How working with absolute strangers skyrocketed my productivity

I’ve been ‘working from anywhere’ for close to 10 years now.

When I left my corporate job to launch my coaching practice, I worked from cafes, co-working spaces, my home, clients’ offices and the homes of co-workers. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed location-independent working.

I most loved working in co-working spaces. It was energising to meet fellow business owners pursuing ideas with passion and dedication. Mixers and meet-ups were set up. We could hang out with other business owners. This developed a unique sense of camaraderie and comfort. Such support was critical for me as a solopreneur, especially at the start. I liked that this was an introvert-friendly way of working. Most co-workers were focused on their work and business conversations. No small talk.

The best part about working from a coworking space was my productivity shot up. When you work as a solopreneur some days can be unproductive. You may not feel motivated to work or you get distracted by shiny objects a.k.a. social media.

With the pandemic of 2020 coworking spaces closed. They opened a few times between lockdowns. I missed the benefits of working from a coworking space. It made remote work challenging. I thought I’d need to wait until I could cowork once again.

I tried several productivity techniques but nothing turned out as effective as coworking.

Quite by chance I found Focusmate, a virtual coworking platform. I was delighted at the idea of virtual coworking. Focusmate pairs you up with another coworker from anywhere in the world. You can work together for either a 50 min, 25 min or 75 min live video call. Yes, you work with absolute strangers.

At first, I was apprehensive about getting onto this platform and working with strangers. Especially being an introvert I had several reservations.

However, after doing the 3 free trial sessions I was amazed at what a game-changer it turned out to be. I loved that I was super productive in those sessions. I love how the platform is introvert-friendly. It only requires you to greet each other and share your goals at the beginning of the session. You share your accomplishments at the end of the session. There’s no room for chit-chat. Focusmate has a strong culture and behavioral protocol for what you do during a session. Most Focusmates I’ve met are focused on getting their work done during the session.

Later I found Cowork Crowd, a coworking platform for womxn hosted by Angela Bryant and Maryke Fichardt. It’s a lovely virtual global group co-working space. I love that the co-working room is open for all time zones. I don’t need to enter and exit at a specific time. As a sensitive introvert, I get drained by too much video time. I like that this platform allows me to turn off video and audio. This platform doesn’t drain my computer battery as most others do.

Cowork Crowd has a feature that allows you to put in a list of tasks that you plan to accomplish in a session. You can tick off each of these tasks as you complete them. Your coworkers can see your accomplishments. It feels incredibly motivating to complete your tasks.

Cowork Crowd also has a radio function that plays great music to help you cowork. I use this function often.

I’ve loved using virtual coworking to create content, especially blog posts. I’ve even used it for mundane tasks such as collecting documents to file tax returns.

Working alongside strangers gets me to buckle down and power through my work for the day. Somehow this doesn’t happen when I’m working alone at my desk. It’s the new-age version of working with a study buddy in a quiet library. Or a concept akin to ‘body doubling’ in the ADHD world.

WHY I LOVE VIRTUAL COWORKING 

1. It creates a container to hold me accountable

When you work as a solopreneur, solitary working can be a challenge. You don’t have a boss or an organisational system that holds you accountable. While I’m a self-starter and self-motivated, I do run out of initiative and enthusiasm at times. That’s where virtual coworking has added the most value to my work. It ensures procrastination doesn’t get the better of me. Nor does doom scrolling on the internet catch my fancy. The focus of my coworkers at the other end also drives me to keep working.

The idea of being accountable to a stranger makes me stay in the session. It creates social pressure to stay on the call and work. As I’m working with a stranger there’s no comfort of familiarity to get chatting, aborting a session or grabbing a snack. In short, there’s no escaping and work gets done.

Working as a solopreneur allows me to make the negatives of office work redundant. Negatives such as co-worker distraction and being accessible to coworkers. The idea that your boss/colleagues can walk into your room anytime is bothersome. I don’t miss small talk with co-workers (an introvert’s pet peeve) and needless long meetings. Virtual coworking allows me to experience the positives of working with others. Positives viz. accountability, group energy of communal working and a container that ensures better productivity.

2. No power dressing, no time wasted in commute and water cooler chats

Working virtually with folks from across the globe is an extraordinary experience. Some coworkers have just woken up and are getting their morning coffee. Others are in the middle of the day while the rest are winding up.

I love that there’s no formality to power dress to the office, with virtual coworking. The focus is on getting work done. No time wasted in commuting or small talk. I love how I’m able to put my time to good use with virtual coworking. 

3. It puts me in a flow state

The term ‘flow state’ was popularised by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi - a world-renowned psychologist. Flow is characterized by the complete absorption in what one does, and a resulting transformation in one's sense of time.

I often experience this flow state during virtual coworking sessions. It helps me complete tasks with ease, joy and speed.

Last year, I used virtual coworking to get my taxes done. What usually would take me 3-4 days was done in two 50-minute sessions.

4. Shoots Up My Productivity

As an experiment yesterday, I decided to do some work by myself without virtual coworking. I was optimistic about being productive. I worked for a few hours but didn’t get much done. I gave up. I signed up for 3 virtual coworking sessions and got my work done with ease.

It’s not by accident but by design that my productivity goes up when I cowork virtually. It’s designed to help me be productive with ease. Without depending on the adrenaline rush that comes from powering through deadlines last minute.

5. Washes away the heaviness that comes with the shame & guilt of an unproductive day

When I have a less-than-productive day I carry a sense of guilt and shame for having wasted the day. It weighs heavy on me. It makes me further discouraged and unproductive.

