3 Tips To Help Settle Into Your New Co-Working Space

So you’ve just made the leap to step out of your home office and join a co-working space - congrats. We may be a little biased but we think you’re about to have the time of your entrepreneurial life.

To make sure that you do, here are our top tips to make the most of your new co-working space.

Attend Community Events

We’re big on community at Ormeau Baths as we believe all great co-working spaces should be. We host monthly breakfast meetups for all of our members where all have the chance to catch up with one another over a coffee and a bacon sandwich (or two). We also host Fri-Yays every week as a way for everyone to take time out and wind down from a busy week together.

Part of the joy of co-working spaces means that those of us who want to work for ourselves, don’t have to do it by ourselves. These kinds of events not only offer the opportunity to get to know your co-workers better but also help you to build your network in a more enjoyable and natural way.

Outside of member-specific events, keep an eye on the general calendar at your co-working space also. Most (including our own) have their own event space for organisers outside of the immediate community may run workshops or meetups. You may even be able to brush up your side-hustling skills or pick up a new hobby with access to these events that you may not have otherwise known about.

Find out more about what’s on at Ormeau Baths this month here. 

Maintain your Productivity

The flip side to community perks means there can be any number of exciting things happening and new people to meet going on around you which can easily turn into distraction and decreased productivity. However, with the right attitude and a few tricks up your sleeve, co-working spaces can actually increase your productivity exponentially.

Key things to remember include, noise-cancelling headphones. This is a co-workers version of a Do Not Disturb sign and will become your best friend. Secondly, setting a clear agenda for yourself and your working week is the secret to success and maintained productivity when based in a co-working space. Also, resisting the 24/7 flexibility of most spaces plays a crucial role in avoiding burnout and setting boundaries for yourself.

Ready to up your productivity game even further? Check out our post on productivity right here. 

Respect Others

The biggest piece of advice to help newbies survive and thrive within a co-working space comes back to simply being a good human being. In a  co-working space, the flexibility means that you could be meeting new people from different businesses every day or you could choose to work from home without having to check in with anyone. The common thread is that everyone is there to run a business, mostly their own business so it’s important to respect that people are working.

Those headphones we mentioned earlier? They’re as much your best friend as they are everyone else’s. If someone has headphones in, don’t initiate conversation. Don’t be the person to bring the noise. Make the most of the quiet spaces to get focused work done and respect the rules of these spaces if others are using them too. Take advantage of phone booths and meeting rooms if you’re caught up on calls all day.

Be friendly, smile and introduce yourself to people. Others will mirror your openness and with a warm welcome to the place you now get to call home for your business.