The idea of a home office can certainly be tempting. When you’re stuck in a traditional office environment, you might start daydreaming about a home office. You think of a room in your home dedicated to your career, where you can dream and brainstorm and actually do the work of running your business without the expense and hassle of a traditional office space. Think of it: no commute, no dress code, no interruptions, no expense. It sounds amazing.
But what are the realities of a home office?
Many entrepreneurs and innovative workers have started working from home only to learn the hard way about the drawbacks, which tend to fit into two main categories: not working enough vs. working too much.
Some people struggle to actually get work done once they have set up their home office. It’s hard to consistently show up to work when work is just down the hall from your bedroom. Temptations abound in terms of getting things done around the house instead of accomplishing tasks related to your business. Family commitments pop up unexpectedly, and it turns out there are more interruptions at home than you thought possible.
On the other hand, a home office creates situations for some people where they can’t “shut off” at the end of the day. When there is no distinction between your workspace and your home, it can be hard to remember that you need downtime, and you need to be able to step away from the job. “I’ll just do one more thing before I go to bed…” turns into several hours of work that you didn’t plan on doing.
Many people have found that the best compromise between the inflexibility of a traditional workspace and the inconsistency of a home office is to join a coworking space.There are three key benefits to a coworking space that working from home just doesn’t provide.
Benefit #1: Consistency
Coworking spaces offer the kind of consistency that many of us need. You can set your own hours, but you know that space is available, and you’re not left scrambling for a place to work every day. You know what to expect from your workspace, and you can consistently get up, get ready to be around people, and go into your “office” for the day. Humans thrive on routine, and a coworking space provides way more routine than a home office.
Benefit #2: Collaboration
Many workers enjoy communal workspaces with other creative, smart people. When you share workspace, you may end up working with people in your company or field, or with people who are from entirely different industries. You might find that someone from another industry has a great idea that could help your business. People who inhabit coworking spaces are often quick to share ideas, give feedback, and work together to accomplish a shared goal that benefits everybody in the group. You’re not going to get that kind of collaboration sitting at home at your desk!
Benefit #3: Social Connections
Much of our social connections in life come from work. If you’re transitioning to a home office, you’re potentially cutting a huge portion of your social connections out of your daily life. Connecting with others is good for our mental and emotional health, and it also prevents burn-out and boredom. When you share a working space with others, you can still work independently, but with the benefit of other people nearby to talk to and connect with.
These three benefits: consistency, collaboration, and social connections, are some of the great reasons why so many people are drawn to coworking spaces.
Check out Victory Workspace for an exciting model of this kind of work. At Victory, we make room for everyone who can benefit from a coworking environment: freelancers, executives, artists, sales professionals, telecommuters, entrepreneurs, and more.
We offer both a focused and fully-furnished business environment and an inspiring community where like-minded professionals can interact, network, and collaborate.
Want to see what coworking can look like? Schedule a tour today
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