If you ever have the option of working in a co-working space, take advantage of the opportunity. The beauty of co-working spaces is that they offer a number of different areas. The space I work in allots us a private space, but also offers a cafe with couches, booths, tables, and bar seating as well as a number of conference rooms and larger open rooms with too many tables and outlets to count. I really didn’t know what I was missing until we moved in to this particular office. (You can check out my office space here).
For the first 10 months of my job, I worked at an old building in an office by myself. It was quiet, dull, and dreary. No one in the building ever talked to anyone else and I was easily the youngest person on the floor by a few decades. But in November, we moved to Roam and my eyes were opened. While we had a private office to isolate ourselves when needed, I now spend every day around tons of small business owners and entrepreneurs working from the same space trying to succeed at high levels. I’m around ambitious, kind people, and there is an incredible sense of community among members and staff.
Obviously I’m a huge proponent of co-working spaces, especially given the boost of my job performance. The ability to get out of the office when I’m getting stir crazy is invaluable. Stagnation and fatigue can absolutely have a detrimental effect on your concentration and thus your performance. The best remedies are to change location or to take a break. I can do both of these things at my office while grabbing a cup of coffee and catching up with the people I am building relationships with because we interact and see each other on a daily basis.
When you lose focus, the best thing you can do is get up and take a walk. Doing so gets your heart rate up and increases your alertness. The blood gets pumping and breaks you out of your stupor. By the time you have moved your stuff out of the office and over to the cafe to set up to work, you’re ready to dive back in. Even if you just get up and walk around while talking to a few people, you will get back to your office feeling refreshed and prepared to tackle whatever challenge presents itself next.
Most people deal with a loss of focus by jumping over to Facebook, Twitter or ESPN. These are not exactly the most productive solutions. Sure that’s fine for a break, but then the issue becomes self-control and whether or not we can limit our intake of these types of distractions. It is a far better use of your time to get up from your desk, stretch your legs and get the blood moving than to sit there staring at someone’s vacation photos on Facebook.
So the next time you feel yourself losing focus, don’t just try to power through. Get over the wall.
Get up and walk around your office. Go say hello to someone for 5 minutes, get some water and then head back to your desk. If you really need a change of scenery then get up and take your current project to the break room or cafeteria. I realize not everyone can work from a co-working space, but you can always find a way to mix things up if you try hard enough. If you get weird looks, don’t worry about it. If your boss questions what you are doing, explain it to them. Tell him or her that you are actively seeking ways to make yourself more productive and getting over the wall we all run into at some point.
Do what it takes to change things up. It just might help you reach a breakthrough in your productivity levels and get over the wall.
Love your new office space, Daniel. Great idea!
I heartily concur with the recommendation to get up and move around when we hit the wall, rather than distracting ourself with Facebook, etc. If you think about it, we’re a silly species. We say, “Information overload, I need a break!” and then jump to Facebook, getting more information.