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This is the second half of a two-part analysis. If you haven’t already, please read last week’s Issue #003.

Last week I left you with a question: What’s your 1x a week?

More specifically, what group activity or communal gathering do you show up for at least once per week?

Is it a rec sports league? Yoga class? Volunteering? Church? The bar with the fellas?

For all the discourse surrounding the decline of third places, I find it unlikely that most people have even bothered partaking in one themselves.

American culture is obsessed with productivity, efficiency, and the self. Our technology has grown increasingly individualistic and is endlessly entertaining. Throw a global pandemic in the mix, and it's not hard not to see how just hanging around has become a lost art.

The issue doesn't lie with there being no places for us to gather, it lies with a individualistic culture that doesn’t have time for community and leisure.

There's home, there's the workplace, and there's the third place. For a lot of Americans, that third place is missing from their lives.

Here are a few reasons I can think of why third places are on the decline:

Here's the thing— none of this is stopping anyone from hanging out. Sure, there are structural issues limiting options for public places for gathering, but as I said before— the heart of the issue lies with our culture's devaluing of community and leisure.

Right around the corner of my apartment I can always find the same group of old Mexican guys playing card games. A fold-up table, few Tommy Bahama chairs, a loudspeaker, and paper-bagged cervezas. They are posted up on the sidewalk.

There are third places everywhere for those with the eyes to see.

How many parks are completely empty on a sunny day? How do people act waiting in line at cafes?

Do we need to go to the mall, why not just order everything online? Ugh I don't want to go to Jessica's thing (sorry Jessica), I already caught up with her last week!

Hanging out is not 'efficient'. It's no longer convenient to even get out of the house. We have technology to provide us with communication, entertainment and 'leisure' from the comfort of our bedrooms.

You want Americans to get out of the house and into in-person gatherings? Give them a better reason to.

But first, a brief intermission.

The natural reasons people once got together for in the past have been disrupted. There is a higher individual price to pay in forgoing the comfort and certainty of our home/work lives and screens. If we're hanging out, then we better be doing something worthwhile.

So let's get creative. What do people want out of leisure these days? I can't speak for everybody but I will— people love certainty with a little side of novelty… plus a helping of amusement for good measure.

I’m a firm believer that the media we consume reflects the underlying subconscious of our culture. Look no further than the 2024 box office as the prime example to encapsulate what I've outlined above.

Not a single original film broke the box office top 15 in 2024.

What do movie sequels and pre-existing IP provide? Certainty with a little side of novelty… plus a helping of amusement for good measure.

Now none of this is a science. It's maybe even a little Machiavellian, so I won’t expand on it much more. But there is some truth to it.

They also say to follow the money. If people are willing to spend their time and money on these kinds of movies and entertainment, it's not crazy to assume that those same values transfer to other leisurely domains.

Given the subconscious desire of the masses, where else can you think of these patterns/behaviors/values showing up?

Something worth taking into consideration at the very least.

Now, back to the program.

Like church on Sundays, community is built one week at a time. Any more often and it risks redundancy/people canceling, any less and it's hard to make a recurring habit of it. 1x a week.

The goal is connection and community. You can accomplish both in a third space, so long as people keeping showing up. It might not happen right away, but like any habit, you’ll see results in time.

So set aside some time on your schedule and find a time and place. Take the initiative to either join an existing group or bring people together at a regular cadence.

I'll let you think on these three factors and triangulate a place yourself rather than being prescriptive. It's going to vary based on where you live, what your interests are, and who your friends are.

I hope the above Effort-Expense matrix was a helpful framing for figuring out your perfect third place. If you enjoyed today’s post, share it with a friend and tell them you want to hang.

Now get out there into the world 1x a week, you. See you next Friday.

— Kyle

I essentially just did this myself. Oh well.

I’m going to host a second-degree dinner in the near future and report back. Chili’s could be the move.

This.

This newsletter isn't just my voice echoing into the void (actually it is)— it's the beginning of a conversation. And like any good conversation at a dimly lit bar, I want to hear your stories.

I haven’t heard much from the community in the past two weeks, which is understandable. I’m still new to you guys. Let me up the offer.

Reply to this email with a story and your venmo handle. I will pay you in proportion to the value of your story, and the best ones will be featured anonymously in next week's issue.

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