Coworking Spaces: For When You Need A Break Working From Home

8/2/2021 | By Marella Gimenez

COVID-19 drastically changed the world. The workforce has changed their setup from onsite to remote working. Remote work or work from home is one of the grandest experiments in 2020.  This setup can be both advantageous or disadvantageous to some. 

Advantages and Disadvantages of Working from Home

Advantages

Starting with the advantages, work from home saves you money from commuting to and from your office, buying food from restaurants, and the like. You may also not need to pay for monthly rental fees since most establishments are closed and we are forced to stay at our homes until the situation gets better.

The flexibility of time is also another advantage of remote work. Just like how you save money from public transportation, WFH setup saves you time from commuting and dealing with people. You also don’t need to worry about what outfit to wear every day, only at Zoom meetings. You’ll only need to wear a decent top and pajamas below!

Disadvantages

Not all glitter is gold - WFH has its disadvantages to your business. Most people experience difficulty sticking to a routine since the routine we got used to before COVID-19 is different from our online setup.

Your social skills are also put to a test during this time. After a hard day’s work, you just close your laptop and head straight off to bed. It’s hard to have face-to-face office conversations anymore during the pandemic since you’re all talking to each other on social media apps.

Working from home can also mean difficulty in creating boundaries between home life and work life. It takes a lot of discipline to get everything done because of the distractions around you - hence, you become a productivity slump. The environment at home used to be for relaxing, but now it’s also a workplace, and you can’t blame yourself for turning on the TV and binge-watching Netflix series.

Challenges of Working from Home And Overcoming Them

As mentioned earlier, there are good and bad sides to working from home. Everyone has their fair share of struggles, whether they’re professionals, entrepreneurs, or employees. Here are some of the common challenges and how to overcome them.

Time Management

Working from home means that you don’t need to set your alarms at 5 in the morning, setting your hours for work, and being as flexible as you can with the schedule because you have the whole day to yourself. But suddenly you become a slump in the middle of the day, no matter how much coffee you drink.

Avoid this problem by creating a schedule and sticking to it. You may write your schedule in a planner and time-block your day to increase your productivity. You can also create a visualization board or a kanban board so you can see it instantly when you wake up.

Distractions

The endless scrolling through social media and watching movies or series has been a struggle for most of the WFH setting. Aside from this short dopamine rush, you’re surrounded by reminders of household chores. Removing these distractions from your workspace should do the trick to keep your productivity at bay.

Socialization

People need human interaction to keep them sane. Being alone all the time and not talking to anyone may cause burnout and other problems. Video Calling with friends and family may help a little to lessen the stress and anxiety.

Working in Your Pajamas

The beauty of a WFH setup is that you don’t need to decide what clothes to wear. However, it’s a terrible idea. According to a 2012 study in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, people perform tasks better when they wear clothes with “symbolic meaning.” For example, doctors work efficiently with their lab coats.

To apply this study to good use, pick your “work clothes,” and wear them while working. You don’t necessarily have to wear professional clothes throughout the day, but it’s helpful if you incorporate your work routine with real clothes.

Work-and-Home Life Boundary

When you work from home, there is no clear boundary between your workspace and personal space and may lead to burnout for most people. To avoid this, make sure to set a designated space for work or home office.

Also, set boundaries by placing a “Do Not Disturb” sign on your room or use noise-canceling headphones. But if you really can’t concentrate at home, you can change your work location and pay for access to a coworking space. Getting paid access to coworking space helps maintain a healthy work-life balance.

What Are Coworking Spaces?

Coworking spaces are shared workspaces in a nutshell. They provide small businesses, entrepreneurs for networking, getting things done and participating in the local business community.

Benefits of a Coworking Community

This brilliant concept was introduced ten years ago, and it changed the productivity scene. Compared to traditional office spaces, coworking spaces have significant benefits for everyone.

Better networking opportunities

One of the benefits of joining a coworking space is the increased chance of meeting like-minded people in your business and more opportunities for networking. When goal-oriented people share the same workspace, you’ll get the chance to meet great businessmen, entrepreneurs, and thinkers.

Increased productivity

68% of people said that they focus better while working in a coworking space. And since you’re working with different like-minded people in a coworking space, you will most likely get a boost of productivity. Not only will you feel better, but you will also become successful professionally and personally.

Creativity boost

Coworking spaces can give you a boost of creativity. Working with different individuals gives you new perspectives. Working in a new place refreshes your mind and gives alternatives to business problems.

Easier collaboration possibilities

Coworking spaces support events, and it’s a big opportunity if you actively participate in any of them. Not only will you learn new skills, but you will also meet and interact with professionals in these events. These shared spaces with regular events help their members collaborate to have a constant workflow for all.

Cost-efficiency

Coworking spaces are 60-70% cost-effective than traditional office spaces. They alleviate the financial burden of buying or renting office spaces. Shared workspaces also already have desks, chairs, and cabinets. Lastly, traditional office spaces require maintenance and coworking saves you so much from this trouble.

Working flexibility

Another significant benefit of coworking is you can be flexible. You can book the desk you desire any time you want, and you won’t be accountable to anyone. Being flexible is one of the most important aspects of work, so changing plans without any hassle is essential in businesses.

Amenities

Having shared amenities reduces the cost of almost everything. Most coworking spaces offer free coffee, water, snacks, electricity, and even a sleeping area. This means you can have as much coffee as you want without spending so much!

Perks and discounts

Members of a coworking community are given exclusive discounts and perks. Staying at a coworking makes a better environment to have a healthy balance of personal and professional life with these offers.

Avoiding loneliness

You’ll get your work-life balance in a coworking space. Being in this place lessens loneliness, and it makes your mental health better. If you feel like you’re stressed out with work, you can go and have a chat with other workers or friends. You can also attend self-improving workshops that can boost your productivity.

Getting dressed up

If you love getting dolled up, going to a coworking space is a valid reason to get dressed! As mentioned earlier, work clothes can help boost our productivity. Most professionals also love to wear their favorite suits while in a coworking space, so be sure to jive with them by wearing your best working outfit.

The Perfect Coworking Space

Now that you’re convinced in getting a membership in a coworking space, it’s time to find the perfect coworking space. Always consider the environment of the coworking space first to become more productive and creative with your work. Next, check if the office amenities are complete and quality.

If you still haven’t found one, you may want to look at KMC Solutions. Its membership includes every benefit mentioned earlier. Signing up for KMC membership is made easy by signing up online! They also have different coworking spaces located in Manila, Cebu, Clark, and Iloilo.

Is It Worth It?

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a rise in coworking spaces globally. Overall, coworking spaces are flexible and sociable workspaces that can help your work get done. Getting a membership to a coworking space is worth every penny.

Choose KMC Solutions as your perfect coworking space. KMC Solutions is an ISO-Certified 24-hour coworking space with the largest collection of coworking spaces in the Philippines. If you want to take a look around the place, KMC offers a virtual tour on its website. KMC Solutions also offers alternative working arrangements to those who want a change of office setup.

To know more about KMC Solutions, visit our website, or you can reach out to any of our social media. Let us help you become more productive than ever!