Less Couch Friends, More Treadmill Friends

I was recently job hunting for the last two months. As such, I was thinking a lot about where I want to be next, who I want to be around, etc. And I couldn’t stop thinking about this idea of Treadmill Friends.

Where are the treadmill people working?

But you’re probably thinking, “What does that even mean?”

Let me explain. If you think about energy people give off, there are two buckets people fall into: couches and treadmills.

Couches: They’re boring, low-energy and generally hard to talk to. Typically you feel exhausted after spending time with them and just want to lay on the couch the rest of the day. You know the feeling.

Treadmills: They give you energy. Maybe they’re a good listener, or have great ideas. Or maybe they get your gears going and make you want to get up and run a marathon. You feel incredible after talking to them. Like you could do anything in the world.

I stole this analogy from Shaan Purri, one of the hosts of the My First Million podcast. And now, when I met new people, I categorize them in these buckets.

Obviously people have off days. But, it’s a good filter for figuring out who you want to surround yourself with.

And I used this framework when deciding which company I should join for the next chapter in my career.

Enjoy this analogy? Do me a favor. Tweet @ me and mention a Treadmill person you recently met. I’m always trying to find more high-energy people.