Coworking solo vs with a group: which actually gets you more done?

I used to grind away at my laptop in a quiet corner of WeWork in Austin, thinking isolation equaled focus. But after 8 months of that, I switched to a shared table at a small coworking spot in East Austin where people actually talk. My output dropped at first, but now I finish projects faster because I bounce ideas off folks instead of stewing alone. Has anyone else found that structured social time beats total silence?

2 comments

2 Comments

aliceharris11d ago

I worked out of a space in San Antonio for about six months where they had a strict quiet floor and a social floor. I tried both. On the quiet floor I'd get distracted by my own thoughts and waste time. On the social floor I'd get maybe 30 minutes less work done per day but I'd solve problems in minutes that used to take me hours. I started sitting near the same regulars and we'd trade quick advice on everything from code to client emails. For me the key was setting a rule - no deep work during those short chats, just quick questions and then back to it.

robinc6011d ago

@aliceharris that quick advice trade saved me hours too, just had to keep the chats short.