Member Katrina shares her coworking insights

The Coworking Effect

As time works its way forward, we are often shocked by how quickly it slips, drips and flies away without significant notice. I know I was when Angel told me I had been a member for close to eight months.

When I reflected on what I had been up to, I realized how my foray into coworking had made some significant changes to how I worked, thought about my work and who I worked with – and it all happened very gradually.

Learning by osmosis…

Prior to joining Cohere I was “meh” about Twitter. I felt it was not only a waste of time, but that there was no real value to be found betwixt its pages, unless I wanted to know when people were heading out for a stupid latte. After about 2-3 months hanging around Cohere folks and absorbing tons of insights, I finally began to understand its value. Now I continue to build a stronger network and presence, and have found great people to follow – which to me is the single most valuable thing about Twitter. I also learned about a lot of other great tools to help with my business through the Cohere grapevine.

Busting loose from my woman cave…

It was also nice to break out of my cave during the last eight months. Yes, I love my home office (especially now that it’s bigger than a teenager’s, clothes-filled closet). However, my office still only has me in it, and I get boring after a while. My witty (and sometimes lame) comments fall on deaf ears and my cats are totally over it at this point. So hanging with the Cohere folks keeps me socialized and my wit fresh. Plus it gives me a reason to shower and don something other than five year old pajama pants, although I would argue some of them could pass as street wear – albeit dated.

Making simple, useful connections for learning and teaching…

With Cohere in my life I also have an additional way to reach people who might care about what I have to say, do or teach. I can share what I know with folks on the fly while I am working or answer questions when others need help. I can also collect a bigger Cohere  group to help me with feedback on an idea or project. At home, the cats are never that helpful.

Through the Cohere network I also have an equal opportunity to learn from folks who wander through its doors and choose to share their valuable insights to freelancers. This is really good for me because I don’t have to seek out the information. They just show up and dazzle me with their know-how and all I have to do is pay attention.

And snacks…

Let’s not forget surprise snacks. It’s all luck of the draw, although Angel is pretty good about alerting members of snack availability. You can sample an array of homemade delights or left overs, or join in a group outing for lunch or a sweet treat. I enjoy being able to combine socializing with eating, something I rarely get to do when working at home.

So in summary…

Solid, intelligent, insightful peeps, great banter, delish snacks, useful classes and events, impromptu learning and fun all rolled into a Cohere bun. I think it’s a good way to pass along eight month’s time while writing my little heart out.