Last week, I visited a coworking space for the first time ever. But it wasn't your ordinary coworking space filled with people drinking too much coffee and typing on their shiny new MacBooks. On the contrary, the coworking space I visited was completely empty. Nevertheless, this was a valuable experience.
Now for a little context, the coworking space I visited is located in a small town near Berlin and is still relatively new. The only reason a coworking space like this can exist is because the German government provides funding for entrepreneurs and startup-related projects like this one.
And there you have it. A well-equipped coworking space, but without anyone using it. The creation of this coworking space is undoubtedly part of the larger remote working movement, which is gaining more and more acceptance. There is clearly a problem present, though.
Running a coworking space - No, thanks
Most coworking spaces are not profitable. They have a low number of costumers and cannot even charge a lot of money to compensate for that. At the same time, more and more coworking spaces are opening up.
This is where non-profit and maybe even government-funded coworking spaces step in. They can compensate the losses of coworking spaces. But should they? I honestly don't know. Only time can tell how the rapidly evolving culture surrounding remote working will evolve.
Summing things up
The coworking hype has now even reached more rural areas. I may not have had the chance to meet other people, but I at least got to enjoy the unused interior and got to understand the appeal of a digital nomad's life (at least in some way).
While working, my goal is it to reach a flow state, but that requires absolute focus on the task at hand. Working in a place designated for it, like an office, helps with that, as you get to clearly separate free time and work time.
I noticed how a coworking space can be a good place for this. It is filled with fewer distractions than my own room and that leaves only the task at hand for me to work on.
This is not going to be the end of the story, though. Going forward, I plan on checking out other, more lively coworking spaces too.
