The idea for Unoffice Hours came from Matt Webb, who created it as a twist on the traditional office hours format.
The premise is simple: you open up a slot in your calendar and let anyone book a call. No agenda, no pitching. They just show up and you have a chat. My own Unoffice Hours are available on Wednesday afternoons.
I've been offering this for several years now, and it's been one of the more rewarding parts of my week.
Dave Smyth recently reflected on offering Unoffice Hours for five years, and his observations match my own:
It's been the perfect excuse and opportunity to speak with people I'd only interacted with online. Some people have gone on to book regular-ish catchups, which has been awesome. This has led to new friendships and strengthened existing relationships.
That’s been my experience, too. I had one chap book a call from Nova Scotia after finding me on LinkedIn. We had many overlapping interests, including the work we do and the books we read. We had several more calls and now he’s joined my mastermind group, and we chat monthly about the details and struggles of being a solo business owner.
For a while now I've felt that social media pushes us toward low-quality conversation. Unoffice Hours is a small push in the opposite direction: a proper chat, and a chance to dig a little deeper.
Freelancing can be quite a lonely affair and I’m terrible at “networking”. But a good ol' chat? That I enjoy.
If you freelance and you’ve been wanting to meet more people, I’d recommend setting up your own. Dave's post has some good pointers for getting started.
And while you're here: book a call and say hi. There’s also a webring of folks offering Unoffice Hours.