The pace and style of learning were set by the institutions, following a one-size-fits-all model. This model has basically remained unchanged for the past 100 years. To think about that is scary.
As the World Green Building Council said: “There is overwhelming evidence which demonstrates that the design of an office impacts the health, wellbeing and productivity of its occupants”.
The workplace impacts the business results!
The most direct benefit from flexible working comes from a perceived improvement in personal productivity. They attribute this to a less distracting, more conducive work environment away from an office environment.
We could put offices into three bucketts:
Offices as a ‘product’: floor area, for a price (rent) – your typical office
Offices as a ‘service’: space and service, for a simple fee (daily, monthly, etc.) – co-working spaces as an example
Offices as ‘experience’: more than the sum of (a) + (b); attraction; added value;
Office as “experience” is a very interesting idea. What kind of experience will people want to have in such place?
How about the experience of having a place to work in complete silence? Experience of working uninterrupted for hours straight? Experience of feeling concentrated and productive?
“Difficulty staying focused and avoiding distractions was reported by 22% of global knowledge workers and was a top concern for both those with and without children.“
(TEAM OF SLACK, OCTOBER 7, 2020)
To create some kind of experience that sensory deprivation facilities would offer. An experience of working in an unusual environment that is not only cool looking but also enhances your productivity and focus. A “Zen” place. A yoga studio, but in which you can work. How would your ideal workplace look like? What kind of environment do you need to be productive at work? What technology would you like to have at your disposal? Where would you build such a place? Next to your home, in downtown or somewhere in the middle of the forest?
We witness real-time the concept of office change. It’s not easy to adapt and every remote employee has his/her own challenges with that.
Top challenges of working from home
Unstable Wi-Fi or internet access – Technical
Maintaining and building working relationships with colleagues – Social
Staying focused and avoiding distractions – Mental
Feelings of loneliness or isolation – Social
Keeping up with what others are working on – Social
The main challenges are “social”. People are social creatures and lack of face-to-face interaction results in feeling isolated and maintaining relationships with others. Among social challenges are technical and mental. While technical problems can be fixed relatively easily, mental ones need a more serious approach. In my quest for helping people to be the best they could in this new environment, I decided to focus on the problem of focus and distractibility.
“Difficulty staying focused and avoiding distractions was reported by 22% of global knowledge workers and was a top concern for both those with and without children.“, (team of Slack, October 7, 2020)
My task is to create a service or product that will improve people’s focus and concentration. I have the assumption that there is a need for a place, where people can work uninterrupted. This place is not home, neither it is in the office. Rather than asking when workers will return to the office, companies should be asking what the office of the future will look like. It’s time to focus on new solutions. I want to create an environment that improves not only productivity but also employee well-being.
As a summary of my research, below are the lists of things I want to see in this “work boxes”:
INTERIOR design
Rooms painted in different colours:
Blue and green (generating new ideas)
Red ( attention to details)
Toggle Dimmers (customers set their own level of lighting)
TallCeiling (10 feet or taller)
Large Window/Skylight (with a view on nature)
Soundproof (all around)
Heater & AC (to maintain a comfortable temperature and constant ventilation)
Good Airflow (natural ventilation. allow access to operable windows)
Materials and Surfaces (no plastic. natural materials)
Live Plants
EQUIPMENT/FURNITURE
Standup Desk
Video Conferencing Equipment
High Definition Camera
Speakers
Microphone
Super Wide Curved Monitor (w/ ability to adjust the height if on standing)
Large Whiteboard (digital or regular)
Noise CancelingSystem (either headset or entire room)
Optically, surfaces in cool colours seem to recede, whereas warm colours, such as orange and red, appear to be closer. Walls rendered in cool colours make space feel like it’s expanding outward, while walls in warm hues can make the same space feel as if it were contracting. blue and green indicate that exposure to these hues also improves creative problem solving
Every 90-minute optional Breaks. Yoga and Breathing exercises
Discount for different anti-distraction apps to help people lock their focus (will come free with membership)
Location
Suburban areas of large cities. 30-40 minutes away from downtown. This is a distraction-free office as close as possible to your home, without actually being in your home. No commute. We are accessible and convenient. We are located in your neighbourhood.
College Towns. Especially around engineering/technical colleges. To provide students with a quiet space to study and take exams.
