Hands up if your colleague Olivia eats your lunch, rarely cleans her desk and always struggles with the same coding skill… Now hands up if Olivia is you. And by you, I mean – you’re always the one eating your lunch before lunchtime, shuffling all your pages into an [un]organised pile in the corner of your table… and mostly feeling stuck and demotivated, unable to answer your own question.
Freelancing and being a ‘remote employee’ involves being self-motivated and can often lead to making you feel disconnected from other creative minds – and sometimes only being saddled with Olivia…
There are other options available for you if you yearn to break free from self-isolation: Coworking. For a lot of places, not at the moment – #covid19. But soon! And it’s time now to think about what kind of life you want to go back to)
‘Coworking’ as defined by Google is – ‘the use of an office or other working environment by people who are self-employed or working for different employers, typically so as to share equipment, ideas, and knowledge.’
The concept of coworking also offers working nomads other positive benefits.
Happy life, happy life!
Offering that clear divide between home and work, no matter where the latter may be, contributes heavily to the wellbeing of an individual. When you’re happy in your work situation and you don’t need to bring the office politics home with you, (or listen to the fact that Olivia spilt coffee on her keyboard again!) – You enjoy a happy life outside of working hours too.
Drawing of clear boundaries and no household distractions allows you to get you head down and focus on the task at hand.
Easy come, easy go
The costs of kitting out an entire office setup could work out pricey if you start factoring all of the elements in, let alone the costs incurred by companies that rent out large amounts of office space to which all their employees spend half a day commuting to and from, while they could have achieved the same results (if not better) working remotely.
There are huge cost-saving benefits involved in opting for a coworking space – and if the printer runs out of paper, it’s not your problem!
Lifestyle flexibility, flexible living
The option of rising and shining and hopping down to your workspace that is ideal for your lifestyle and business, instead of listening to your next-door neighbour’s dogs yapping all day long couldn’t be more heavenly.
Also if you’re not one for dress codes there’s yet another plus. An environment that frees you to dress for your mood and creative flair contributes to your confidence – a win-win situation.
Collective minds, collaborative minds
Across the continent working nomads spend their days coexisting in these coworking spaces, preferring the benefits that coworking offers, challenging the traditional office/ home set up. New opportunities are negotiated, alliances are formed, knowledge is shared and friendships are forged… Even Olivia made a new friend – Lola, who has great ORDBMS coding skills, just what she was looking for!
So what makes these coworking hubs a success?
While there is a lot of responsibility placed on the word ‘self’, and it can be viewed as a lonely term –
Self-employed
Self-disciplined
Self-organised
Coworking challenges the ‘self’ form by building a sense of community and responsibility among these self-starters. Sparks are triggered between individuals, all talented within their right, yearning to make those meaningful connections resulting in a combined collaborative effort.
