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Ask HN: Do you enjoy working in a coworking space?

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Re: Ask HN: Do you enjoy working in a coworking space?

#71

No. I work remote, and I tried all four co-working spaces in my current city after I moved here a few months ago, and didn't like any of them. I decided on just buying a desk and chair. The biggest issue is that they're all open plan and all of them have music playing all the time, both of which suck. One of them had private offices as well, but they were tiny and window-less and didn't have height-adjustable anythin…

I've tried and failed to picture myself in an open plan. I realize in my cube when I'm debugging something hairy I talk to myself, swearing at the hardware and my mistakes and life. For my own sake and those around me I really need to be in either an office, a soundproofed cubical with tolerant cow-workers, or an asylum.

Re: Ask HN: Do you enjoy working in a coworking space?

#72
I was searching for a new coworking space, and in the process learned that a very large library with gigabit internet existed near me. I love going to this library to work! It has cool water features that mask the noise and they even have dedicated sound proof study rooms I can rent for calls. Check out the awesome funky 70s style architecture: https://www.google.com/search?q=huntington+beach+central+lib...

Re: Ask HN: Do you enjoy working in a coworking space?

#73
post #45

I've been a solo dev for about 7 years now, these are my findings: # Working from home ('free') Working from home is great for about 6 months, then isolation kicks in and the divide between work and relaxing disappears. Given my situation (single, no kids) I quickly become very lonely. A separate in house office helps for a separation between work and not-work, as long as you have the discipline not to use your offic…

So we complained about open offices back in the day, but compared to isolation, most people end up going back to a big open space with humans talking? :)

Re: Ask HN: Do you enjoy working in a coworking space?

#74
No. I tried it and it was no different than working in an open office. So I either work from home or I work in a space I rent with three fellow consultants. $500 with all utils in a walkable city and decent food nearby.

Why would I want to deal with the same open office problems? Smelly perfume, still loud with headphone and nosy people.

Re: Ask HN: Do you enjoy working in a coworking space?

#75
post #72

I was searching for a new coworking space, and in the process learned that a very large library with gigabit internet existed near me. I love going to this library to work! It has cool water features that mask the noise and they even have dedicated sound proof study rooms I can rent for calls. Check out the awesome funky 70s style architecture: https://www.google.com/search?q=huntington+beach+central+lib...

Wow, that's better than a coworking space. You're fortunate!

Re: Ask HN: Do you enjoy working in a coworking space?

#76
Every open office plan or cowork office I've been in has made it almost impossible (coming from WFH) to concentrate and get things done. Having people visit to natter over things and the potential for shoulder surfing, surveillance, traffic capture drives me nuts. If you are an SA or working with private data cowork or public settings are not really an option.

Re: Ask HN: Do you enjoy working in a coworking space?

#77

Nah, I just work from home, you don't need a lot of space. The smallest room we have (about 2m x 3m), which has a desk (couple of monitors, desktop, etc), a view, a door, a small rack (nothing particularly noisy), couple of cupboards, printer, and a pull down single bed for when mother-in-law stays the night. So much more productive than if I go into an office and try to work, or try to work from a cafe or train. Abo…

That sounds mega depressing and lonely though.

Re: Ask HN: Do you enjoy working in a coworking space?

#78
Depends which ones. I like the smaller, casual, work-focused but friendly ones. Also flexible hours and not having events / meetups / parties is important.

Pricing-wise, from experience, the most expensive are rarely the best ones. Sometimes the free section of the coworking space is somewhat better than the paid section even (depends on a lot of factors, it makes it much easier to work with other people).

Re: Ask HN: Do you enjoy working in a coworking space?

#79
post #72

I was searching for a new coworking space, and in the process learned that a very large library with gigabit internet existed near me. I love going to this library to work! It has cool water features that mask the noise and they even have dedicated sound proof study rooms I can rent for calls. Check out the awesome funky 70s style architecture: https://www.google.com/search?q=huntington+beach+central+lib...

Yes! There are a few others that are also good, like the one on Santa Monica. I think overall these tend to be better than co-working spaces.

But at the end of the day, it boils down to accountability. I realized it is actually really hard to stay focused and motivated to meet your goals when you have so much freedom.

What I mean is that by you actually paying for a co-working space, it creates accountability and the fact that you are paying it, forces you to go. It is a mind thing and that is a value you can’t ignore.

So it’s a catch-22.

Re: Ask HN: Do you enjoy working in a coworking space?

#80
I work from home most of the time and sometimes from this coworking space: https://www.instagram.com/hafven/

I find myself more productive when working next to other people, from time to time. One of their coworking offices is for quiet working only (no talking) and it’s easy to focus. I also get in touch with a lot of interesting and motivated people, in particular from startups, which is also a motivation for me.

Edit: I think it boils down to two things: being and staying motivated and getting in touch with people. And I think the building is gorgeous!

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