Nothing rains on your parade like a global pandemic.
Living in an era where there is so much uncertainty is taxing. And that burden can lead us to the point where we struggle to be pro-active in finding solutions. Add financial stress, unemployment fears and it can be paralyzing. The fact is, how we work, and where we work, has a large impact on a sense of how we are doing, how we feel about ourselves.
Frequently the sense that you accomplished something is more important than any other external metric that tells you how you did “at work” today. Co-working spaces seem to have discovered a pent up demand for small, interdependent offices.
The Improvement
A challenge of living in the gig economy, running a small business, or being accountable to a mothership far far away, is that there is pressure. The pressure we put on ourselves is largely societal and the disadvantages of feeling this pressure in isolation can be detrimental to our mental health.
While this may seem simplistic, peer reviewed research shows that isolation in the workplace can also have serious consequences on your overall health – not simply your mental health.
The key categories outlined below are explained in more detail in Emily Kuhl’s in depth analysis of the link between isolation and health.
- Greater risk of cardiovascular disease
- Compromised immunity
- Increased risk of depression
- Shortened lifespan
Despite the challenges of social distancing and basic CDC precautions, co-working is alive and well. While spaces in The Bay Area, Cambridge and throughout the tech corridors of the US are quiet, things in Portsmouth are thriving – and for one basic reason – we spend a lot of energy and effort to ensure that our co-working space is as safe as your home.
Safer Than Your Home?
Picture looking forward to the transition from your home life to a work cocoon. Imagine leaving your home for a sanctuary of sanity, like-minded coworkers and an environment that allowed you to be socially distant, yet communal enough that you aren’t socially isolated. Imagine looking forward to the beginning of that work day. Now imagine that space is a walking distance or a 10 minute drive from your home.
When Steve Kelm launched COVE, he envisioned a key Seacoast difference:
“I wanted to see what it would be like to enable something that was clearly taking off in the tech corridors, but that also spoke to a Portsmouth specific audience.”
Next Steps
Have you ever considered the following?:
- What would it be like if you could get better separation between work and the rest of life?
- How can you feel more connected to others facing your same challenges?
- What would it take to be more productive?
- What would make collaboration easier?
- What is a natural way to network, that doesn’t seem forced?
If any combination of the above has piqued your interest, reach out to us by clicking here. We can offer you a free pass for a trial period to see what Portsmouth has to offer, even deep in the middle of a pandemic!
The Cooperative Venture Workspace is evolution of the creative, shared workspace.