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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?

#101

Post by dopeboy »

I've been working out of a co-working space for the past six years. Pros:

* It's a physical space away from home. That helps create a mental separation which helps me focus.

* You're around people in the same grind as you. When I was working on a startup, I could share war stories with other founders.

* Leads - when I started consulting, I got my first couple leads from others in the co-working space.

* Signaling - if you're a business, it's important to signal that you run a professional establishment. Sometimes I'll book a meeting room with a new client at the space just to signal this.

Cons:

* They can be noisy, especially if you are around sales folks. I've only been to open seating spaces however so my view is limited.

* They can be costly. I lucked out here - I used to pay $400/month for a dedicated desk in NYC and I pay $150/month now for a floating desk. These prices are way below the norm for the area.

All in all, worth it IMO.

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

#102

Post by Kurtz79 »

ndnxhs wrote: post #25
ordinaryperson wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a cafe customer however it's irritating that you're taking up space for someone who'd like to sit down and drink their coffee. Or to put it another way: you're saving yourself money but (potentially) at the expense of the cafe owner who loses walk-in customers b/c his place is filled with barely-paying squatters.

I have heard libraries are the perfect working places for when you want to get out of the house. You don't have the pressure to keep buying stuff and they usually have plenty of space.

I have always used libraries to study at university and they would be my first approximation for working remotely, if I ever do it.

Free, silent, no pressure for buying a coffee or having to leave your spot for other people.

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

#103

Post by soheil »

I work from home office. I used to live in SF in a 1-bedroom. I decided to move 30mins outside of the city get a 3-bedroom, 3-bathroom house with a backyard for nearly half as much rent. I turned one of the bedrooms into a gym. The office has its own bathroom so I never have to feel like I'm home by having to go to the bathroom downstairs.

My first though was before starting my startup to move out of SV somewhere cheaper, like Utah. But the idea came to me when I was searching properties online if you go 30-45mins outside of SF you gain most of the benefits of moving out of SF ie. lower rent, more open spaces, etc. and with little to no cost ie. losing proximity to SF, I'm a quick drive away, now where as if I lived in Utah I'd have to book a flight every time and probably wouldn't meet with any people, visit companies etc.

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

#104

Post by bilifuduo »

I currently work in an open-floor office in a Wework. Yes, it is distracting at times, especially since I know other people in the Wework and we often have spontaneous conversations.

However, I like it much better than working from home because I want to completely separate my work and home environments. This way, I can develop a different mindset in each environment, as opposed to a weird hybrid of always-relaxing/alway-working if I try to work from home. Also, I'm the type of person that simply can't focus at home because:

1. it's too quiet 2. there's always a couch/bed for a "quick" nap 3. there's always an excuse to do household things instead of work

On the other hand, I know the moment I get into the office, #2 and #3 aren't possible and there are other people working their butts off, and that's helped my productivity.

Granted, I think a majority of research on open-floor offices actually shows that it's detrimental to both productivity and socializing: http://find.xyz/map/effectiveness-of-open-floor-plans.

Maybe I'm just the exception (or maybe I'm just fooling myself into thinking I'm productive), but anecdotally I'd say working in a coworking space has been a net-positive for me.

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

#105

Post by puranjay »

I'm shifting to a coworking space after working from home for the last 5 months. I've worked in co-working spaces and my home intermittently for the last 3 years.

I've found that working from home for too long tends to build "cabin fever" in me. I start itching to get out of the house on weekends and meet some people.

I don't like co-working spaces, especially since the ones near me don't have quiet private offices. And I still haven't gotten around to the awkwardness of the "community" meetups where everyone puffs up and exaggerates what they do.

But as for now, that's the only alternative I have to working from home.

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

#106

Post by sudosteph »

bendotero wrote: post #92
isostatic wrote: post #56

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…

I've worked from home for 11 years. Wife and I established from the beginning that we cannot treat it as if I'm "at home". I now have 7 children. Occasionally there are some disruptions, but generally speaking, if you layout the ground rules early, it doesn't have to be a problem. Routine trips to the grocery store, helping with the homeschooling, and brief tickle sessions help to not be isolated in my case.

Yep, my Mom worked from home fairly often when my sister and I were growing up, and it was actually a really positive experience overall. We learned early on how to respect her boundaries (ie, keep noise levels reasonable, pass notes if we need something when she's on the phone and wait patiently for her to write back) and she communicated to us frequently, ie - letting us know when she was going to have a particularly long call or when she was planning on finishing up so we could help her get ready for dinner. We weren't home schooled though, so it was just typically afternoons after the bus dropped us off (3PM - 6PM) or during the summer / school holidays, so that probably made it more bearable.

I actually think in some ways, the time I spent overhearing her interact with coworkers - especially on conference calls where she often used speakerphone, was really helpful to my professional development. I learned all about setting a professional tone, call-muting etiquette, getting people's attention, and voicing disagreements in a professional setting long before I ever stepped into an office.

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

#107

Post by puranjay »

dejv wrote: post #41
fergie wrote: post #26

I've tried these 3 things: 1) Having my own office: PROS: no disturbances CONS: (even) more expensive than you might think, especially once you factor in heating/internet/coffee. Kind of boring with absolutely nobody to talk to and nothing going on. Can be a bit weird to invite people over. 2) Working from home: PROS: easy to get to work CONS: more distractions than you might think, especially if you have a family wi…

I do work from home and am father of two small kids (3 and 1 years), both kids and my wife are stayign at home. From the begining we set strict rules: my office is off place: nobody except of me can go inside, kids are taught that when I am inside I am not home and they just can't see me. I am also not going inside my office outside of my business hours. With those rules in place it feels like having office outside w…

How do you get around the problem of not leaving the house? I find that the biggest reason I go back to co-working is that it gives me an excuse to walk to the metro station and just be in the open air.

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

#108

Post by threwawasy1228 »

pokstad wrote: 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...

I also do all my working from the local university library. I have a very hard time concentrating from my home office because being in the house can become too distracting. I never have a hard time motivating myself to get up in the morning and go to the library, it is really nice to walk the mile there each day.

I just don't see the co-working space as necessary, and since the library provides almost the exact same amount of services for free I really can't justify it. I have considered paying for a private office, but it kind of feels silly to pay for something that is halfway between and office and a library. If you really need to get a office with an address, just go all in and rent an office!

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

#109

Post by dazc »

The problem I have found with co-working spaces is that most people manage to work without causing disturbance to others but there are always one or two people who's sole reason for being there seems to be the exact opposite.

The biggest offenders are the one-man call centres with the hipster startup crowd coming a close second.

Ironically, there is always a clause in the agreement about not causing a disturbance but, in my experience, it's never enforced.

I was fortunate once to get an office in an architect's studio in Spain for 120 euro a month, everything included. He simply had too much space and was happy for someone else just to make a contribution to monthly overheads. Although I could work behind a closed door it was nice to have the odd casual chat and to have someone to say good morning to.

Unfortunately, he owned the whole building and decided to update the lift and staircase (we were on the top floor) and after 4 months of banging a drilling with no sign of progress I simply lost patience and left.

So yeah, a private office is ideal but it isn't always the end of your problems.

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