The power of lonely: What we do better without other people around

I don't know about everyone else, but I do my best work alone. Of course, there does need to be a balance, and reference to others, and having others show up to confirm or criticize the work helps.

Personally I think there is way to much "social" stuff going on in our society and this is detrimental to real work and innovation taking place. But then again, the choice between bad company and no company is often real the dilemma, and the logical pick is a no-brainer in my opinion.

As someone who spends a good deal of time alone because I enjoy solitary pursuits, I disagree with the article when it claims that alone time is a form of "liberation", "freedom", and gaining "control". It's been my experience that people who use terms like these to describe their solitude don't actually really enjoy it much at all and tend to only seek this alone time as a manifestation of an avoidant personality. In other words, they don't feel happy during this time by themselves, but they seek it as a way to demonstrate autonomy within their life. They like the idea of being alone, but not the alone time itself.

On the other hand, people who describe their alone time as "relaxing", "exciting", or "interesting" truly seem to enjoy that period without social interaction.

It's really hard for me to stay motivated without other people around. But I am always more productive alone. A mix of with and without people is best for me.

First, is there a tl;dr version of the article?

To me it seems that the balance of social and alone should be to result in inner peace. This is to ultimately increase productivity in doing what you find satisfying in life.

I write code a lot at work and we plan it out in a group then move our own ways to write it with occasional instant messaging about this or that. But sometimes when I am writing I can't focus or have trouble getting myself into the problem. And from there I find that reading or talking to someone at the office can help put me at peace and ultimately help me focus on the work I have to do.

Like right now I am at work and writing this - I have a task to do to document some things but I hardly remember them and I need to do something that is going to interest me. Am I alone while doing this? Well, sure, I am available for other people to approach but I am not trying to talk to anyone.

I think the term alone is relative to our sense of privacy. If I was in a room with the door closed would I feel more alone than if I am sitting in an open office? Probably. But if I can get to a peaceful state it will probably produce similar results in my work ethic/productivity.

You sort of proved his point. Your preference for working alone is because you avoid being in a team.