There’s no doubt about it: there’s nothing quite as incredible as being able to work where and when you want.
Whether you’re self-employed or you work remotely for an organization, the flexibility you get in your daily life is unparalleled. You can work from home, from a coffee shop… even from a park in the sun if you wanted to!
But this also comes with its fair share of challenges: namely, not having a formal office space at your disposal.
Here are the 8 most common pitfalls of not having a formal office space.
1. Distractions
Let’s be honest: we can’t all be focused all the time. But when working from home or from a coffee shop, the distractions are endless.
At home, it could be the distraction of household chores. At a coffee shop, it could be the hustle and bustle and chit-chat happening around you. At a park or some other outdoor space, it could be something as small as the glare on your screen.
One of the biggest benefits of a formal office space is that it gives you a formal environment where you can dial into work mode and minimize distractions.
2. Lack of Tools
When it comes to professional tools, there are things in an office that you don’t miss until you need them and realize you don’t have them.
This could anything: a printer, a scanner, a projector screen. Even things like envelopes or a stapler might be tools you suddenly realize you need but don’t have.
With a formal office space, like a coworking space, you have every imaginable business tool at your disposal on-demand. That way, you never have to find yourself in a frustrating bind again.
3. Less Professional Appearance
Here’s the truth: if you ever need to host a meeting with clients, hosting them at a coffee shop or at your home office simply diminishes your professional appearance.
Even being on a Zoom call and having a coffee shop or a home office in the background can take away from your professional appearance.
Having a formal office, or at least having access to professional meeting space when you need it, can go a long way in helping you project a professional appearance to the world.
Even having virtual services, like a professional address and phone services without taking on a full-on office, can help bolster your professional appearance.
4. Costs and Expenses
Working remotely comes with a high number of costs that you might not consider at the outset. This includes actually purchasing hardware and software for your office, like chairs and desks, as well as the cost of the services you need to run your business, like WiFi and a phone line.
Coworking spaces offer all of these costs bundled into one membership fee. And because you’re sharing these costs with a ton of other professionals, that means you’re benefitting from economies of scale that you simply wouldn’t have on your own.
5. Loneliness
One of the biggest challenges professionals face when they work remotely or from home is a sense of loneliness and isolation. After all, being in an office offers eight hours per day of human connection.
This is something that often lacks when you don’t have an office space to go to. So, sometimes, being part of a strong professional community can be a big enough incentive to find a formal workspace for your business.
On the other hand, if you have a team of remote colleagues, having an office space can provide you with the opportunity to collaborate in-person rather than in your living rooms or via video conferencing, whether it’s part-time or full-time.
6. Not Enough Space
For many professionals, working from home means working in a smaller space–or even at your kitchen counter.
And for people who work from other locations, it can sometimes be challenging to even find a seat.
This is the last thing you need when you’re trying to drill down and have a productive workday. You want to be able to simply sit down and get to work in comfort.
With a formal office space, you’ll never wonder where you’ll be working that day. You’ll just sit down, take a seat, and knock your workday out of the park.
7. Sanitation and Cleanliness
Tidiness and a lack of clutter are good for productivity at the best of times. But sometimes trying to juggle cleaning your home office with your workday can be a pain.
When you add the COVID-19 pandemic into the mix, suddenly the idea of sanitation and cleanliness takes on a whole new level of importance.
While you do your best to manage these factors at home, working in a public place makes it much more challenging.
But with a coworking space, you’ll be able to take comfort in knowing that the space will constantly be tidied and, more importantly, will be sanitized frequently for your protection.
8. Tech Problems
Ever had your internet go down and not known how to fix it? Next thing you know, you’re on the phone with your service provider for three hours growing increasingly frustrated as you lose valuable hours from your workday.
With a formal office space, you’ll get a tech specialist who deals with issues, sometimes before you’ve even realized they’re happening.
The value of avoiding that headache can’t be quantified–but if you’ve ever found yourself in a jam like that, you know just how valuable it is.
Don’t get us wrong. Working from wherever you want is incredibly liberating and can offer unparalleled freedom.
But it also comes with its own unique challenges which can be equal parts frustrating and detrimental to your productivity.
Want to learn more about coworking and flexible office space and if it makes sense for your business? Get in touch today.