A coworking space is where many small businesses, freelance workers, and remote employees have found great peace and success for many years. However, not everything is perfect all the time. Surviving a coworking space is like succeeding in any kind of relationship, personal and professional. It requires constant effort and the occasional compromise. In this article, we are going to examine the secrets of surviving in a coworking space. But feel free to extend these tips to work relationships in any space. 

Make nice

The first thing you need to do when entering a new space is to put a smile on your face. This simple gesture shows you are friendly and open to new connections and relationships. Sometimes bring some pastries and get everybody to a great start in the morning. Or sometimes treat everybody to a cup of coffee. These strategies can make a great first impression and start what could be a lifelong friendship. 

Know when to talk

Say you have an urgent question or issue you want to discuss with a coworker. The sensible thing to do is to take a look at what they are doing first. Interrupting people while they are in deep concentration might be slightly annoying. You wouldn’t want someone to interrupt you while working either.

One of the best ways to thrive in a coworking space is that you try your best to respect other people’s work and concentration and hope that other people will respect yours. Therefore, it’s best to synchronize your break times with the people you are interested in talking to. This way, you can make your break times as constructive and valuable as you want. 

Move your seat

Human beings are creatures of habit. However, in order to succeed in a coworking space, the best way is to keep changing your seat and adapt yourself to new areas. Different places in a coworking space all come with different light and air qualities. This prevents you from falling into an unconstructive routine of talking to your coworkers and wasting too much time. 

Moving your seat has another benefit for your social life. The more people you meet, the better social connections you get. These social connections might come in handy in job referrals and career opportunities, but they might also become deep friendships if you are lucky. 

Get along with the management

One of the first things you can do to make it in a coworking space is to know who controls the place and what the rules are. Having a good knowledge of the rules of the facility can help you adapt yourself to the environment a lot better. 

Moreover, having a good relationship with the manager and the staff means that you feel more comfortable at your workplace. The little tensions that can be caused by not getting along with the members of the management team can ultimately make your work impossible. 

Submit to a routine

Making sure that you arrive at the coworking space at a regular time every day gives your mind a sense of purpose that working at home can hardly ever give you. One of the biggest challenges of working at home is not getting things done and having too many distractions around you. 

When you have a fixed routine, you feel that people are waiting for you in the coworking space, and you have the responsibility to show up every single day. What’s more, the sense of regularity can affect your coworkers and increase the productivity of the whole space. 

Work and play

Every coworking space has a set of facilities that help your stay as comfortable as possible. These facilities might include a cafeteria, a swimming pool, a pool table, a green space, or a quiet room. There are two significant benefits to using the recreational facilities of the coworking space. 

First, you can make your working hours more enjoyable and efficient by using your break times to actually have a break from all the work and the pressure that comes with it. Studies have shown that you can solve problems more efficiently by taking a step away from them and focusing on something entirely. Second, doing the activities with your coworkers can create a sense of community that makes you feel you belong in the place. Imagine the conversations that might strike up between you and your coworkers while playing pool or table tennis. 

Get creative

Sometimes the best way to address an issue is to change your perspective. One of the most significant benefits of working in a coworking space is that you get to know people from different industries with different expertise. Talking to these people can broaden your viewpoint of the problems you are trying to solve.

You can discuss the issue with a coworker during your break time and see it from their perspective. A fresh set of eyes can help you see the matter more clearly and think of a more creative way to solve it together. On the other hand, you need to be considerate about your coworker’s time and concentration. 

Show up

Most coworking spaces pride themselves on regularly holding seminars and workshops in their facilities. They also invite the best and most prominent figures in the industry to give lectures on special occasions. 

Make sure to attend these events as often as possible, mainly because the learning opportunities are always too valuable to miss. Seeing the world from the perspective of someone who has seen more and done more than you can broaden your mind in ways you couldn’t even imagine. 

Additionally, talking to the people who have also attended these seminars and lectures allows you to find people who work and think like you and have a lot in common with you. Sharing ideas with these people and hearing their perspectives can help you form your own thoughts more easily. 

Share

One of the best ways to succeed in a coworking space is to give as much as you get. If you are known as a person who is positive and happy to help, you can automatically become part of the community. The sense of community that helping others gives you can help you feel like you belong to a family of coworkers. 

What’s more, you can make sure to introduce your coworking space coworkers whenever you are asked for a referral. Having these connections and creating work opportunities for your coworkers is a great way to strike lasting friendships as well as work relationships. 

Final thoughts

Having a great time while working at a coworking space all depends on you and your attitude. This sentence is accurate enough for any relationship. However, the unique circumstances of a coworking space make you work close to many people with very different careers, types of work, areas of expertise, and personalities. 

You can not only survive a coworking relationship but thrive in it as long as you believe that this is the best place for you to be. Having a place to go to every day, a place where your work family awaits you, can increase your efficiency and productivity to a considerable extent. So take these little steps and create an enjoyable work experience for yourself.