“Psychogeography – an approach to geography that emphasizes playfulness and drifting (dérive) around urban environments. It’s about how we’re affected by being in certain places – the architecture, the weather, whom you’re with – a general sense of excitement about a place.”, (Beatriz Arantes)
There are certain key insights that are important to bear in mind when considering the nature of the brain and its role in workplace design and management. These include:
Attention is limited and is a human’s most precious resource
People do not know how to manage their attention
Attention is directly linked to productivity, wellbeing, engagement and overall performance
There are three brain modes—focus, activation and regeneration—that each requires distinct behaviours and settings
The workplace can help mitigate distractions and prime us to better manage our attention
The prefrontal cortex, often described as the executive centre or the CEO of the brain, is the director of our attention. Other brain functions that impact attention include:
The psychological state of arousal: Being alert or lethargic determines if we can control our attention or if our minds are unable to sit still and jump from topic to topic.
Limbic System: Dispersed parts of the brain that deal with emotion help bring attention. Fear or excitement calls for attention more easily than neutral objects or topics.
Motor orientation: The closer our sensory receptors are to a source of stimulation the easier it is to pay attention.
Internal thoughts and concerns: Internally generated lapses in attention are activated by the medial prefrontal cortex, a special part of the prefrontal cortex that’s triggered by thoughts of ourselves and of other people.
The brain comprises merely 2 percent of the body’s weight but consumes more than 20 percent of the daily caloric intake of energy—more than any other organ in the human body. It, therefore, developed mechanisms to ensure that it doesn’t use up finite supplies.
Losing attention is a simple energy-saving mechanism
Never in history has the human brain been asked to track so many data points; people ask more of their brains than they have the energy to handle. But while the brain is on a budget, workers today are constantly trying to stretch it by putting in more hours and focusing harder.
Only 20 percent of people have flow moments at least once a day, while around 15 percent of people never enter flow during a typical day. Entering flow is something workers must consciously choose to do. The mind can only stay in this state for about 45 minutes at any given time until a person needs a well-deserved break.
Multitasking is a myth. Research shows that a person can’t consciously keep more than two things in their brain and that multitasking increases error rates by 50 percent.
Mindfulness trains the brain. Research from Dr. Richard Davidson at the University of Wisconsin shows that gamma rays of Buddhist monks who practiced intense meditation for years were 30 times stronger than those of a control group of college students. Instead of getting lured into distracting thoughts, the monks had trained themselves to focus at will. As little as 30 minutes of mindfulness a day for eight weeks can physiologically change the brain, according to research in the journal of Psychiatry Research.
Peaks and valleys in the brain’s energy make it impossible for any individual to engage in eight hours of controlled attention with any reasonable expectation of quality or quantity of output.
Focus
Workplaces should include places designed as retreats away from noise distractionsand frequent interruptions. When we need to deeply focus on something, it’s important to avoid unwelcome distractions. Whether the distractions are external or internal, every time we switch our attention we burn through finite neural resources and increase opportunities for the limbic system to hijack our focus.
Regeneration and inspiration
When we need to activate our state of arousal, moving our bodies is key. Although we may have learned otherwise in school, static sitting sabotages our ability to concentrate. Numerous studies have proven that movement boosts attention by pumping oxygen and fresh blood through the brain and triggering the release of enhancing hormones.
A study found that those who worked from a treadmill desk were 34.9 percent more likely to answer a comprehension question correctly compared to those who sat in a chair.
References
Arantes, B. (2015, October). Neuroscience: The next great competitive advantage. Retrieved November 02, 2020, from https://workplaceinsight.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Work-Place6.pdf#page=10
The symbiotic association of special activities with codified rituals is as established as civilization itself; the recognition that settings – temples, town halls and courthouses – and their props – altars, maces and gavels – play an important role, not just in embodying but possibly also in stimulating and facilitating the very activities with which they are associated.
Sound
Environmental noise is distracting and therefore impedes creativity. In contrast, the positive sound has the potential to increase creativity. Music, silence, and the absence of noise as elements that support creativity.
Temperature
Some studies have found that adequate indoor climate (temperature, velocity, humidity, and composition of the air in the workplace) positively influences creativity. Too high temperatures inhibit creativity.
Smell
Positive smell (e.g. fresh air, absence of bad smell) to stimulate creativity. However, Lee (2016) could not confirm that positive smell has an effect on creativity.