On days I cowork, I experience a sense of contentment that comes from completing or progressing on a task. This keeps my sense of motivation and perseverance high.

Accomplishing tasks for the day moves me closer to my dreams. This is a sweet gift I get from virtual coworking.

6. It’s like a fun game

The whole process of deciding on a task to do, booking a session and doing the session feels like playing a fun game. A game that fills me with the feeling that I’m taking charge of my life. It fills me with a deep sense of contentment. 

7. I feel nourished and replenished

Virtual coworking conserves my energy and rejuvenates me. I feel relaxed while completing tasks. The relaxed state ensures a better flow of creative ideas and insights. The quality of my work is richer. It ensures I do not have to rely on the last-minute adrenaline rush to power through a task, leaving me exhausted.

When I’m productive and get work done for the day, I feel a warm sense of accomplishment. I’m thrilled to spend the extra time watching comedy, reading a good book or hanging out with my family. All of which enrich my soul.

That way virtual coworking not only raises my productivity, it also nourishes my life.

8. Makes space for celebrating big and small accomplishments

Each virtual coworking session gives me the chance to be acknowledged by my partner for a job well done. I get a chance to do this often. Celebrating even small accomplishments or progress on a job keeps my enthusiasm high.

In grind culture, we move from one task to another, without stopping to acknowledge or celebrate a task completed. Virtual coworking makes space for patting yourself on the back for your progress. For me, this results in positive self-talk and keeps me motivated.

9. Keeps me away from shiny objects a.k.a social media

With the introvert-friendly social interaction on virtual coworking, I’m less drawn to seek social connection on Facebook or Instagram. I adore social media, but it can suck me into a rabbit hole for hours while working. And yet again I feel a sense of shame and guilt for having wasted precious time.

10. Allows me to work despite my inner critic

A part of my inner critic gets active when I’ve not done enough work on any given day.

Virtual coworking ensures I’m focused so the quality of work is rich.

Virtual coworking allows me to have a log of the sessions I’ve done each day. I know the exact number of hours I’ve worked on a particular day. With this data, I can work despite my inner critic tricking me to believe I’ve been lazy or have not done quality work. This by far is the greatest virtue of virtual coworking.

11. Gives me a glimpse into the lives of people from varied cultures, professions and age groups.

I’ve virtually co-worked with students, side hustlers, entrepreneurs, writers, software engineers and distracted office workers.

Tasks vary from writing a PHD thesis, studying for an exam, reading a white paper, writing code and updating a website to writing a blog post. Or finishing an online course, paying bills, sorting a pile of laundry, exercising, doing yoga and preparing for an exam or presentation.

I once had a lovely session with a coworking partner from Europe practicing music on their harp.

I’ve completed a few hundred virtual coworking sessions. I’ve worked with people from the UK, various cities in the US, Canada, Cameroon, Germany, Australia, India and the rest of South Asia.

Last year I met a Focusmate partner based in Vietnam. We had a brief chat about how easy it is to get vegetarian food in Vietnam and whether it’s a good idea to visit Cambodia. It was a fun interaction.

It’s lovely to see people allow their pets to work with them. Or have their kids peep into a call out of curiosity.

This diversity enriches my life.

Most virtual coworking spaces don't encourage social networking. But you do land up chatting with a partner outside the session at times. In these occasional chats, I’ve exchanged book lists, favourite podcasts and productivity apps.

Most virtual coworking platforms I’m a part of have a Facebook group for more online interaction. This helps keep up the camaraderie, share ideas and bond. After all, humans are social animals hard-wired to stick together.

Coworking virtually brings a warm feeling of connection. I feel I’m part of something bigger. I carry this joy into my life and work.

12. Allows me to connect in introvert-friendly ways

There’s a tricky paradox I deal with and virtual coworking helps me manage it remarkably well. I’m an introvert. I love doing things by myself. My idea of fun is spending a long weekend daydreaming or reading a good book. My energy and mood get replenished in solitude and nature. However, when it comes to working I thrive in like-minded communities.

I missed the energy of office life with remote work when I started as a solopreneur. Co-working spaces filled that gap amazingly well. With the pandemic, there was little access to co-working spaces. Once again I faced the challenge of loneliness that solo working poses. Until of course, I found virtual coworking.

Online communities work best for an introvert like me. Communities where there’s no pressure to meet up with lots of people at a crowded noisy bar. I can cowork on my terms which makes space for my introverted personality.

Virtual coworking is cheaper than booking space in a coworking office in my city or working from a cafe.

HOW YOU CAN START COWORKING VIRTUALLY

Focusmate currently offers 3 free sessions per week. Cowork Crowd offers a free 7-day trial. You can try the platforms to ascertain if they suit your vibe.

If you’re on a budget and would prefer free coworking sessions, you could source some options online. Meetup.com is one great place to look for them.

Last year I signed up for a bunch of free writing sessions under the initiative ‘Shut Up and Write’ via meetup.com. I found several free sessions in varied time zones and enjoyed working virtually.

If you’re apprehensive about working with strangers you could gather a group of friends or colleagues to cowork. You can connect via Zoom, Google Meet or another suitable video conferencing platform. Set a few ground rules and go for it.

If working virtually is not your cup of tea, you could organise a few hours of in-person sessions with folks at home. You can sit together at the table and focus on getting work done. For example, your kids could do coursework or study for an exam while you get your presentation done.

Whichever way you do it you can make coworking enjoyable, productive and sustainable. Hope you give virtual coworking a shot and relish its benefits too.

Do you already cowork virtually? Would love to hear from you about your experience. Please feel free to share in the comments below.

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