Work Remotely? Here’s Why Coworking Spaces Are Worth the Money

By some estimates, half of the U.S. workforce will soon work remotely. Remote work is the future of work in many ways, and coworking spaces have tapped the trend by offering office space for individuals to rent. But is a coworking space right for you?

While anywhere you work has its pros and cons, there’s a reason coworking spaces have proliferated in recent years. For many people who work from home, the benefits of these spaces far outweigh the costs. What can a coworking space do for you? Let’s take a look.

Find a Healthier Work-Life Balance

Working from home is rarely as easy as it sounds. Without an office to commute to, you lose the clear delineation between “home life” and “work life.” If you’re passionate about what you do, you may soon find yourself working absurdly long days because there’s no need to clock out.

While working hard is good, burning out isn’t. If you lose your work-life balance, you might find yourself working at an unsustainable breakneck pace. A coworking space can help you get that balance back.

When you rent an office outside of your home, you have motivation to do work at the office, and relax when you’re home. This will help you cut back on those 12-hour days and after-hours projects. Sure, you might still need to take care of some tasks at home, but you’ll be more likely to wrap up work when you leave your office on most days.

Switch into Work Mode Faster

Our brains tend to take certain sensory experiences, and associate those experiences with a specific meaning.

When you walk into an office for work, you have a specific sensory experience. You might smell cleaning supplies and printer ink, or hear conversations and the clacking of keyboards. When your brain encounters those sensory experiences, it associates them with work. This can put you in the right mindset for accomplishing what you need to do.

Without that trigger, it’s sometimes hard to switch into “work mode.” While you can usually tap the same sensation with a home office or specific work-from-home attire, a coworking space provides a fast track to the focused mindset you need. As soon as you step into the space, your brain will know it’s time for work.

Gain New Networking Opportunities

As a remote worker, you might find yourself investing lots of time into marketing yourself, growing your skills, and finding new clients. While that’s great, it’s also easy to forget your best opportunities often come from the people you know.

Making work friends might feel like a waste of time, but it’s actually one of the best ways to become more successful. The more people you know in your industry (or related ones), the more opportunities you have.

Your coworking friends can recommend their best clients, share what they’ve learned from experience, inspire you to take healthy business risks, and more. Plus, they’ll be there to commiserate when you have a bad workday.

With a coworking space, you can easily tap into a network of people who do what you do. You can use your work hours to make these connections, instead of going to separate events to seek them out.

Use a Business Address

Want to get packages and mail for your business, but don’t want to use your home address? A coworking space offers the small but valuable perk of giving you a business address.

This also allows you to meet with clients in a professional space that’s not your home office, but also not a noisy cafe. You will look more experienced, and might feel more comfortable, with a dedicated meeting space to host them in.

And if you’re starting up a business with a small team, a coworking space gives you a business address that doesn’t demand sky-high rent or long-term leases. This keeps the overhead low as you get your brand off the ground, without forcing you to work from someone’s garage.

All of that said, coworking spaces certainly aren’t essential for remote-work success. You can also build your business from home, a coffee shop, or anywhere else you work best. But if coworking spaces are in your area, don’t count them out. They offer more perks than just free coffee and fast wifi.

Looking for more remote work advice? Check out our guide to setting your rates next.