I've been working from home for about two years now (!) and honestly, I love it. I have a fabulous collection of neighbors, a Dunkin Donuts, wireless at the local library. The only thing that's ever seemed challenging is the lack of having other people around to bounce ideas off of. I'm a social gal in social media, after all!
Co-working has evolved in response to the idea that there's more and more of us out there who are working from home for myriad reasons. There's big and small cities where employees are passionate about our jobs, but we can't always be in an office. I think of co-working as a shared art studio space, or a recording studio - I don't need all of those tools/spaces all the time, but it's an amazing resource for when I need it: and a jolt of inspiration.
This week I went to a co-working event called Jelly (find one near you!), invited by my friend Brian. The Boston event was at a place called Betahouse. (frat-guy pun totally intended.) However, It's over in Cambridge, and I have an other-side-of-the-river aversion that's been costal-elite-ly-cultivated. Once I figured out that there's a cross-town bus that goes straight to Betahouse, I was in.
And surprise! I loved it. Fast wifi, an espresso machine, a quiet space, plenty of good tunes, cheap lunch nearby - what's to argue? I really encourage anyone, although it can be hard to pull yourself out of routine, to try it out. If you work at an office, try it anyway! It's one of the best ways I've found to jostle productivity/creativity - just by changing up the regular scene.
(cross posted at Vox)
Laura wrote 