Freelancing is a great way to define your hours, choose the work you want to do, and remain independent in a world where control is not always easily maintained. So if you’ve found yourself in a stable freelance position, you might be getting tired of working from home. Here’s how coworking spaces can help and actually improve your freelance work.
Defining a Coworking Space
What is a coworking space for freelancers? Coworking spaces have existed for many years now, but as remote and freelance work opportunities have grown in recent years, so too did the need for coworking space. A coworking space is a lot like a gym. You pay a membership fee, use shared equipment and facilities, and can spend as much or as little time there as you’d like. However, coworking spaces offer so much more (and many actually have fitness centers in them, free of charge as included amenities). A coworking space is a place to meet new people and grow your business. You can socialize or spend time by yourself. You can make use of on-site meeting rooms when talking to clients in person in order to make the best impression. Coworking spaces are unique locations that bring people together with a common goal: getting work done and doing it well.
Five Reasons to Freelance in a Coworking Space
1. Increase Productivity
Working from home is great for many of us, but it’s admittedly hard to focus at times with life going on around you. Most of us don’t have the space to have a dedicated home office where work gets done completely free of distractions. With a coworking space, you can expect a far better experience when it comes to your productivity. Being in an environment with other people getting things done is excellent motivation, whether you notice it or not. For many, it’s partially subconscious. When you see other people doing work, your natural competitive urges may kick in. For others, the inspiration of seeing others work hard is enough to motivate you. Whatever your motivation, studies have shown that people are far more productive in coworking spaces than at home.
2. Separate Work from Home
Coworking space for freelancers is readily available, but it might still be hard for you to want to leave home. It’s fair that you feel comfortable working from home, but is the maximum comfort that home brings good for your work? And is working from home really good for your work-life balance?
Many studies have shown that a healthy work-life balance is important to productivity and overall happiness, both in and out of work. By balancing your time spent at work and the time spent at home, you may notice things improving in all areas of life. For many people, working from home is a relatively recent change brought on by COVID-19, but freelancers may have been working from home for over a decade at this point. You may not even remember the different headspace that working away from home can provide and how that benefited your work all those years ago. It’s certainly not the case for everyone, and some studies do point to the opposite being true for many people. Remote work from home or in an office both have their perks, and the benefits vary from person to person.
3. Break Up Your Day
Maybe you hated your commute to work. If that’s the case, your commute from your bed to the laptop is much shorter and easier. But cabin fever can set in and get to you, even for the biggest working-from-home evangelists. Having to head into a coworking space, even only on some days, can help bring a sense of structure to people’s days, especially if those people previously worked in an office setting. Humans are creatures of habit, so it’s no wonder that new freelancers may find themselves craving an office. Having a buffer between work and home, a physical and temporal distance, can give people the time to adjust their headspaces in preparation for work and when they’re heading home at the end of the day. Plus, as freelancers can attest, you sometimes don’t leave the house all day when you’re working from home. Giving yourself a physical destination can help get you more prepared for work, and you might also eat something other than a PB&J for lunch!
4. Network
When you’re a freelancer, you’re always looking for new opportunities to improve your resume, grow your experience, or just make more money. The best coworking spaces allow freelancers to congregate in one place and collaborate with one another. Networking is important in any job, but it can be difficult for freelancers. Chances are you aren’t connecting much with the people who work full-time for a company that you freelance with, and that’s okay. Meeting other freelancers or small business owners from all across your city might be the best way to branch out professionally.
5. Have New Experiences
Freelancing is a great way to dip your feet into new industries and experience new things, but actually doing something new isn’t always easy when you’re freelancing. If you’re searching for “coworking space near me” and you’re in the Nashville area, it’s time to learn about Center 615. At Center 615, a conveniently located coworking space in the Five Points Neighborhood, you can do freelance work in an exciting office setting.
Don’t let the word “office” fool you. We’ve got amenities like free gigabit fiber internet, fitness and meditation/nap rooms, free coffee and tea, and more. As far as commitment goes, Center 615 couldn’t be more upfront and easygoing—but we try! Coworking space can be rented month to month, with no lease or contract. Cancel at any time if your work changes. If you want to get a feel for coworking just once or for a few days to test the experience, you can try one of our day passes. If you aren’t sure what you want out of a coworking space, whether it’s a designated desk or a drifting desk so that you’re in a new place each day, a day pass is just $25 a day and can help you determine your needs before committing to a month.
If you’re looking to get out of your home office as a freelancer, you won’t find a better option than a coworking space. And if you’re in or around Nashville, consider Center 615 your office away from home. Don’t hesitate to give us a call if you have any questions or to schedule a tour of our campus.