AIR
Improve the quality and quantity of natural ventilation, Allow individual access to operable windows, Separate ventilation air from thermal conditioning, Provide task air for individual control.
Materials and surfaces
Various types of material employees are surrounded by in their workplace have an impact on creativity. In their study, manufactured and composite materials (e.g. plastic laminate, synthetic fibres, carpet, and steel) had a strong negative correlation with the perceived creative potential. In contrast, rooms with mainly natural elements (e.g. wood, marble, and leather) were perceived as environments with high creative potential.
Colours
Generally, a room’s colour scheme can be differentiated into cool colour designs (e.g. blue, green, or blue-violet) and warm colour designs (e.g. yellow, orange, or red). Cool colours negatively influence creativity, whereas they found no stimulating effect of warm colours on creativity. Both warm and cool colours are enhancing creativity. Use different colours for different phases of the creative process. Execute divergent thinking activities in an environment with more warm colours, whereas cooler colours should be used to support the convergent phases of the creative process. Sterile environments without colours have a negative impact on creativity.
Plants
All seven studies investigating the influence of plants on creativity confirmed that plants have a creativity-enhancing effect.
Disengaged space
Disengaged space is closely related to a relaxing space, yet it is more than that. It provides possibilities for individual mental breaks through non-work-related activities with others, including play spaces for activities such as billiards and darts, or social hangout spaces, such as cafés and lounges. In his study with innovative start-ups, Lee (2016) found that disengaged space is the most important space type for creativity.
Light
Different light settings can influence creativity. Adequate illumination is necessary for promoting creativity in the physical workspace, whereas insufficient light inhibits creativity. Moreover, current studies have found especially the exposure to daylight as creativity-supporting Different tasks require different lighting settings. Contrary to these findings, Steidle and Werth (2013) showed in multiple experiments that darkness and dim illumination improve creativity, as participants felt less observed and controlled. Moreover, they found that participants in dim rooms performed better on creative tasks and worse on analytical tasks than participants in brighter rooms. Consistent and controllable light is an important determinant of creativity.
Maximize the use of day lighting without glare, Separate task and ambient light, Select the highest quality lighting fixtures, Design plug-and-play lighting and dynamic lighting zones. The premise of this kind of research is that neutral but healthy backdrops to creative activity can foster a state of wellbeing and alertness that is a necessary predisposition to ideation.
Window/view
Windows and views outside the office can positively influence creativity. McCoy and Evans (2002) found that a view in general (visual access to any area outside the immediate setting) and a natural view (visual access to living plants, trees, or sky) strongly correlate with the perceived creative potential of an office. Consequently, offices with no view were associated with low creative potential.
References
Rattner, D. M. (2017, June 30). How to Use the Psychology of Space to Boost Your Creativity. Retrieved November 02, 2020, from https://medium.com/s/how-to-design-creative-workspaces/how-to-use-the-psychology-of-space-to-boost-your-creativity-4fe6482ef687
Different colours and light levels have different psychological effects, so the ideal situation is to install a lighting system that allows you to alter the hue and brightness of your room to suit the kind of work that you’re engaged in.
Blue and green have been shown to enhance performance on tasks that require generating new ideas
Red has been linked with superior performance on tasks involving attention to detail
The dimmer environment fostered superior creativity in terms of idea generation, probably because it encourages a feeling of freedom
Brighter light levels were more conducive to analytical and evaluative thinking
Optically, surfaces in cool colours seem to recede, whereas warm colours, such as orange and red, appear to be closer. Walls rendered in cool colours make space feel like it’s expanding outward, while walls in warm hues can make the same space feel as if it were contracting. blue and green indicate that exposure to these hues also improves creative problem solving
Ceiling Height
Ceiling height has also been shown to have psychological effects. A 2007 study found that a higher ceiling was associated with feelings of freedom, together with a more abstract and relational thinking style that helped participants see the commonalities between objects and concepts. The most common method of enlarging interior space beyond its enclosing walls is to open it up to the outside by means of windows, French doors, and screens.
The more expansive our sense of surrounding space, the more prone we are to generating original and useful concepts for new products, services, and methods.
According to a 2009 study out of the University of British Columbia, people perform better at tasks requiring creative problem-solving skills under ceilings 10 feet or higher compared to eight-foot ceilings. For instance, a space decorated with vertically striped wallpaper will appear taller than the same space painted in a solid colour or embellished with horizontal stripes.
