To Cowork or Not To Cowork - 14 January 2022

Photo by Rodeo Project Management Software on Unsplash

What co-working spaces to me is like what the sports club is to my dad.
I'm totally into the scene.

I've tried WorQ, WeWork, Co-labs and Common Ground here in Malaysia.

Before all the co-working spaces started mushrooming, I was working at Regus a while back. They have offices all across the globe. I went to their London and Oslo offices during Christmas when visiting. I also went to WeWork in Vancouver. They have alcohol there for consumption. Some kind of cocktail there in the Vancouver co-working space. That was wow.

All kinds of drinks, including mixed fruit juice in a huge pot. That is like paradise to me as I really love drinks. But not the alcohol, thank you.

I was tied down to WorQ for 2 years. Over the months, I began liking it less and less. It wasn't so much about the room. I wrote stuff on my glass as it was transparent, and everybody could see others working as there were no walls to separate us. Just glass that everybody can peek at what the other was doing inside the office suite.

When they started wiping my glass without asking me first whether I was okay with it, that was the first red flag. Then I started not really liking someone there. Every time I saw M, I felt very awkward. Later, the space got really crammed with lots of co-workers because there was a sudden flux in occupancy due to a company relocating there temporarily. So all the public areas were constantly occupied. Not to say the meeting rooms. It was hell. Still, all the staff are amicable. They got free tidbits. That nobody has ever done in any of the spaces I have visited.

I decided to try WeWork right after coming back to Canada. It was excellent. But the location is not so good, and I decided to end that one. I tried Co-labs too. But after a few months there and attending a hiking trip, we were out of there as COVID-19 hit.

After a year stuck at home, I decided to come to Common Ground Jaya.

One to give it another try since I since up 2 years ago to try it out.

Yeah... I was hopping around trying different co-working spaces out, and it was pure joy.

Now, I am tied down to Common Ground Jaya One with a room until April 2022. After that, I might continue with this space as I really like coming to the office.

Bear says that we should save the money for better equipment or just save it for other purposes.

So, that may be something that I am taking into consideration.

But if all else goes well and can cover the cost, I will continue here at the co-working space. It's been a joy working here for the past 10 months. Even though we were away during the lockdown, I still enjoyed the time I spent working in this office. So let's see where we will be in April.

Hopefully, all will be well, and I will still be able to work here in the office when the time comes.