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The term, simply put, refers to people working together. Traditionally, a “coworker” would refer to another person who works in the same office in the same profession. But with the changing labor market, more and more individuals find themselves working from home, making a living as self-employed freelancers, or entering the market as an entrepreneur or small business owner.

A coworking space, then, provides a common workspace for all individuals – regardless of their industry, age, and experience – to come together and get their work done. Equipped with all of the necessities of a traditional office (think desks, copy machine, WiFi, coffee…) a coworking space is intended to give you everything you need to have a productive work day, without the distractions of home or a coffee shop, and without cost of renting your own office.

Sound good? I haven’t even gotten to the best part yet!

If you have ever worked from home, the reality often is far less cool than imagined. In my experience, I start by allowing myself to press the snooze a few too many times, cutting into my productivity right off the bat. Then I decide to ‘save the time’ and just stay dressed in my pajamas, subconsciously leaving me unmotivated (not to mention in socially unacceptable attire – I am officially NOT leaving the house!) Last, I continually step away from my real work to, say, wash the dirty dishes I see out of the corner of my eye, or do that load of laundry I’ve been meaning to get to. Not to mention I’ve got up to four cats crawling on my keyboard! At the end of the day – which is way past my usual bedtime and didn’t include a healthy meal – I may have checked off some items on my work to-do list, but I spent the majority of my day bouncing from task to task with little progress to show for it.

In a traditional office environment, sure there are distractions – loud conversations at the water cooler or chess games going on in the breakroom – but those same people have similar deadlines to meet and a boss breathing down their necks to ensure they stay on task. A coworking space provides that much-needed social interaction to keep you productive and stimulated throughout your ‘work day’ (whatever hours you choose), but without the disruptions or diversions of home or a coffeehouse.

So for me, the best part of a coworking space is the social network you can develop. By immersing yourself in a coworking environment, you now have any number of people to ask for advice on your latest assignment or have them proofread a carefully worded email to an important client. You’ll not only have a crowd to celebrate your big wins with over a beer (or wine, or cider, even at 4pm – who’s stopping you?), but you’ll also have a shoulder to cry on if the project you’ve been working on goes belly up. When you rent a desk or an office, you gain self-motivated coworkers who will support you professionally in a way that you simply can’t find when you work from home or in a corporate office.

Coworking is not only sharing equipment, ideas, and knowledge, but about belonging to a community of like-minded professionals who understand that when others succeed, we all succeed.

Coworking infographic courtesy of DeskMag.com