1. Social. Working from home works well for many people, but it can make many people feel isolated. Having other people around – even if they’re busy working on their own projects – can cut through this and make a huge difference to your day. Successful coworking spaces have something even stronger than this – a community that you can choose to be a part of as much as you want to.
2. Networking. There’s a phrase you hear in coworking circles called “accelerated serendipity”. To put it another way, coworking spaces create formal and informal opportunities to meet other people in other lines of work. For some, those new connections may become future clients or offer skills and experience that help you build your own business. Or they may just turn out to be nice people to have a coffee with.
3. Flexibility over where you work. Sometimes we need to get our head down with no distractions or noise. Other times, we thrive off the industry of those around us. In a well-designed coworking space, you should be able to choose the right place to work for any task. Not everyone wants to be stuck at the same desk all day any more.
4. Simplicity. A good coworking space should have everything you need for a productive day in one place. You turn up. You know where things are and how to get them. Simple.
5. Working close to home but not at home. Ever get that feeling after a day working from home that you can’t really switch off? Work is still whizzing round your brain without that physical journey that tells your brain it’s time to change from “work head” to “home head”. Many of us need a little decompression time to help us transition, but that doesn’t need to mean commuting for a couple of hours a day. Five minutes in the car (or even better, on your bike) is enough to switch that mindset. A coworking space close to home is perfect.