making donations, and cleaning up after ourselves. Peloton is tapping into this accountability idea with a coordinated start time. Now it’s really not you on a bike alone, it’s you with everyone else doing the same thing at the same time.” She likens it to educational cohorts online: “Everyone starts an online course at the same time, versus on a random day, and just by starting with other people and going through it together you increase the chance that you will complete the course.”
 
Questions for you, readers:
  • Does the “eyes watching you” element of any workspace/ app / public place  motivate you? Bug you?
  • Are you not even sure there’s a version of that available to you in your life right now?
What do you think? Hit reply to share your thoughts.
Thanks for reading!
Free-associations, feedback, advice for finishing, or links to interesting reads are appreciated.

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