Whether you’re a business starter, entrepreneur, remote worker, or freelancer, working peacefully is the key to achieving goals and finishing—short or long-term—tasks. And being in an environment that is not exclusively your own space can somewhat be challenging at times while working.
Café may be an ideal place to work because of the lively surroundings, but, one way or another, it may test your patience as you cannot control other people’s noises. Working from home or a home office has its perks but you cannot deny the fact that you get sidetracked by house chores or family members.
This is why coworking space is an ideal venue and a good alternative to a traditional office. Thus, it could be a better option to go to and work than a café or home office. A coworking space offers comfortable spots where you can do your work but still maintain a professional office environment setup.
However, let’s keep in mind that it is not just you who uses the space. There would still be times that you may get distracted by fellow co-workers in the space. And with that being said, we will share with you some tips on how to stay focused and driven while in a coworking space to work and finish your tasks.
Remove/Minimize Distractions
Distractions are not just coming from and caused by your surroundings. In some instances, the distractions are coming from ourselves without us noticing that it’s right under our noses.
Let’s start with how you place your belongings on your table before you start working. Remove the clutter—these are the belongings that you really don’t use while working. For example, you might be like others who put photos and other stuff on their table to make them feel comfortable while working. It’s actually not wrong if this makes you feel comfortable while working. However, having too much of it can make you focus less.
So as much as possible, remove or minimize distractions including your phone by putting it on silent mode if you’re not expecting an important call.
If your surroundings are not good for your productivity, find another table or spot where you can work more comfortably. Sometimes, it’s worth considering to avail a dedicated space for you if you plan to work long term in the coworking space.
Multitasking Is Good But
If you have too much on your plate, pause for a while, take a deep breath, and stop multitasking. Multitasking is good, but you can only do that if you’re really an expert on what you’re doing. There’s a higher chance that when you multitask, you’re just starting a bunch of tasks but fewer of them get done. And it’s not ideal because your focus is scattered everywhere. Think of how many tasks you can do at the same time, if you cannot handle more than two then don’t push it because, at the end of the day, you’ll just be too exhausted—physically and mentally—which is not good for your wellbeing.
The most effective way is for you to make a checklist of a to-do list and follow that instead. You have a higher chance of finishing more tasks when you manage your time accordingly. Thus, you’re able to fully focus your attention on a single task which makes it faster for you to finish and achieve your goals.
Create Boundaries
It’s understandable that you cannot really always control your surroundings like the noises and the people walking around, just like in a coworking space. But they are also considerate people. If you really don’t want to get distracted, you can create boundaries in a modest way.
It’s polite enough to put a sign on or near your table such as “Please Do Not Disturb” or “Please Minimize Your Noise” as your co-workers would understand. Chances are, they also don’t want to be distracted while in the middle of working. This is a good way of sending a message to them rather than glaring at them just to shut them off—it’s unprofessional.
You can also create boundaries for yourself. This is by managing your working hours responsibly. Set short breaks while working as this will help you relax and your mind releases stress or boredom. Set your phone into silent mode when you’re not expecting a call—and if you are, don’t set the volume in full with respect to other people who are also working.
If you want to listen to music, use earphones or headphones. The same principle applies when you’re talking over the phone so that aside from the fact that you’re trying to be considerate, you’re avoiding saying out loud some confidential matters.
Be A Good Neighbor
Always remember that in a coworking space, you have fellow co-workers or neighbors who are also attending to their own work or business. Treat others as to how you want to be treated. This golden rule is the key for you to be able to really focus and be driven while in a coworking space. When you treat others in a good way, you will have a great time working with less or at least minor distractions and won’t feel isolated in the coworking space.
The coworking space is a place that could help you be productive in your work. Just always remember that for you to be really productive is by helping yourself by setting a goal, managing time wisely, and working responsibly with the right mindset.