On the hunt for work space but don’t know where to begin when looking in your area? Here are five ways to narrow down your search and find the exact spot that’s right for you so you can be productive and enjoy your work.
1. Proximity
One of the most important things when selecting a work space near you is that it’s actually near you. If you currently already rent office space, consider your commute. If you’re like millions of Americans in the workforce, you may be working from home completely. No matter your current or past work situation, give the travel time some real weight when looking for a work space.
Narrowing down the best options sometimes means making hard cuts because they’re just too far away from home. A good way to determine whether an office rental is too far from your home is to drive or commute there at the time you usually work. Conveniently for you, you’re likely already visiting any prospective coworking space for a tour to see if it’s the right fit, so plan your trip there as a test run. Is traffic terrible at the time you usually start work? A commute can really color your whole workday, so make sure it’s not a dreadful experience for you. Some folks actually like their commutes, though, giving them time to decompress after work or prepare for work mode on the way in. If you’re one of those folks, maybe a bit of a longer trip will be just what you’re looking for to give you a better work-life balance. If you’ve spent years in a home office, the morning trip to work might be just what you want!
2. Amenities
The amenities that a coworking or office rental offers its clients can make or break the deal. When you’re considering where you want to work, refining your decision based on some of the perks a work space offers is a good idea. Some places are quite spartan, giving you limited options. Maybe that works for you, but it’s not really going to turn a lot of heads or keep many clients. This can hurt you in the long run, even if the bare-bones list of offerings is what you’re looking for. Finding a place that genuinely puts care into the experience their coworkers have is important. Member benefits and amenities are one way a coworking space shows you how much your patronage matters to them.
Shared work spaces like coworking offices are often competing to attract and keep clients by providing great amenities. This usually means that you win simply by being on the hunt for a coworking space, but sometimes amenities can be totally wrong for your needs. Take, for instance, one of the best amenities we offer at Center 615: the ability to take your dog to work. While this is an awesome perk for most folks, we recognize that people with dog allergies or phobias probably aren’t the right fit for our office. This is the sort of thing you need to be on the lookout for when running down the list of possible work spaces near you.
3. Flexibility
If you’re looking for remote work spaces, it’s entirely possible your work schedule is far from traditional. Since so much of the workforce is international, your team could be spread across the country or the globe, making a 9-5 in one timezone someone else’s overnight shift. Some people are just night owls, too, finding they’re more productive in the evening or very early morning rather than the “normal” workday. Maybe your work week isn’t Monday through Friday and you need to get into the office on weekends. It’s important to see when a work space is open to its members to ensure that you’re able to work whenever you want to. Even folks on a more traditional work schedule sometimes need to dip into the office after hours or on a holiday, and having that option can greatly reduce your stress when something pops up. Look for a coworking space that’s flexible with its time. At Center 615, for example, our coworking clients have 24/7 access every day of the year. We believe that no matter when you want to work, it should be possible here.
4. Cost
Your budget is most likely at the top of the list of things to consider when trying to find a coworking space near you. Finding an office rental or desk that’s affordable for you is going to be one of the biggest deciding factors in your search. Set your budget early for an office rental or coworking membership, and weed out the options that are just too much for you. If you’re struggling to find anything that can fit your price range, you may need to reconsider your budget and make some other changes with your finances to make it work. The market for work space is big, so prices are typically competitive here in Nashville. Still, there are usually some options that can work for you. At C615, our coworking membership cost is $300 per month, and it’s month-to-month, meaning you don’t need to make a long-term financial commitment.
5. Vibes
How a work space feels is pretty important, and the vibes can be influenced by anything from the intangible feeling you get in the space all the way down to the decor. If you don’t feel comfortable or creative in your work space, it can negatively affect your mood and productivity. Finding a coworking space that suits your personality or aesthetic may not be your number one priority, but you shouldn’t ignore it entirely. Your office work space needs to be a reflection of your personality, so make sure you’re free to decorate it how you choose. Having a spot to work in that isn’t just a drab office park might be really important to you, but even if it isn’t, the bland decor can start to get to you. Center 615 is a unique and vibrant campus, and we work to make sure it’s full of character and color. Work should be fun, and the environment you work in does play a part in determining whether it’s actually enjoyable.
Refine Your Work Space Search
We hope these tips for narrowing your search for a work space have helped and made your list a bit smaller, but if you’ve got other questions, we’re here to answer them. Take a tour of our East Nashville campus and see everything Center 615 has to offer.
