Coworking 'Case Studies'

An article published by Raj Dash @ Bootstrapper outlined a number of benefits and hazards of working from home. This seemed like a perfect cue for a number of case studies to show why, and how, coworking works.

The base for this content was copied from the post, so any similarities between them are credit to Raj & Bootstrapper.

• Keep Flexible Work Hours
  • One of the greatest benefits to working from home, be it for yourself or as a remote employee, is the flexibility to keep the hours flexible. For those of us who work for ourselves, we work when the work needs to be done. As a remote employee, you’re a bit more committed to the timeframe that your office dictates. Either way, though, you’ve got more flexibility with the start and end of your day. Coworking allows, and encourages, you to work when you are inspired. Hopefully, the inspiration happens more often than not now that you’re surrounded by the energy and buzz of a bunch of other people excited about the work they’re doing, too.
• Comfortable work clothes
  • When working from home, I’m absolutely guilty of working in my pajamas until noon and showering right before the client meeting. This kind of behavior is hard to curb when there’s nobody to present yourself to.
  • On the other end of the spectrum, putting on a suit and tie every morning isn’t for everyone. Being able to dress comfortably does help keep me motivated. While there’s no designated dress code for most coworking spaces, you can dress comfortably without staying in your underwear until after lunch.
• Time for personal tasks
  • Like the point on the flexible work hours, your time is your time. You can come and go from a coworking location as you need, with no boss watching over your shoulder. At the same time, though, since you aren’t at home you are able to easily designate “work time” and “personal time”...keeping you more productive when your focus is on either.
• Quality Time
  • It would seem that when you get away from your home your ability to spend quality time with family, pets, etc would lessen. In fact, it should increase because as stated in the previous point, you can more easily designate time to spend on work. At the end of the work day, you can come home and leave work at work, instead of having it sit on the coffee table and distract you from the quality time you should be spending with loved ones.
• Higher net income
  • This seems a little counter-intuitive, considering working from home costs $0 extra beyond rent you already pay, and coworking in most scenarios costs at least some money. Consider, however, the increased productivity of working in a collaborative environment. Your ability to better use your time translates into more income. Also, your ability to take on work that you simply could not as a solo freelancer allows you to increase your net income. In the case of Independents Hall, freelancers are already collaborating on each others projects and accomplishing bigger things than they could have alone.
• Combat expanding work hours
  • As suggested in the point about “quality time”, I know that I’m often guilty of working long beyond the end of the business day. While many of my clients appreciate my high level of accessibility, and dedication to their work, they also know that I SHOULD have a real life. By putting the divide between work and play space, coworking helps you keep work within the workday.
• Avoid slacker temptations
  • in progress
• Productive distractions
  • in progress