A guest article by Angel Kwiatkowski of Cohere Coworking Community in Fort Collins, Colorado (USA):
Headphones
If you’re a freelancer that’s been using the local coffee shop as your office, you already know the power of a set of earbuds. This amazing device plugs into your computer in a matter of seconds, delivering the sweet sounds of your favorite musical artists. Or newsprogram. Or motivational speaker. Most importantly, it will drown out the chatter of those with a lighter workload on any particular day.
A To-Do List
Nothing helps put your mind on the fast-track to success like a prioritized list of tasks. Some days at our coworking space, we’ll designate a white board as a “public to-do list,” so that the entire community can see what the other members are working on. Who knows? Someone might have a tip or suggestion about how to tackle that bothersome project.
An Open Mind
If you’re thinking about coming down for your first day of coworking, it’s important to keep an open mind. Those that have recently transferred into the freelance life might not expect people to laugh and converse at their workspace, or to have someone offer to help with a professional problem - but these things happen all the time during coworking. Be flexible, realize that successful days come in all shapes and sizes, and be ready to soak up all the community has to offer you.
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Need some more tips?
Angel and her coworker fellow Beth Buczynski wrote a new book for all freelancers who think of working in a coworking space:
"Coworking: How Freelancers Escape the Coffee Shop Office and Tales of Community from Independents Around the World"
Have a look at the preview as PDF or just get the whole book for $6,99.