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In a 9-month-old post, a Reddit user asked the following question: working from home vs the office – is it worth investing in a workspace?
They mentioned they’d been working from home for years, but over the last few months, they noticed their productivity and focus had been fluctuating a lot. They wanted to know: If anyone else had experience switching from working from home to an office, whether their productivity increased or if it was just an illusion; how much was worth investing in a form of office space if you’re a solo freelancer; and how they mentally felt having a separate place to work.
Whilst in recent years remote work has been hailed as a saving grace, there are those realising they need more than just a home office. So, when does the home office need to be upgraded into a coworking space or something more?
Is It Internal or External Factors?
In response to the Reddit post, one user stated that it depended on why working from home is hard for you.
“If you have external distractions that aren’t your choice, like kids, pets, or other family members who don’t understand that you need to focus and demand attention, then changing locations will make a huge difference.”
“If the distractions are more internal, in terms of your emotions or actions you use to avoid them, like doomscrolling, games, doing anything else around the house, food, a separate office might help a little, but the fundamental problem isn’t that you’re scrolling, etc.; the problem is that you don’t know how to deal with your emotions. You’ll have emotions wherever you are, and you can eliminate one distraction, but if you don’t deal with them, you’ll look for another.”
“If you have a problem with transitions, starting work, taking a break, lunch, finishing work, I think a separate physical space helps the most there.”
This is a fair assessment that helps get to the root of the problem of home office vs coworking or office space.
A Required Level of Social Interaction
A similar “coworking vs working from home” discussion on Quora raised the idea of a fundamental “need” for socialisation.
One user pointed out: “Everyone has some level of required social interaction, even introverts. You need other people. The specifics of how you need to interact varies greatly. Some people have a much, much higher need for face-to-face in-person interaction, just to function. It doesn’t have to be with coworkers per se, but just other people. For those people, a coworking space can be a lifesaver”.
“Some people have collaborative work styles which work best in the same room with their coworkers. There’s lots of nuanced communications that get lost when remote, some of which matter to some people. You can’t get that working from home”.
Research and data back this up; according to an article by the Guardian, 38% of Gen Z workers said they felt socially isolated because of their work circumstances, with 45% of respondents saying they were considering looking for jobs with more social interaction.
Signs You’ve Outgrown the Home Office
- Your Home Office Is Hurting Focus or Productivity: Household distractions, shared spaces, and blurred boundaries between work and personal life can make it harder to concentrate, especially during long or complex projects.
- You Need a More Professional Image for Clients or Partners: As your business grows, so do expectations. Client meetings, presentations, and collaborative discussions often benefit from a professional setting. Hosting calls from a home office or avoiding in-person meetings altogether can limit how your business is perceived.
- Your Business Has Grown: What once worked for a solo operation may no longer be enough. If your business has added team members, contractors, or frequent collaborators, a home office can quickly become impractical.
- Work-Life Boundaries Are Disappearing: When work and home share the same space, it’s easy for one to overtake the other. Long hours, constant notifications, and difficulty “switching off” can lead to burnout over time.
- You Want Access to Office Amenities Without the Overhead: Traditional office leases often come with high costs and long-term commitments. For many small businesses and entrepreneurs, that’s not realistic or necessary.
At Dash Spaces in Coalport, Shropshire, we offer a pay-as-you-go coworking space for freelancers, solo entrepreneurs, and remote workers. With no contracts or long subscriptions, you can work how you want, when you want. If you’re looking for an alternative to your home office or dining table, book a desk and see it for yourself.