“Experimental data and construal level theory support the idea of a direct relationship between proximity and cognitive style. Near things elicit narrow focus. Farthings elicit a holistic outlook.”, Jarrett, C. (2019)
If you only do one thing to optimize your workspace, invest in a green plant or two. Research has repeatedly shown that the presence of office plants has a range of benefits including helping workers recover from demanding activities and lowering stress levels. As a bonus, there’s also evidence that plants can reduce office pollution levels.
Window with a view
Another feature of an optimized office is a window with a view, preferably of a natural landscape. This is because a glance at the hills or a lake recharges your mind.
Another means for inducing the mental awareness of physical distance is to embellish your home office with artwork and decorative pieces that suggest far away places and open space. Consider displaying images of landscapes and urban views, travel posters to exotic locations, cultural artifacts from distant countries, or memorabilia collected from trips you’ve taken.
References
Jarrett, C. (2019, August 21). The Perfect Workspace (According to Science). Retrieved November 02, 2020, from https://99u.adobe.com/articles/17437/the-perfect-workspace-according-to-science
Rattner, D. M. (2017, June 30). How to Use the Psychology of Space to Boost Your Creativity. Retrieved November 02, 2020, from https://medium.com/s/how-to-design-creative-workspaces/how-to-use-the-psychology-of-space-to-boost-your-creativity-4fe6482ef687
Commercial real estate in the downtown area is not cheap. To lower real estate costs, employers build their offices with an emphasis on collaboration and open workspaces that encourage group efforts. Open workspaces are great for communication among team members, however, more recent research shows that the costs to individual employee performance in open workspaces can outweigh any benefit of collaborative group work.
Interruptions often come in the form of internal and external distractions, which divides attention between tasks. Once an interruption occurs, it takes time to resume a task. One study of workers (information technology and accounting services) found that it took, on average, 25 minutes for workers to get back to their original task once interrupted, and workers focused on at least two other tasks before resuming the original task.
External distractions, on the other hand, maybe people walking past the line of sight, visual clutter on a work surface, overheard conversations, or ringing phones. Some of these external inputs may help with focus; for example, “office buzz” may create enough white noise to assist concentration. Unfortunately, during focused work, many external distractions are unwanted, making it difficult to keep attention from being divided. Particularly, irrelevant speech consistently ranks as the most distracting element in the office environment.
Despite the obvious need for focus, the emphasis in space design remains on work collaboration. Companies justify their open workspaces by the need to collaborate more, however, oftentimes the real estate cost savings play a major role in the office design. This continues despite research that points out office workers, on average, loses 28 percent of their productive time per day due to interruptions and distractions in open offices. And while open workspaces can support communication among team members, but the cost to individual employee performance in open workspaces outweighs any benefit of collaborative group work.
Achieving Flow
The brain tunes in when speech is recognized; it then diverts attention away from the current task and toward the task of figuring out what is being said. Unfortunately, unlike vision, hearing cannot be turned off—it will sense everything, relevant or irrelevant—and can slow work performance.
Higher multitasking equals lower effectiveness. Focusing on a single task is much more productive, especially if it’s in “flow.”
When in flow, people are wholly focused on a single task, fully involved and energized, internally motivated, and often lose a sense of time; its outcomes are highly productive and creative.
Signs of Achieving Flow
Confronting achievable challenging tasks with clear goals
Deep—yet effortless—involvement and unwavering concentration
Lack of self-awareness
Intrinsic reward
Transformation of time
Workspaces designed for focus work traditionally stress managing external visual and auditory distractions, which is not aligned with the current trend of open shared spaces for collaboration. Previous research indicates spaces for focus work should have
A high degree of enclosure— preferably a private office
Low density with adequate distance from disruptive noise
High-circulation areas
High level of acoustical treatments (sound-absorbing ceilings and walls, sound masking systems, and sound rated walls).
However, these traditional solutions require increased space and are inflexible with rapidly changing organizational needs.
Recharging
After doing intense focus work, everyone needs to recharge. One way to enable recharging is by simply providing views to the outdoors for workers to gaze at as they periodically pause in their focus work. Another way is to have minibreaks throughout the day that consist of caring for physical needs (healthy snacks and clean, comfortable restrooms) and social needs (opportunities to chat with coworkers in lounge areas). One or two larger breaks during the day, like hitting the gym or going for a walk, can invigorate people for a longer stretch of work. Access to all is essential for employees to be well recharged and ready to focus again.
