Working from Home vs Coworking
Sunday, September 11, 2011 at 6:45PM 
Laura from YourLaura.comWorking from home can seem like a luxury in the world of self-employment. It definitely has its pros - you can choose your own hours, avoid the hideousness of public transport and even have the odd lie-in. It’s cheap and likely to be quiet if you need or prefer to work in a peaceful environment.
The problem is though, when the novelty of Jeremy Kyle, too many biscuits and not getting dressed until 3pm every day wears off, working from home can be distracting and unproductive. For me, the first few weeks of working from home in my pyjamas was great. After two months I hated continuously working alone, was becoming stuck for ideas, completely out of sync with a work/life routine and generally feeling a bit uninspired.
I heard from a friend that coworking can be a good solution for freelancers or self-employed folk like myself, so I tried Rentadesk. Whilst it doesn’t seem very business savvy to be forking out extra cash on something that isn’t really necessary, it can actually be hugely beneficial to your business. And your sanity. You get all the luxuries of an office – a desk, a kitchen, the odd boozy Friday night; if you’re lucky - an office hottie - but also retain your independence. Overall, my work time is definitely more productive because I feel like I’m ‘at work’.
Also, you’re probably going to be surrounded by likeminded people who you can network and brainstorm with and potentially work with in some form. Who knows, if you’re really nice you might even make some friends.
Of course, it all depends on the nature of your work, your situation and your business/work objectives, plus the type of person that you are. If you’re not a fan of people, coworking probably won’t be for you. Then again if you find it difficult to network in the traditional sense, it could be a good way to get you speaking to people in a more informal environment and make some great contacts. If nothing else, it encourages you to get dressed at least 5 days a week. Working from home can definitely lead to one becoming sartorially sloppy. And I speak from experience.
What are your experiences and thoughts on working from home versus co working?
coworking, working from home
Reader Comments (2)
Hi Laura You make some valid points. Working from home has benefits, but there has to be discipline in dress and attitude. I am lucky enough to have a purpose-built office as part of the house. It is a haven away from the rest of the family – that is essential. Working for yourself in this environment enables being in touch with your children – essential to their upbringing, I believe. There are significant cost savings, working hours are productive and you can start and finish when you like, without having to factor in travel time – that can be used for early morning exercise. Then shower and at your desk by 9.30. Networking, though, is essential to get out and about.
I very much agree. Although working in a home environment is cost effective, its also hard to get motivated to do work so working with likeminded people increases productivity a lot.