Coworking 101: The 5 Deadly Sins that will Zap Productivity in Coworking Spaces

Coworking Space 101

That Andy Griffith show is really funny! And you know exactly how hilarious it is because instead of doing your work at home, you binged 30 episodes last Thursday. 

Who knew that Opie was a famous movie director Ron Howard? And Ain’t Bee—well that’s how you heard it—reminds you of your mother’s sister. You even dream about how life would be in southern small-town America. 

OK, stop right there, grab a scooter, and find a good coworking spot because obviously working at home is not for you. Whether you live in a small Chicago apartment or a luxury penthouse in New York City, it doesn’t matter -- working from home is NOT working for you.

And since you’re now a work-from-home refugee, let’s try to make sure that you don’t blow up you first coworking experience:

Be Cool Honey Bunny

When you first arrive at your new space, go to your desk and just be quiet. Do your work. Don’t worry about what everyone else is doing. Don’t casually look at anyone’s screen. Take time to develop relationships and let others speak to you first. Remember, if by week three you haven’t figured out who the coworking space idiot is, it’s probably you.

Don’t Sell It

Yes, we know you have a product that will change people’s lives. Your lawyer wants you to get a $15,000 patent right now, and your uncle has offered to throw 50K at your project. Even if you truly believe that others in your coworking space could benefit from your novel invention, leave then alone. Build your website, get links, write blogs, develop your marketing strategy, but leave your innocent coworking buddies out of it. No one wants to be bothered, so do your selling elsewhere.

Appearance, Smell, and Noise

We’re not saying that you only can wear gray t-shirts but try to look somewhat decent when you get to your coworking space. If you go to the gym before you get to work, please take a shower. If you’re a little older and still enamored that your iPhone speakers just sound “so great,” remember that headphones were made for a reason. 

Forget the Politics

You probably regressed at home—a place where yelling at the TV was accepted by your cat and your two fish, but random loud remarks in a coworking situation are a good way to get you on the bad list in a hurry. It’s a long way to the election bro, so try hard to leave that stuff at home.

Once your business takes off, you’ll laugh at the days when you worked at home with the TV on, and you’ll instead be building out business plans for your huge list of clients.

Food

OK, you’re a Chinese take-out guy. Sorry—we know you’re not Chinese, but what we mean is that you like carryout Asian food and one of your favorite things to do is eat last night’s dinner for lunch. (We do hope you have other favorite things.) Anyway, if your food smells a little funky like the New York Times explained below,

“By far South Korea’s smelliest food, the fish, called hongeo, is described by lovers and detractors alike as releasing odors reminiscent of an outhouse,” you need to keep that stuff at home. Being the smelly food guy will get you swiped out of the coworking space in a hurry.

All of this is common sense but because of your past hermit-like behavior, we felt you might need a refresher course on human interaction. Pay close attention to the five tips above, and maybe you’ll pass coworking 101!