There's a certain grandeur in the idea of solitude. Picture Henry David Thoreau, gazing out into the blue-green expanse of Walden Pond. In our minds, Thoreau is at peace. He stares into the distance, thinking big, important ideas. Occasionally, he'll write these important ideas in a leather-bound notebook.
The Thoreau of our imagination doesn't battle with intrusive thoughts. He doesn't slap irritably at flies and wonder why he's out here. He's not caught chopping wood during a sudden downpour, cursing himself for thinking he could do this, and that maybe he should just pack it in and move back to Concord.
Thoreau was famous for valuing solitude — that time at Walden Pond produced his best-known work. But we also know that even for the most confident lone wolves, solitude can be hard — especially when your inner monologue gets involved.
As a solo founder and proud introvert, I'm very familiar with the rewards and challenges of working alone. Here are some ways to make it work for you, too.
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When you find yourself besieged by negative thoughts, try making a list of topics you actually want to think about — a problem you're trying to work through or a recent win. This is called "intentional thinking," and it's a great use of your alone time, Ethan Kross, a University of Michigan professor and author of Chatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why It Matters, and How to Harness It, tells Vox. Intentional thinking doesn't have to be a major time commitment, either — Kross prefers to combine his with other pursuits already in his schedule, like exercising.
"I'll just activate what the issue is that I want to work through, and then I go on the treadmill, and inevitably, my mind starts working, coming up with all sorts of solutions. I have lots of insights that way," he says.
