Here at thinkspace, we are thrilled to offer coworking as an office space solution for our members. Just in case you haven’t heard of coworking before- it is a space designed for individual workers who are looking for a space and a community to work alongside (for more info check out the coworking wiki). Our coworking space is well equipped with desks, chairs, crazy fast internet speeds (we just upgraded to 100 mbps- woo hoo!), plenty of natural sunlight, a TV, conference room space, and all of the coffee and tea you need to stay awake! The only thing our space is missing is more people- and that’s where you come in.
You may have read about our new coworking space in one of my previous blog posts, Options to Avoid the 520 Tolls. As I mentioned before, coworking is an amazing solution for someone who lives on the Eastside and is looking to avoid his or her dreadful 520 commute. Whether it currently takes you forever to drive across the bridge, or it will begin to cost you $3.50 each way- it’s no fun. It’s time to get creative, and try some new options. In fact, King County Metro has listed thinkspace coworking as a commuter solution for avoiding the 520 tolls on their website.
However, for those of you who have the privilege (or curse) of working from home, coworking could be your new best friend.
Speaking from a little bit of experience, during my last quarter in college I completed an internship for an organization where I managed their social media efforts. Initially, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to work from home- on my schedule, in my room, and in my pajamas. However, I quickly discovered that it wasn’t as easy to get the ball rolling when you have a million distractions and all of the flexibility in the world. In addition, I disliked having the option to separate my “work” from “home” life. Also, I missed having the support of physical coworkers to run my ideas and thoughts by.
Working from home might might look a little different for you. Perhaps you love having the flexibility of a home office, the ability to spend more time with your children, and access to your kitchen pantry full of food. Or on the other hand, you could be working way longer hours than necessary due to the home office distractions that hinder your productivity. I could be wrong here, but I’m just giving it my best guess.
This leads me to my point (sorry, I tend to ramble). Coworking can be a great solution for many people. However, I truly believe that it can increase productivity for the people who dread waking up and walking to their home office, kitchen table, or simply pulling their laptop off the bedroom floor. With coworking, you can come to your desk, put in the hours, mingle with your fellow coworkers, and “clock out” for the day. Having a community of like-minded business professionals, entrepreneurs, and techies will eliminate the loneliness and isolation of a home office. In terms of working from home to save overhead, coworking won’t break your bank either.
We offer a variety of memberships that range from 3 to 15 days per month. We also offer a full-time coworking membership, which will provide you with a designated desk, 24/7 building access, and a business address. All of our pricing and options are listed on our coworking page.
Take a moment to meet Lou Holsten, who is one of our full-time coworkers. Lou is a website designer and developer who use to work from home, and he now holds down the fort in our space. Lou has designed some phenomenal websites for his clients. So if you’re interested take a moment to look at Lou’s newly launched website, acute square.
Interested in giving coworking a shot? Well you’re in luck- We are excited to offer three free days of coworking to any person who mentions this blog post. Come check us out, and try on coworking for a day.  Also, I would love to hear about your experience and opinions on working from home.