At a glance, working from home seems like the ideal choice for anyone; with the power of setting your routine to suit your lifestyle and being able to work in your pajamas without people throwing perplexing glances at you. But that is as far as the fairy tale goes. While it may be cheaper to work from home with the freedom of doing what you want, the cons still outweigh the pros.
Coworking is quickly turning out to be a better option for freelancers than working from home. There are numerous opinions about it, but let’s take a look at the main ones:
Discipline
There is a particular quirk about us humans: we work best when we’re in an environment where other people can see what we are doing. If you are at home, there are certain distractions that steal your attention from work. A friend may pop in and just like that, you end up procrastinating your job for some minutes or even an hour. Coworking provides you with a working environment. The atmosphere itself motivates you to work since others are doing the same.
Separate Work from Home
Working from home gives you the option of setting your hours. However, you may end up overworking yourself since you’re in the comfort of your house. You understand that your bedroom is just a few meters away and tomorrow you’re still going to do the same thing.
A coworking space allows you the separation of your work life from your home life. After retiring from the office, you will get back to your house tired and wanting to relax. This is a healthier work cycle rather than sitting in your home working for hours on end.
Routine
When you rent a coworking space, you have a work routine. You know that for a certain period (office hours), you’ll be doing a particular task. You create a schedule for your daily life around your working hours. It, in turn, will become a routine where you know Monday to Friday are working days, and you set aside the weekends for your social activities. At home, however, there is no separation. The time you worked yesterday will not be the same that you put in today thus disrupting your work ethic.
Knowing these factors, it may be best for you to work from a coworking space where you can be more disciplined, separate your work from your free time and get into a good routine.
Social Interaction
Working from home can be lonely. You are isolated from the outside world. Working in an environment where you engage with other like-minded people can boost your self-esteem. You can make small talk with someone else and even go out for a lunch or drinks to give yourself a break from work. Although everyone is working on their own, most people who are here are freelancers like you. It is a social workspace. It will build a community bond, fostering a relationship that you can tap into when having an
issue.
Networking
Most of the people that you will end up sharing the office space with are probably in the same industry as you. Through talking to people, you will find yourself getting projects or referrals to job openings. Working from home, however, does not give you a chance to meet people. Networking is an essential aspect of any career; essay writers are proof of this. When you are in a coworking space, people will come and go, and each one of them has their connections which they won’t mind sharing if you know
how to ask.
Professional Image
If you have kids at home, this is not an ideal environment to go about your business. Inviting a prospective client to your house to pitch your work to them may look unprofessional to some. A coworking space, however, gives you a serene environment where you can make your calls and host your business meetings. Some offices even provide a secretary who can receive packages on your behalf or usher in your guests. It gives a professional outlook for your business.
Office Supplies
Home Office
A coworking environment provides you with the necessary stationery that you require. From photocopy machines and printers to conference rooms at a low price. If you are on your own, purchasing these items will be costly.
Human Resource
If you have a project that needs more than one person, a coworking space provides you with numerous people. The average number of workers in a coworking space was 129 members in the period 2011-2017 according to Statista. You can also bounce ideas with your office mates and receive immediate feedback from them.
Motivation
Working in an environment where you see other people being serious about their work serves as a motivator for a person. You will be inspired to work hard as well since there are ambitious people who surround you in the office.
