Working from home has its distinct perks, namely the “outfit mullet” for video calls (business on top, party on the bottom). But it can also be tough to say goodbye to office life. There’s no stopping at your valued colleague’s desk to bounce new ideas around, and no quick coffee pot chats about weekend escapades. Honestly, once the rest of the household departs for work, school, or wherever they’re headed for the day, iit can be downright…lonely.

Lucky for us, it doesn’t have to be one way or the other. Coworking spaces offer the flexibility of working from home coupled with the structure, access to resources, and community of an office.

One of the biggest benefits to trying a coworking space is that it reestablishes the work/life boundary that can blur with home offices. There’s no getting distracted by Kondo-izing the hall closet, or losing family time by working at all hours. “It’s so easy to get up from your desk to switch the laundry and come to an hour and a half later with a clean bathroom and an inbox full of emails,” says consultant Andi. The easiest way to fix that persistent house chore creep is to get yourself out of the house altogether.

A second benefit is community. Coworking spaces are just that: Shared spaces that other working professionals use. As The Eternal Hostess, Alex, puts it, when you strike up a conversation while grabbing a cup of tea, “you’ll likely end up talking about business or networking. It’s more focused time than talking to somebody in the coffee shop about how they’re planning their next vacation.”

While social connection is a worthy goal in its own right, fellow co-workers are equally likely to be sources of new work, inspire new business ideas, or introduce you to events and opportunities – all without the tiresome intra-office power dynamics that can play out in a traditional workplace.

Sometimes, the space itself is a source of not-yet-considered opportunities. VIDA offers everything from exercise classes, to lectures and forums on topics of notes, to life strategy sessions. Taking advantage of these services can help to propel your business forward, bring life into better balance, spark new projects, or help to take a load off.

There’s also a lot to be said for having a more professional space for meetings than the neighborhood café or your living room, a fact well known by anybody who’s ever had to carefully disengage their needy cat from a potential client’s lap.

And last–but definitely not least–at VIDA, we’re taking the traditional coworking concept up a notch by bringing those all-important service providers to you. We’ll have a concierge, massage therapists, wellness classes, nutritionists, and salon services right onsite, streamlining your life and empowering you to finally reclaim your out-of-office time as true downtime.

If those benefits resonate with you, get in touch. We’re counting down the weeks until VIDA becomes a reality and we start creating a community designed to help you and your business thrive.