Coworking has become the norm in today’s world. And if you work for yourself as a freelancer or for a company as an employee, you would already know the benefits of this. It not only helps spark creativity, but it also encourages collaboration among people and improves employee motivation and engagement. However, despite being an amazing space for creativity, innovation and support, being around other people in a vibrant, energetic and buzzing space, can have an impact on one’s productivity. To get things done, you will need to prepare to stay productive and here are the ways you can do that:
Get Noise Cancelling Headphones
In the co-working world, headphones are a key signal that you’re doing important work and shouldn’t be disturbed. And they drastically reduce the chance that one of your co-workers will come up and disturb you. Noise cancelling headphones are an effective way to help block out noise and unwanted ambient sounds using active noise control. If you’re the type who enjoys listening to music while working, queue up your favourite playlist and have a go.
Keep yourself accountable
It is easy to allow the distractions of a social environment like a coworking space to keep you from achieving your goals for the day. Self-discipline is key here.
Write down the tasks for the day, tick them off as you complete them (there is nothing more satisfying) and do not let yourself go home without completing them all (unless it’s past midnight, then you abort mission faster than dropping a stink bomb in an elevator). Being strict in this department will lay a good foundation for a healthy and productive habit.
Keep Track of Your Time
As a freelancer or an employee working in an open office space, the distractions are abundant. You might be spending way too much of your time speaking with other people around you or you might just spend too long scrolling through Instagram, rather than working.
A great way to fix this is to use a time-tracker during your workday. This is going to measure exactly how much time you’re spending on certain tasks, showing you areas of improvement.
Just Move!
The fact of the matter is it’s up to you to be productive when working in co-working spaces. And the all-time easiest and most effective way to do that is to turn your chair or desk around and face away from the distractions.
If you’re working in a co-working space and a group of people are being rowdy near you, either move to another space or face away from them. The simple movement to put the distractions out of your vision is going to do wonders for your productivity levels.
Stay Away from Impromptu Meetings
And lastly, even though co-working spaces are designed with collaboration in mind, impromptu meetings can be a death blow to your productivity.
One of your coworkers comes over to ask you a question or get your advice on something and the next thing you know, you’ve been dragged into a 30-minute meeting that puts you off track. Schedule meetings in your planner, rather than taking them on the spot.
Make the work meaningful
When you do something that contributes to the end product, it’s easier to do the work. Furthermore, knowing why the work you are doing is important, makes it less laborious to do. This results in faster and a better quality end-result. You will always have certain things to do that are less fun (like administration), but understanding the purpose behind it, makes it easier to do.
Break regularly
According to an article in Fast Company, workers should take a break every 75 to 90 minutes for around 15 minutes max. This allows the human brain to process any new information recently learned and retain it for future use. So, when you start to zone out, get up and away from the computer to reset for a more productive day.
It might sound counterproductive to take breaks but taking a breather to reset your mind and stretch out throughout the day is a key element in productivity.
Avoid monotony
Boredom is a killer of productivity. In this case, it might not be the environment that becomes monotonous, but the work.
Keep your day flexible and avoid falling into a boring routine that never enjoys any constructive breaks or engagement. And no, we’re not saying that 6-hour ‘board’ meetings are the ideal either!
Keep your workspace clean and tidy
There is nothing more demotivating than having to work in an untidy space with mounds of papers on the verge of an avalanche and the dustbin overflowing with paper balls. And, the previous night’s midnight snack wrappers when you were playing your work catch up won’t help either! A clean, open space is an inviting space where one will want to work.
Use technology to your advantage
There are hundreds of apps and websites out there, designed to make one’s life easier and to save you some time. It can be:
-
- An app that syncs your emails and events to the calendars of your portable devices,
-
- One that generates “to do” lists for you,
-
- Websites that allow you to store all your documents and data in a cloud,
- Or apps that check your grammar and record your time expenditure.
Making use of these possibilities and automating a lot of the mundane tasks will save time and boost productivity in a coworking space.
Your Productivity is up to You
At the end of the day, you determine how productive you’re going to be. Even if your surrounding environment is pretty distracting, use the above tips to stay on task and cross off those items on your to-do list!
Looking for a good co-working space in Lagos, get in touch with us at https://hub.ellaecreative.com/ and we will help you find a space that meets your demands.