You’re an entrepreneur, eagerly building a business and wanting to be more productive, but don’t know how. This post will outline some of the ways in which coworking can boost your productivity and help you become more successful.
Coworking benefits have become more prominent in the past few years, and companies like Wework have shown how successful coworking can be for many people.
Even though we will focus exclusively on productivity this article, we will still highlight some of the general benefits of coworking for entrepreneurs.
One definition of “productivity” is how much someone is producing (output), based on their inputs. So if in two hours, you were once only able to write one article for your blog, my thinking is over time your goal should be to improve that.
The way I see it, being more productive means you now write the article in an hour, edit it, add photos and do some SEO for the next hour. This definition and example will form the basis of the following article.
Why Coworking Increases Productivity
- You’re constantly getting exposed to new people and new ideas. While working from home can be isolating, a coworking space is a vibrant and energetic environment. Seeing other entrepreneurs from many walks of life working on different kinds of projects provides a stream of inspiration to draw on. Additionally, you’re more able to be exposed to different perspectives merely from informal discussions with other coworkers. So for example, when I first started learning about SEO, I learned of the specific techniques being used by industry professionals from informal conversations.
- A healthier mind benefits you and your work. Often, being productive at work goes beyond just work. To continue working in a healthy state of mind, it helps being around a group of other people. Some research shows that over 80% of people feel less lonely when working in a coworking space. As we have mentioned before, the social environment in a coworking space can create the space for ideas to interact. But it is also the social events where you meet and discuss a topic, have some pizza that also nurture your mind. Such casual interactions strengthen the bonds being formed to build relationships. And these bonds can then come back to be of help in the future when you need that freelance photographer for a marketing project you’re working on.
- A community of structure and discipline. As I’m sure some of you know, working from home can be a nightmare especially for those who lack the discipline. The HBR reports that having too much autonomy can actually prevent you from being productive with work. As a result, the structure that comes from a coworking space can motivate you to keep working. For those days when you feel lazy and less motivated, you don’t want to be the odd one out watching a pointless YouTube video.
- Better awareness of where your money is going. I used Starbucks for a long time before I eventually switched to a coworking space. The reason for the switch was mainly monetary. If I was spending £10 on some of my visits to get a coffee, I thought I might as well put that money together to sign up for coworking. However, the switch was not easy. It seems getting a few hundred pounds leave your account at once every month was a bit harder than spending a couple of pounds at Starbucks every now and again. Nevertheless, once I signed up, it motivated me to be even more proactive with my first online business.
- Coworking is a great office without all the politics. Sometimes working in a traditional office can get intense with colleagues that seem to have a bone to pick with you. It can be refreshing to work in a different environment once in a while to see some new faces and engage with some new ideas.
Conclusion
As a new business owner, one of the things I often find myself needing is a community to bounce ideas off of. With coworking, you get that and more. In addition to feeling more motivated, less lonely, there is also the added benefit of being in an environment that forces you to be more structured and disciplined with your time. And last but not least, coworking is a great office without all the politics. It can be an environment that offers the fresh air you need to stay motivated. If you’re not convinced yet, seeing a £100+ leave your account at once is all the motivation you need to be more innovative with your income generation strategies.
