The coworking movement is still rather new, with the first official coworking space, the San Francisco Coworking Space, debuting less than two decades ago. The growth that the industry has seen since the first coworking spaces opened their doors has been incredible and steadily increasing nearly every year since they started keeping track.
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There are many good reasons for coworking’s popularity. The community and connection created at coworking spaces are hugely beneficial, for remote employees, for entrepreneurs, and for artists. Coworking, by its nature, frequently increases the amount of forward momentum in its members’ lives. Here are three of the ways in which it accomplishes this.
It keeps businesses moving forward
Coworking encourages business growth at all stages of a company’s journey. The core coworking value of collaboration shines in this arena. Members of a coworking community collaborate in a number of different ways that support steady business growth, from celebrating big and little wins together to soliciting advice and suggestions for difficult business issues.
The accountability and validation that are an integral part of a coworking community can also play a big part in fostering business growth. While nobody here is inspecting your spreadsheets, keeping track of your word count, or otherwise managing your time, members can use tools like work sprints, the #todone channel on Slack, or a cotivation session to increase accountability and validation.
It keeps conversations flowing
One of the greatest benefits of belonging to a coworking community is the connections it engenders—both personal and professional. Members are often a diverse group of individuals, with very different backgrounds and career fields.
Coworking communities often host a variety of events, from small motivational groups designed to improve productivity to more socially motivated community-wide potlucks, providing ample opportunities for members to talk with one another. Conversations can include serious business discussions, appeals for recommendations, or casual chats that give us a chance to know each other better.
It keeps its members mobile
Two of the ways that being part of a coworking community helps keep its members mobile include helping to encourage physical activity, and thereby physical fitness, and facilitating the ability to work effectively when traveling.
Members of coworking communities often encourage one another to get moving. At Cohere Coworking members encourage one another by meeting up to go running, by taking energizing walks together to break up a long day of work, or by walking to nearby restaurants and coffee shops together. We even offer yoga classes for members of the community each Tuesday.
Many coworking spaces also act as allies to one another, frequently allowing members of an associated or partnered workspace in another town the opportunity to visit without a fee or for a lowered fee. You can typically contact the manager of the partnered coworking center in the town you are visiting or access a service like Deskpass to get signed up for a spot at a coworking space out of town.
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Joining a coworking space is about so much more than just the space it occupies. Coworking communities, especially friendship-based coworking communities like Cohere Coworking. One of the many benefits of coworking that is frequently overlooked includes the forward momentum that comes with belonging to a like-minded community focused on mutual success.
Penny Leigh Sebring is a Cohere member, experienced freelance writer, neophyte speculative fiction author, and gatherer of information and imaginary friends.