REFERENCES
Nagy, G., Dr, O’Neill, M., Dr, Johnson, B., & Bahr, M. (2016). Designing for Focus Work. Retrieved November 02, 2020, from https://www.thercfgroup.com/files/resources/Designing_for_Focus_Work.pdf
Imagine… Local in your neighbourhood Covid-safe remote workspace. This space is an alternative to large crowded office buildings while providing employees with a simple way to deal with their work-home boundary dilemmas. The focus of such a place is to help knowledge and remote workers to be productive and healthy by providing them with a supportive environment, tools and training. A dedicated distraction-free workspace designed to promote deep focused work. The environment that fulfills people’s need for a safe, private, distraction-free environment which helps people to meet their corporate objectives.
There is a need for dedicated distraction-free workspace in suburban areas. A place, whiting 15 minutes of driving from home, where knowledge workers can engage in deep focused work.
This is a national-wide network of offices for professionals whose work demands privacy and deep focus. Implementing the latest research and technology, we designed an environment that supports people’s concentration and help them to be the best at what they do.
We are not a “co-working space”. We offer privacy and a distraction-free environment. Coworking spaces are built to encourage networking and establish a sense of community. We are the antonym for networking. We are designed for individuals, not the teams. Leave your noise-cancelling headphones at home. You won’t need them here.
You won’t have to introduce yourself when you come in. No talks
You won’t have to smile and try to be friendly. No interaction with others, unless you want
You won’t cross your eyer with anyone else
You won’t have to search for a quiet corner desk to set up your workstation. You were already assigned to your personal desk.
You won’t hear anyone grinding coffee in the kitchen
You won’t hear anyone talking on the phone
You won’t see anyone walking around
You won’t hear anyone typing on the keyboard or clicking the mouse key
You won’t hear anyone laughing on loud
You won’t smell the fish being warmed up in the kitchen’s microwave
There is absolutely nothing that could distract you from your work
We are not the place to get together with your team. We are not the place for meeting friends for a cup of tea. We are not the spot to invite your clients to. Use the co-working spaces and cafes. There are already places to satisfy those needs.
We are the place for software engineers, researchers, writers, scientists or anyone whose work required deep concentration. Our guests are the people who need the work environment that is either at the office or home. Absolutely no distraction. Only you and your thoughts. We are anti-social. We are individualistic. We are self-centred. Not egoistic, but respectful of others’ private space.
We are the distraction-free protective bubble. We are the “Zen” space. We are different and unique.
Location
This is a distraction-free office as close as possible to your home, without actually being in your home. No commute. We are accessible and convenient. We are located in your neighbourhood.
More than a Space
We are much more than a cool physical space. We are the productivity center – a mental gym. Our productivity coaches, yoga and breathing instructors will teach you how to stay centred and focused on the task at hand.
The Industrial age took us from the farm to the factory. Education took us from the factory to the office. Technology has taken us from the office to the virtual.
At this point it is obvious – our work will never be the same. There are so many ways in which it can be different. Right now is the once-in-a-generation opportunity to reimagine everything about how we do our jobs. It’s time to work differently.
Companies are on the lookout for tools that will keep their remote employees productive and mentally stable. In October 2020, Slack (the software company) performed research of 4,700 knowledge workers to evaluate their experience with working remotely. They found that the majority never want to go back to the old way of working. Only 12% want to return to full-time office work, and 72% want a hybrid remote-office model moving forward.
A knowledge worker is anyone who holds an office position and/or works with data, analyzes information or thinks creatively in a typical workweek.
According to research, executives, middle managers and self-employed find it challenging to find quiet time to work, suitable places to hold meetings, and strategies to keep children and other family members occupied.
For people with and those without children, the top challenges of remote work include feeling overwhelmed by non-work-related things as well as difficulty staying focused and avoiding distractions. Also, many found it challenging to find stable Wi-Fi and maintain working relationships.
