8 Tips to Get the Most Out of Your Coworking Space

By 2030, coworking office space is expected to make up 30% of the commercial real estate market as people will routinely seek a place to work, connect with others, and experience collective camaraderie. There are numerous benefits to coworking like building a professional community, better work-life balance, and awesome amenities.

Of course, knowing how to work in these spaces will maximize their benefits, so we’ve put together useful coworking space tips to help you navigate your working day and advance your career in the best way possible.

Meet the Community Manager

From providing a seamless workspace to ensuring members are comfortable, there’s no overstating how crucial community managers are to coworking spaces. Beyond operations, they are valuable resources because they have knowledge of the people within the space and are informed about events and the area in general.

Outsourcing and need to know if there’s a suitable candidate in the vicinity? Looking to find out about networking events? Want to know where the closest restaurant is? Ask your community manager! Of all coworking tips, befriending the well-connected person in charge will make your workdays pleasant and provide you with a useful information resource.

Get Involved in The Community

If you’re going to work in an isolated silo every day and not interact with anyone, your experience won’t be that much different from working at home. One of the notable benefits of coworking is access to a community of highly-skilled individuals that you can network with. If you want to know how to work in a coworking space, the first port of call is to acquaint yourself with others at community events.

Most coworking spaces host community events like guest talks, workshops, and social and happy hours. Through making connections, you can exchange information with others and develop relationships with mutual benefits. Community events offer a non-intrusive way to meet others and strike up potential business opportunities.

Use The Communal Areas

A main perk of coworking is access to additional amenities like tenant lounges, kitchen and dining areas, and sometimes even rooftops bars or fitness centers. Taking a fitness class or grabbing a coffee in the kitchen lets you see other coworkers and provides the opportunity to initiate conversation.

According to Harvard Business Review, those who are happier at work invest more in their relationships. This is especially pertinent for solopreneurs who spend vast amounts of workday hours alone and who could benefit from developing meaningful relationships at their workspace.

Provide Reactive Assistance

With origins in customer support, proactive and reactive assistance are the two approaches companies use to help customers. Proactive support involves troubleshooting potential problems before they occur, whereas reactive support offers solutions only once a customer has flagged an issue.

It can be irritating for some when a colleague proactively offers help without being asked. If you want to curry favor with the community, resort to reactive helping, i.e., offering assistance only if you’ve been asked to. If someone is clearly struggling, there’s no harm in offering advice, but in most contexts, it's better to stick to reactive helping.

Set a Daily Routine

Coworking spaces can be distracting for some, and they’re more so if you don’t have a set routine and to-do list. One of the best coworking space tips we can offer to enhance your workspace is to create a plan of work for each day.  For example, some entrepreneurs won’t schedule meetings on Mondays to avoid weekend stress.

If you struggle with time management, you could adopt the Pomodoro Technique developed by Francesco Cirillo in the 1980s. It uses a timer to break work into 25-minute intervals, separated by short breaks. This method encourages people to work with the time they have, rather than against it. A well-oiled routine allows you to get better at tasks and will free up time in the long run.

Participate in The Online Community

Be sure to leverage your coworking community’s communication tools like WhatsApp groups and Slack channels if you want to find out something or broadcast valuable information. A quick “I need help with website copy” can yield fruitful results.

Maintain Composure and Discipline

We briefly touched upon it earlier, but having no cubicles can lead to distractions.

It’s easy to start conversations as a procrastination tactic, so you have to be organized and disciplined. Not only will this help you boost capacity, but also ensure your coworkers are productive too. Of course, if you are the social type, you can always schedule a mutual coffee break.

Buy Decent Headphones

Those easily distracted would do well to purchase noise-canceling headphones. Ambient coworking sounds can be annoying if your work requires deep focus. Headphones are also the universal coworking sign that you don’t want to be disturbed. Wireless headphones are a great option as they allow you to move around and work without being attached to your music player via a cable.

Before buying headphones, you want to think about their application. As a rule of thumb, the ear portion should cover at least 95% of your ears, so you can wear them for long periods. Headphones with adjustable headbands are also preferable to ensure they fit snugly but are still comfortable.

Conclusion

We hope you’ll find these tips for coworking spaces helpful in optimizing your day. If you’re looking for coworking space in River North, then check out the 620 N LaSalle Coworking Building. We’ve got a vibrant community and best-in-class amenities to make your business thrive! Call us at (312) 800 1997 to schedule a viewing!