Would you go on a "Working Date?" LifeTwo's experts weigh in

Sue Shellenbarger (Wall Street Journal) writes about men and women who bring their work along with them on dates so that they can work on advancing their careers while trying to have a social life at the same time. It's a 'working date' and can be thought of as the dating version of a working vacation.

"We cook an amazing dinner, grab a little wine," says the 36-year-old Los Angeles entrepreneur. And then....? "We pull out our laptops and get some work done.

Shellenbarger notes that many single people have had trouble developing a social life because of their busy careers. Furthermore, women working overtime to match their over-clocked careers make good matches for men doing the same thing. In essence, the willingness to work during an early date becomes a form of 'compatibility test' for career-minded singles.

"Look, I'm busy. You're busy. Why don't we order in and we'll work?"

According to the article, a growing number of users of Internet dating sites are using terms like "hardworking" or "workaholic" in their profiles. These singles either want to find someone with this same trait so that they immediately have this common ground or at least to insure that they get an understanding partner for the late nights at the office or Blackberry's at dinner.

LifeTwo asked its own panel of experts--Dating Goddess, Jackie Silver, and Nina Boski--what they think about working dates. [I should note that Dating Goddess was an original source for the Wall Street Journal article and has written about them in her blog--linked below].

Dating Goddess has gone out on a number of working dates. She believes that working dates can succeed but this depends on "how you work it." For example, don't suggest a working date until you've built up trust between each other and make sure to always communicate and agree that it will be a working date before getting together. Her 7 other working date tips are available here.

Jackie Silver hadn't been on a working date but was open to the concept:

"A working date sounds like multi-tasking at its finest. In an age when time is at a premium, I think it could be an equitable solution to the problem of too much work and not enough time to socialize."

She also noted that "if you really have chemistry, I'm not sure how much work would actually get done."

Nina Boski probably wouldn't go on one if asked. Despite being called a workaholic herself, she believes that:

"life with a partner should be about trying to achieve balance. If a man said he was a workaholic who was not trying to achieve balance, it would be a turnoff. With that said, I'm attracted to successful men who usually do work, and are successful... But trying to achieve balance is KEY!"

Nina also takes a step back and looks at the motivation to work on dates beyond just keeping up at the office:

I think if working dates are what you want, GREAT. But most people hide behind work. So I don't think it's as healthy as trying to create other avenues to feed your soul. Work is one aspect.

If working a lot is done as a means to an end, then yes. However, if its your whole entire life, I think you have to look at your life a little closer. Maybe you are running from something, or you are staying in your comfort zone...The same is true for other areas in your life.

For example: Stay-at-home Moms can fall in this trap, where their entire life is about being a Mom and they don't develop other areas of themselves. I think the key in any healthy relationship is balance. But what is healthy for me, may not be healthy to someone else. ...Hey if two workaholics want to conquer the world together -- all the power to them!

There you have it. Working dates are possible but it depends on the person you are asking, the circumstances of the date, and your motivation for doing so.

Note that I worked on this post during dinner but it was not on a date.

Link to WSJ article "Dinner and a Powerpoint"

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