> now in a serviced office space

tell me more

I use a small single room in a multi-storey office block that is shared with various other businesses.

Nothing fancy, pretty much just a desk, internet connection and a filing cabinet. But importantly, it’s not at home so I can hear myself think and I get that mental and physical separation when I finish for the day.

How much does that cost? Presumably your work pays

Worked from home for about 7 years and that was about 5 years too many, although I didn’t realise it until I moved into an office. Now I share a nice office space in a smart building with a couple of other self-employed folk who I didn’t know before we shared, and it’s all a ten minute walk from home. Picked up enough extra work to pay the next 6 years’ office rent, plus I’ve met lots of good people in the building. I’ve also now got a business address (useful for taking delivery of bike bits, obviously), and having an office makes me feel more professional as well as looking better from a client’s perspective.

I feel far less isolated (which was a problem working from home – although this is a personal thing) and it’s now far easier to separate my work life from my home life, which has made me enjoy time in my house more. A lot of this depends on the individual, their type of work and the office options available to them, but I know I’ll never work from home again. Office or no office though, clearly I’m still easily distracted 😉
Hope this helps. Good luck whatever you decide.

Yeah work pay for it, not sure exactly how much but I don’t think it is very expensive as it’s not exactly a high class facility or a top notch area. (I don’t get clients visiting so it doesn’t need to be posh).
I think it is ~£100 a month which pays for single room, cleaner and internet connection.

Positives:
Not commuting time can be spent sleeping or working
Fewer distractions from co-workers
Change of scene
Music while you work

Negatives:

Unless you have clear goals, it’s all too easy to drift
It can feel lonely and isolated so you get unproductive and paranoid
Co-workers think you’re treating it as a day off and resent you

Tips:
Try to have a dedicated work space, ideally a room converted to an “office”
Have very specific goals that are best achieved with no distractions
Do your communication days in the office

I occasionally work from home, I refer to it as pants day.

Interesting Graham. I will look into that thanks

I’ve worked from home for years but it is spoiling my appreciation of my own home, despite having a dedicated space. I feel the need for greater separation of work and home life.