Now that I’ve been working at a coworking space for about a year, I think it’s fair to say I know a thing or two about shared workspaces. I’ve also discovered some [possibly] lesser thought of reasons to bite the bullet and finally join a coworking space.
Granted, I’m biased because I love my coworking space. I’m also an extrovert so coworking spaces are awesome for me. With that being said, here are some reasons you may not have thought of to join a coworking space.
Parties and events.
My coworking space has events for its members all the time. In fact, I smell pancakes for the Halloween brunch as I’m writing this.
From holiday parties to rum tastings, they always have the calendar full of fun activities so the members can get to know each other and actually do something together besides work. This helps you make new friends, make connections and actually enjoy working from your office.
Let’s be real here, it is difficult to do this at home. In fact, you probably don’t do this at home, which is why parties are on my list of reasons to join a coworking space.
You have coworkers without all the baggage.
One of my favorite reasons to join a coworking space is because you have coworkers without all the baggage of having actual coworkers.
I was always very fortunate to have good coworkers I got along with at my previous jobs, but as a recruiter, I would hear horror stories of what people went through with their coworkers.
The great thing about a coworking space is everyone is independently working on their own projects and ideas. You may collaborate on a project here and there but you don’t have the same boss, you’re not competing with each other for a promotion and you’re not forced to work with someone you don’t like.
I’m convinced this is why everyone is so cool and laid back. And, so much more work gets done in a coworking office rather than at home.
It forces you to get dressed.
When I’m working from home, I’m typically in sweats. I mean, who is going to go all out to look awesome if their commute is to their kitchen?
The problem with only working at home was I started getting lazy. Even when I left the house I’d probably be in jeans and a T-shirt.
While there’s nothing wrong with this, I have noticed that what you wear does affect how you feel.
Sometimes I’ll go to the office on days when I’m feeling lazy just to force myself to put on some decent clothes and get some work done.
And it works! It totally changes my mood! That’s why I consider getting dressed to definitely be one of the “lesser known” reasons to join a coworking space.
You have a separation between work and home.
Having a clear separation between work and home is definitely a good reason to join a coworking space.
I find that if I use my coworking space and call it a day at 6 o’clock, I can usually call it a day.
I don’t tend to ever be able to “turn work off” on the days when I work from home. I either get lazy and don’t put in as much work as I can or I’ll go crazy and work 14 hours straight. This is not good business or good self-care.
Do you use a coworking space? What are some of the reasons why you joined one? Do you have some “lesser known” reasons you have discovered?
