🖊 This article was last updated on April 22, 2020
Being aware of the importance and the benefits of a co-working space is essential for your success. Whether you want to improve your productivity and performance without spending a lot of time socializing or build a solid professional community, you need to design and create a personalized approach that will help you get the most out of your co-working space.
In most cases, such spaces are made available for entrepreneurs, freelance workers, and small businesses so that they can share knowledge, work together on projects and brainstorm ideas to enhance creativity, support and innovation.
However, you’ll agree with me that being around other energetic and vibrant people can have serious effects on your productivity. So, how can you enjoy the benefits of such a space whilst improving your productivity and performance? Today, we are going to answer this question by sharing the most effective ways to stay productive at the co-working space. Let’s get started!
1. Be accountable
It’s easy to get distracted when you’re working around other people. And this will hurt your levels of productivity and performance. To avoid this, you have to be disciplined. Self-discipline is the only thing between you and your goals.
You need to plan your day the night before or the first thing when you wake up in the morning. Write down all the tasks you have to work on during the day. Next, prioritize them in order of importance to avoid spending a lot of time on low-priority tasks.
As you complete them, tick them off. Do not go home until you’ve completed all of them. If the tasks require a lot of time to complete, consider breaking them down into manageable chunks. Discipline is the one thing that will guarantee your success in the future.
2. Take a break
Similar to the body, the mind needs time to rest and recover after concentrating on a task for several hours to produce high-quality work. A research study conducted recently found that people who concentrate on their work for 52 minutes straight require a 17-minute break. You need to figure out what works best for you. In general, your mind can concentrate on something up to ninety minutes. After the session, you should take a short break.
A break doesn’t necessarily mean sleeping for thirty minutes or going to the mall. It’s all about stretching and moving around the office. You can also meditate or bask for a few minutes.
Remember, you have to reset your mind every once in a while even if you don’t feel like it to improve your level of productivity and performance. As an addicted worker, it will be easier for you to work than take a break. However, taking a break is not only essential for your productivity but also your mental health.
3. Reward yourself for exceptional work
When you complete a task or surpass your targets, it’s important to reward yourself. By rewarding yourself, you’ll be encouraging yourself to work harder and longer in the future. Even if you managed to complete a few milestones, reward yourself. It’s important to celebrate the small wins. A big win is just but several small wins combined.
You can reward yourself by watching a good movie, going for a vacation or road trip. Rewards make working hard easier. While rewarding yourself with expensive material things is great, it’s important to invest in experiences. Material possessions will bore you after a while. But experiences will make you happier.
4. Plan to avoid failing
In a social and vibrant environment, it’s easy to fall into the trap of being distracted by small things. Most people are usually surprised by how time just seems to fly in a social environment. A few minutes of socializing can turn into hours.
To avoid wasting your day on low priority tasks, it’s important to develop and exercise your management skills in a co-working space environment. Creating a plan for the week or day will help you stay on track in the long run. To improve your productivity and performance, you need to structure your day.
You need not be 100% precise. Flexibility plays a critical role in your success. Have guideline that works for you. Do your best to follow it and you won’t have any problem in the long run.
5. Conquer procrastination
You probably know how easy it is to procrastinate in a co-working space. Procrastination does not just affect employees in an office but everyone including CEOs and students. It’s easy to start working on the easy tasks before tacking the big difficult tasks. However, in most cases, the big difficult tasks usually are the most important. When you complete them successfully, you fatten your wallet.
Procrastination is the number one enemy of anyone who wants to improve his or her level of productivity and performance. The secret to conquering procrastination is sitting down and working one thing at a time. For instance, if you have to write a 5000-word project, all you need to do is break down the project into manageable chunks, say 500 words every day. And then set a goal to write a few sentences.
You can also consider setting tough deadlines for yourself as this will force you to sit down and start working. Do not allow procrastination to control you. Instead, take control of your life by controlling it 100%.
6. Clean and organize your workspace
There is nothing as demotivating as having to work on an untidy desk with tons of papers all over and an overflowing dustbin. A clean and organized workspace is not only inviting but also improves concentration and creativity.
To avoid having a dirty and disorganized workspace, clean the space after completing all the tasks of the day. Do not postpone this exercise as it will result in wastage of time and energy in the long run. Remember, the more you postpone, the harder it takes to clean the space. As the saying goes, your outer environment is a reflection of your inner environment.
7. Take care of yourself
As an addicted achiever, it’s easy to fall into the trap of a workaholic mindset. In most cases, people with a workaholic mindset tend to neglect their health and relationships. If you don’t take your time to exercise, sleep and spend time with your loved ones, you will pay for it.
Failing to exercise and getting enough sleep leads to concentration issues, irritability, and fatigue. This prevents you from improving your creativity, productivity, and performance in the long run. Also, failing to spend time with your loved ones will affect how you perform.
Researchers show that the relationships we hold determine as much as 80% of our success or failure. Thirty minutes every day is enough to improve the quality of your relationships. During your free time, consider journaling, meditating or doing some yoga exercises. All these small simple things greatly increase your chances of success.
8. Encourage the right kind of engagement
Working in a space full of active happy people with different skills and talents is great. However, simply engaging with them for the sake of socializing or procrastinating will do more harm than good for your productivity.
When you are working, your engagement should not only be productive but also beneficial to the project or team. Otherwise, you’ll end up wasting your time and preventing other people from achieving their goals. Forming relationships with your co-workers is important. However, there is a time and place for everything. You’ll need to be disciplined to foster the right kind of engagement.
9. Avoid monotony
Apart from distractions, boredom is another killer of productivity in the workplace. In a co-working space, you might not get bored by working with other people but the work. Following the same routine, every single day will bore and hinder your creativity. Therefore, it’s important to be flexible to avoid monotony.
10. Collaborate
No one is self-made. We all need the cooperation of the people around us to succeed. Everyone plays a critical role to help you become successful. You cannot do everything alone. Therefore, it is important to collaborate with the people who have the skills you need to help you complete your tasks or milestones successfully.
For instance, if you are a software engineer, you’ll need a product manager, designer, and marketer to help you develop and sell your software. Remember, generosity and helpfulness are at the core of in a co-working space.
11. Ask questions
Asking questions is one of the characteristics of successful people. As we’ve said earlier, you cannot do everything alone. Therefore, it is important to talk to your coworkers and ask them what you don’t know. When you seek, you shall find. When asking questions be as clear and precise as you can to avoid wasting time and getting the wrong answers.
12. Make use of technology
Thanks to the rapid advancement of technology, working in a co-working space is easier like never before. There are tons of websites, apps, and software in the market designed to make your life easier. Some apps generate to-do lists in a few seconds and websites that store all important documents in a cloud. Knowing what you need and looking for the appropriate app or website will save you a lot of time in the long run.
Conclusion
You cannot improve your productivity and performance by working continuously without taking a break. Your body and mind need time to rest and recover. Also, you cannot do everything alone. Your co-workers are there to assist you. Therefore, don’t hesitate to ask for help. Be productive!
- Most Effective Ways to Stay Productive at a Co-working Space - April 28, 2020