Make sure your team is prioritizing time off and mental health days, even in the era of remote work. Just because you’re not going into an office every day doesn’t mean you don’t deserve time off. Without face-to-face collaboration, it’s easy to feel like the work you’re doing how to make friends when you work from home is less personal, and therefore less important. Find a work buddy that you can connect with and reach out to share challenges and successes, work- or non-work-related. That way, you can also continue to build work relationships even when you can’t meet each other in person.
Think about how much time we spend working, and that’s time we could spend meeting new people and making new friends. You can pick something as simple as a book club and meet with your fellow readers each week. The important thing is that you’re out there meeting new people and interacting with them. The friendships, however, went to another level when we all started hanging out in person at blogging conferences. There is nothing cooler than meeting friends, most of which you’ve met online through Facebook groups or Twitter, in person. Social capital is defined as the benefits we get from being social.
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It’s worth mentioning that building lasting friendships takes time, effort, and commitment. Keep showing up, keep engaging, and keep reaching out to people who share your passions and values. Millions of people worldwide are working remotely, and many of them are eager to connect with like-minded individuals. If you are athletic, then this is perhaps one of the best tips for making new friends when you work from home. Joining a sports team will help you not only meet new people, but it will allow you to work on key traits that are required in any friendship.
Meetup.com has many activities, meetups, and events listed in thousands of cities so you are sure to find something that sparks your interest or a new hobby you have always wanted to try. Yes, Facebook might be stale but you can still get value from the platform. Try joining Facebook groups of your neighborhood or city and attending their events or make a post about wanting to meet people and make friends. You don’t need to be a sports fanatic to get some exercise and meet new people at sporting events. Again, it’s just the act of going that can lead to social interactions and help you learn how to make friends when you work from home. Working from home can be lonely, so take advantage of local coffee shops as your office away from home.
Start going to a coworking space.
Many of these organizations are almost always looking for helping hands. From building houses to assisting the elderly, and everything in between. You are sure to find an organization to volunteer in that suits your needs. For the best results and making meaningful friendships, it’s best to volunteer at the same organization more than once. That way, faces will become familiar and you will have more of an authentic reason to strike up a conversation with someone. Not only that but when you make new friends with like-minded people who are in the same industry as you, you will get a buddy that you can bounce ideas off of.