People are curious about coworking. They want a peek inside coworking spaces – thus, the popularity of free tours and online 360-degree views of coworking environments. But there’s one important thing you won’t notice right away in all these free tours.
In fact, the single most important characteristic of coworking is almost invisible until you’ve signed up for a membership and are using it for your day-to-day work. It’s the magic charm of motivation.
Coworking is surprisingly motivational – especially for former work-from-home professionals, freelancers, and entrepreneurs who find solo work to be a bit depressing. Coworking gives you a big, cheerful incentive to shed your pajamas, grab your laptop, and go someplace that gets you in the right frame of mind for maximum productivity.
Why is Motivation Such a Big Deal?
From childhood to adulthood, motivation is a bigger struggle than most people want to admit. About 40% of high school students chronically struggle to feel motivated, and this feeling persists in the adult workforce.
Only two in 10 U.S. employees feel motivated to do outstanding work. Gallup estimates that poor motivation and poor productivity cost U.S. employers between $960 billion and $1.2 trillion per year. Most of us struggle to feel excited about work. We dread the process of waking up and getting moving on a workday.
How Coworking Recharges Your Motivation
Coworking shakes struggling workers out of the doldrums. It creates a fresh routine, where you can look forward to the upbeat coworking environment and leave your regular digs behind.
For many people, this means escaping a home office that’s also home to laundry, dishes, deliveries, and well-meaning (but productivity-inhibiting) family members. Without all of these distractions, you can find new focus and start looking forward to working again.
Coworking’s positive effect on motivation is backed up by solid science. That is because it addresses 3 primary motivational factors in human psychology:
Accountability. Research shows 70% of people who emailed their weekly accomplishments to a friend met their goals, compared to 30% who didn’t. Coworking helps you stay accountable through having a membership, making new friends, and discussing your goals with like-minded professionals.
Deadlines. You’re 90% more likely to achieve a goal if you set a deadline that’s specific and challenging. Coworking easily creates built-in deadlines, like “I will have this project finished by 6 p.m. when I head home.” That’s a huge advantage over a work-from-home approach, which makes deadlines vaguer.
Celebration. Another major psychological motivator is taking breaks to celebrate small victories. When you’re working solo, this is hard to do. It feels anticlimactic, like, “Yay. I did it.” … followed by silence. But in a coworking space, you can head out to the social seating area, share successes with others, and feel a burst of pride.
Tips for Maxing Out Coworking Motivation
To use coworking for maximum motivation, try these productivity tips:
- Set coworking hours for yourself. Even if your coworking space is open 18 hours a day, don’t allow yourself to procrastinate until the final hours. Set working hours and stick to them.
- Get dressed. This one seems silly, but it’s surprisingly important to people psychologically. Instead of shuffling into the coworking space in your slippers and sweats, get dressed professionally each day. You’ll find it’s a big boost to your confidence.
- Take breaks. If you worked in an office or at home, you’d take breaks for coffee and relaxation. Don’t forget to do the same at the coworking space, because breaks are important for resting your mind and building renewed productivity.
- Find your motivational “sweet spot.” It might take a little time for you to get into the groove of coworking, and that’s totally normal. In fact, you might need to shake up some long-held assumptions about your work style. Maybe you’ve always assumed you’re a night person because you stay up late to work, but coworking helps you realize you have a burst of creative buzz in the late afternoon.
For more information about coworking, connect with Victory Workspace. We’ll help you use it effectively to get the most out of every working minute, every day.
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