Ask HN: Do you enjoy working in a coworking space? • Hacker News Board

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

#131

Post by basilgohar » Mon, Jan 28, 2019, 8:48 PM UTC

scruple wrote: post #123

bendotero wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

> Routine trips to the grocery store, helping with the homeschooling, and brief tickle sessions help to not be isolated in my case. Doesn't that sort of betray your point that you're "at work" and not "at home?" I'm asking earnestly. I'm about to have twins and I work full-time from home, for the past 3 years and with no intention of going back to an office or to a co-working space. I am trying now to get all of thes…

As a father of 5, I see these as the exceptions that prove the rule. Aside from these moments, there are few interruptions, so he gets to pick them or manages them, just as those of us at the office also know when an impromptu visit to the store or call with family will not disrupts our work or that of others on our team. We're not robots, after all, we need to be human/parents/children once in a while during our 8 hours service.

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

#132

Post by basilgohar » Mon, Jan 28, 2019, 8:51 PM UTC

mrfusion wrote: post #77

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…

That sounds mega depressing and lonely though.

Then it might not be for you, and that's fine. We're all different. And you may manage it differently to make it not as negative for you.

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

#133

Post by basilgohar » Mon, Jan 28, 2019, 8:54 PM UTC

ecshafer wrote: post #112

robterrin wrote: post #89

Coworking spaces aren't about work. As a small business owner who uses a coworking space, my perspective is that it's about signaling that you are a real business with a business address. Working from home may work for freelancers or online only businesses, but the second you start signing contracts or having meetings, you need a professional space to be taken seriously. That said, it's incredibly hard for me to get…

At that point why not rent a small office? I don't know where you are, but small offices are usually pretty cheap. The thing that gets me about co-working space is that they are pretty expensive compared to normal office rents. The equivalent of studio apartment as an office in a building can be the same price as a co-working space.

Some coworking spaces, especially away from the city center, can be had for the cost of a cheap utility, like $30/month. That's one reason. But these are also privately run and maybe offer a step or two above a public library in terms of services. So there's a spectrum of places to get with features to match.

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

#134

Post by mrfusion » Mon, Jan 28, 2019, 9:00 PM UTC

basilgohar wrote: post #132

mrfusion wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That sounds mega depressing and lonely though.

Then it might not be for you, and that's fine. We're all different. And you may manage it differently to make it not as negative for you.

Very true. I didn’t mean to sound negative. I tried it for a while and it really wasn’t for me.

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

#135

Post by lipstone » Mon, Jan 28, 2019, 9:04 PM UTC

systematical wrote: post #94

As a full-time remote developer I looked at some co-working spaces here in Richmond, VA. I can work at home just fine, but I miss seeing and talking to people. While I could afford the $250 a month. What I was getting was a noisy environment, thats about it. I much rather put the $3,000 a year in an IRA , vacation or just about anything else. I think a meetup for remote workers once a week is probably best for me. I…

What's the tech scene like in Richmond? I'm curious because I got an offer from Capital One at the Richmond location, but I'm worried that there aren't many other companies in the area. I've never worked outside of large cities.

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

#136

Post by bendotero » Mon, Jan 28, 2019, 9:11 PM UTC

basilgohar wrote: post #131

scruple wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Routine trips to the grocery store, helping with the homeschooling, and brief tickle sessions help to not be isolated in my case. Doesn't that sort of betray your point that you're "at work" and not "at home?" I'm asking earnestly. I'm about to have twins and I work full-time from home, for the past 3 years and with no intention of going back to an office or to a co-working space. I am trying now to get all of thes…

As a father of 5, I see these as the exceptions that prove the rule. Aside from these moments, there are few interruptions, so he gets to pick them or manages them, just as those of us at the office also know when an impromptu visit to the store or call with family will not disrupts our work or that of others on our team. We're not robots, after all, we need to be human/parents/children once in a while during our 8 h…

This right here. On the occasion I go out of town to meet up with coworkers, we break to play foosball or just take a 10 minute walk outside. That doesn't mean that all we do is break. Same thing goes for family at home. With clear communication even my 2 and 3 year olds get it. Daddy is working and every once in a while he comes out to see how everyone is doing, talk for a few minutes and then back at it.

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

#137

Post by qwerty456127 » Mon, Jan 28, 2019, 9:54 PM UTC

Not really. All I want is an isolated box where I can enjoy silence and being sure nobody will ever see my screen while walking by. Sense of being watched (even occasionally) is what totally kills my productivity and silence is what helps me to concentrate. Nevertheless, as long as I'm sitting my back to the wall so nobody can see my screen and as long as there is not too much noise, friendly strangers hanging out around feel nice (kind of like a human aquarium) so I enjoy working in StarBucks during their low hours occasionally.

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

#138

Post by tracker1 » Mon, Jan 28, 2019, 10:05 PM UTC

big_youth wrote: post #88

swah wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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? :)

We still complain about open offices, the GP even said he has to use noise cancelling headphones. He likes the coworking space because he is lonely and want's a social aspect in his office space.

Agreed, I think there are benefits to either or both... I prefer to have people around, but use noise cancelling headphones when head-down coding (so to speak) and don't want interruptions.

I prefer to work in an office, because for me it isn't even family at home, it's just too easy to distract myself and be away from my desk at home.

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

#139

Post by exolymph » Mon, Jan 28, 2019, 10:05 PM UTC

I work from home most of the time and go to cafes for that "people around me" feeling. I will say that working from home has definite downsides. I spend my work time in a different part of the house from my downtime, for the most part, but there's still a weird blend of professional life and domestic life, and I find myself combining activities from both all day instead of having clear separations.

That said, I think the benefits are worth it.

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

#140

Post by fao_ » Mon, Jan 28, 2019, 11:20 PM UTC

No.

Every single time someone gets up and walks around, they are in my line of sight, and the movement distracts me. When people argue or cough or speak, it is distracting. All of that takes me out of Raphael's 'sleeping while being awake' that is when I write my best code.

The alternative is to face away from everyone else, meaning my monitor is visible to everything, which causes my brain to flip out a little bit and makes me feel like I'm being watched over, which isn't good for concentration either.

At my last job, we had a room with desks set up with monitors, and I would usually hide away there -- at least on the days I didn't work from home. Unfortunately I think my manager would look around and assume that I simply was working from home. In my opinion being present at the office is an ancillary issue that is orthogonal to what the company actually wants from me, which is effective communication and well-written code and documentation with good task-execution.