Top challenges of working from home
Unstable Wi-Fi or internet access
Maintaining and building working relationships with colleagues
Staying focused and avoiding distractions
Feelings of loneliness or isolation
Keeping up with what others are working on
“Difficulty staying focused and avoiding distractions was reported by 22% of global knowledge workers and was a top concern for both those with and without children.“, (team of Slack, October 7, 2020)
Rather than asking when workers will return to the office, companies should be asking what the office of the future will look like. It’s time to focus on new solutions. We need to create environments that improve not only productivity but also employee well-being.
So, if the majority of people are not going back full-time to the office, but also won’t be staying at home full-time – what is the future of workspaces? We need to explore options beyond the ‘one-size-fits-all’ office solution. With Covid-19, we’re rethinking how we design and use our office spaces. We have the opportunity to re-invent our workspaces, placing an emphasis on virtual events. What if you could have access to inspiring workplace locations designed and built specifically for different tasks and projects – wherever you are.
There is no more commute to the office. Thank God! However, we are now challenged with creating a home-work environment that keeps distractions away and allows us to be productive at our jobs. It’s not easy, especially for those with families and kids. In addition, there are so many days a week that you can endure the working from home. No matter how great your home office is, you need to get out. We need a dedicated space for work or study. A place, completely free from distractions, where we can focus and feel productive. A place, where we can find peace of mind and concentrate. If we feel productive at work, we are happy with ourselves. When we are happy – the people around are happy. However, distractions negatively impact or cognitive performance and well overall job satisfaction.
We don’t want to commute and luckily for us – we don’t have to anymore. The dream came true. We are free from a single destination. A lot of people are moving away from downtown into suburban areas. We need to pay close attention to the growing trend of mid-density, urban-suburban – or “surban” – locations. Many Americans are contemplating moving to less densely populated areas.
According to Forbes: ”Within New York City, for example, you’re seeing an explosion of demand to stay within the metro area but move nearby, to suburbs in Long Island, New Jersey and Connecticut. The same story is happening in San Francisco, with people moving to the East Bay and other nearby suburbs.”
Businesses now begin to realize the importance of optimizing the work conditions and understand that the individual that has been hired for some sort of knowledge work will perform much better in the environment that supports him or her. Therefore, businesses that employ knowledge workers will be forced to consider the optimization of work conditions at an individual level. Ultimately, businesses will need to create digital workplaces that make it easier for all kinds of employees to work in flexible environments while also living their lives.
As video conferencing technology evolves, the need to go to the office will decrease. There will be demand for workplaces that support seamless live streaming and video conferencing – this is the must have.
Now is the time for a change. I want to build a new type of workspace that will provide knowledge workers with the right tools to get the job done. I see no way around this issue. I propose a new kind of service for knowledge workers: a dedicated distraction-free workspace for deep focused work.
References
Moving beyond remote: Workplace transformation in the wake of Covid-19. (2020). Retrieved 30 October 2020, from https://slack.com/intl/en-ca/blog/collaboration/workplace-transformation-in-the-wake-of-covid-19
New Yorkers Are Fleeing to the Suburbs: ‘The Demand Is Insane’. (2020). Retrieved 30 October 2020, from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/30/nyregion/nyc-suburbs-housing-demand.html
We are very different than most co-working spaces. Typical co-working spaces are built to encourage networking and establish a sense of community. I want to create a space, which goes the other way. In fact, we are the antonym to networking. My place is designed for individuals, not the teams. This is a place for deep focused work. Leave your noise canceling headphones at home. You won’t need them here.
You won’t have to introduce yourself, when you come in. No talk
You won’t have to smile and try to be friendly. No interaction with others, unless you want
You won’t cross your eyer with anyone else
You won’t have to search for a quiet corner desk to setup your workstation. You were already assigned to your personal desk.
You won’t hear anyone grinding coffee on the kitchen
You won’t hear anyone talking on the phone
You won’t see anyone walking around
You won’t hear anyone typing on the keyboard or clicking the mouse key
You won’t hear anyone laughing on loud
You won’t smell the fish being warmed up in the kitchen’s microwave
There is absolutely nothing that could distract you from your work
We are not the place to get together with your team. We are not the place for meeting friends for a cup of tea. We are not the spot to invite your clients to. Use the co-working spaces and cafes. There are already places to satisfy those needs.
We are the place for software engineers, researchers, writers, scientists or anyone who’s work required deep concentration. Our guests are the people who needs the work environment that is either at the office or home. Absolutely no distraction. Only you and your thoughts. We are anti-social. We are individualistic. We are self-centered. Not egoistic, but respectful of others private space.
