Experiment 2: Working With Strangers in my Attic [aka Virtual Co-Working]

Spoiler Alert

This one is getting an A+ rating for me. I love it. Helps be plan, commit, focus, get stuff done. Plus, feel ok when I am less than productive. And it is NOT like Zoom.

March 2020

Early in the pandemic, I was missing leaving the house, walking to work, and spending the day in my office. Instead, I climbed a flight of stairs to spend the day about 10 feet from my bed. I had a major grant deadline, and I needed to do something.

[We were all missing so much. And so many have lost so many loved ones ?? and so much else since then. But this newsletter is about working and carrying on, so I turn back to that]

I heard about a colleague Kate Guastaferro working on Zoom most mornings. To be honest, this seemed a bit strange and unappealing at first. As an introvert, I didn't want to be interacting with people that much, but I was sluggish, worried, and having trouble focusing so I gave it a try. And it helped: Calm, supportive, less lonely. I appreciated it so much at the time. Thank you, Kate.

Fast forward to 2023

As I approached my sabbatical (now), I decided to give virtual co-working a fresh try as a 23 in '23 experiment. I tried a few weekly co-working sessions led by coach Jennifer Polk, PhD . I signed up for a month in Katy Peplin, PhD 's ThrivePhD community for PhD students. Both were great, but I am not a PhD student, and I wanted more. Then Jen Polk told me about Flow Club and I tried a free 2 weeks. I was hooked. [Connections, msg me and I can share a link with you to try.]

Not another Zoom meeting

At this point you are likely thinking, absolutely No More Zoom. Yes, understood. But please suspend judgment. It doesn't feel like Zoom.

You can leave! No agenda! Nobody talks too much! Never runs late!

What happens?

What I like best are 60-minute sessions.

Ideally, I plan ahead (usually 3 minutes ahead) what I want to get done, and add these to the task list in little easy-to-accomplish chunks.

The first 5 minutes (max) is led by a host co-worker, and we each take about 15 seconds to state our plans. Anything is fine. Then the host turns on (optional) music and we work. In the last few minutes, we check in to say how things went.

My personal favorite sessions are NO talking, chat-only. Additional options include eat the frog, start your week, finish strong, side hustle, etc. There are 10+ sessions available each hour, length from 30 to 180 minutes, with 60 being common. And you can host and schedule your own. Very flexible.

Why I Love Co-Working: The Secret Sauce

Why have I done over 250 sessions since March? Yes, I that's a lot. I love the minimal, low-demand connection with people working all over the world. I like the schedule. The commitment with myself. The task lists. Yeah, the confetti...

Rating: A+

So it's great for me, now.

If you want more interaction, or less commitment, or some networking, there are other options. See the comments for a range of co-working options for different needs and budgets, including $5/month for a community of support for grad students (with co-working) and free options that seem more interactive.

Give it a try and share how it worked out.

↓ See Comments for links ↓