We are the distraction-free protective bubble. We are the “Zen” space. We are different and unique.
We tell our kids how to study, where to study and when. We don’t even consider their wishes and desires. Some people find it extremely difficult to see it in a typical classroom for the entire day. There are a lot of people who are learning better when they move — motion learners. There are smart and intelligent individuals who are being forced to work in an environment that does not support their unique needs. Such environments kill creativity and reduce productivity.
Paperback books and sitting desks worked for our parents. They were doing good with 45-minute study sessions. Millennials are different. We need different environments for work and studying. We need to reinvent the classrooms and offices. The new generation has new needs and we need to tailor work environments to those needs and not vice versa. It is unfair to try to fit a person into the environment and ask him or her to perform at their best. The workspace plays a huge role in the way study, create and work. A desk, a chair and coffee is not enough. We need to use technology and research to eliminate distractions.
Coworking spaces are defined as spaces, where people come to work independently or in small groups on a project. They’re great for freelancers who don’t like to or can’t feasibly work from home, and for startups, or small companies that don’t want to rent out a huge office space or don’t have the budget to do so. The fundamentals of coworking spaces and the office spaces are similar. In both settings you’re surrounded by people for long periods, in environments, you can’t control.
Networking – is one of the biggest advantages of coworking spaces. If you’re just starting out and looking to make contacts, this is a great way to meet new people and build your business directory. However, this can be also a disadvantage for introverts or the people who struggle with focus.
Coworking spaces are a great way to avoid procrastination. When surrounded by people who are also working hard, you’ll be influenced by them. If it’s a big space with a lot of people, this can create an overstimulating atmosphere — not the peaceful tranquillity required for deep focused work. This type of atmosphere can actually be a hindrance to productivity, a breeding ground for anxiety and turn your coworking experience into hell.
Everyone needs a quiet place at times, where they can get on with a designated task, without interruption or the feeling of becoming overwhelmed.
What are the downsides of coworking spaces?
Distractions. This is the major disadvantage of typical coworking spaces. Most of the people that work remotely, join coworking spaces in hopes to increase their productivity. Often times these spaces have the exact opposite effect. Some coworking spaces tend to be crowded, noisy, and distracting. While these can be ideal environments for brainstorming and networking, they are rarely good places to hunker down and get work done. When we are crammed in a room with 30 worker bees, we can’t concentrate on the job. How could we? The person in front of us is on the phone, the guy across the room is grinding coffee, and the lady to our left won’t stop popping her gum. And if you’d really like to ensure we get nothing done, throw in an office dog. Few facts:
BBC reports that open offices lower workplace productivity by 15 percent, even when people don’t have ADHD.
A University of Sydney study revealed that 25-30 percent of employees in an open office find the noise level too distracting.
And the Washington Post says, “The open-office trend is destroying the workplace.”
Lack of Privacy. Another one of the disadvantages of coworking is a lack of privacy. You may also struggle to maintain privacy and confidentiality on phone calls with sensitive clients or keep private information protected in public areas.
Internet Security Risks. When you work in a shared office, you tend to use a shared network which might lead to data leakage due to security concerns. So the firms need to take all possible measures to ensure security.
High Costs. Coworking membership fees vary greatly depending on where you’re located and what services are provided. But oftentimes, the high cost of membership doesn’t turn out to be worth the low return that you receive for your commitment and loyalty.
What do I suggest?
Design and build the space solely for deep focused work
Take the concept and best practices of co-working spaces, but remove the “co-working” part. No collaboration only concentrated focused work
Offer Internet security that coworking spaces lack
Locate it more conveniently, in the suburbs, not downtown
Work retreat. Shipping containers, converted into the office – located outside of the city. Promote on Airbnb. Escape their home office and just work. Strictly for work. Unusually high-speed internet connection.
I believe there is a huge unfulfilled need for dedicated, distraction-free workspaces for deep focused work. There is a need for a place where people can deeply concentrate on their studying or working. Such a place will be especially popular among students and creative people. CEOs, managers and executives will also find such environments extremely beneficial for their work performance.
Questions
If you were to design your “focus paradise”, what would it look like?
What technology would you incorporate?
Will it be in the city or somewhere in a remote area?
How much would you pay for a full day of productive, focused work?
How much would you pay for inspiration and new ideas?
