I am a working Mom. Furthermore I am a work at home mom (WAHM). I started working from home almost 7 years ago when we moved to Dallas and I changed jobs. At first it was amazing, hello no commute and working in my pajamas. But after a little while it was a struggle…we were in a new city and my husband was a full time student which meant little time for me. It was hard to make friends and I was lonely. I started to miss my work friends and the camaraderie you get in an office environment. It eventually drove me to find a new job in a traditional office (which I also didn’t enjoy – I forgot about office politics. ick.) mainly because there was no happy medium. Well good news ladies, there is now the perfect in between space created by the Coworking movement.
Coworking, by definition, is the use of an office or other working environment by people who are self-employed or working for different employers, typically so as to share equipment, ideas, and knowledge.
The whole idea of coworking is to bring bright, creative people together and let the ideas collide. And with the rise of #MomBosses and women running their own small businesses, it’s really the ideal place to find the freedom to pursue your professional life (you know, without kids hanging all over you). Bonus! – – you can also use the bathroom uninterrupted!
Earlier this year I was coming out of maternity leave and realizing that working in my house with an office in the kids’ playroom was not going to cut it. The girls don’t understand that “mommy is working” or “shh, mommy is on the phone with a client” – – it was time to make a change. I had explored the idea of coworking years earlier but the options at the time were limited. Lucky for me a big boom in coworking is happening and there are many more awesome spaces popping up all over the city. Even more fortunate for me, a new space just opened up right down the street from my house. The stars had aligned.
I now work almost full time from a space called The Mix. And it’s just that, a mix of different people, professions and energy that are perfect for my need for focus but also for interaction and occasional collaboration. The Mix is a bit unique in that its focus is wide with lots of creativity and artistic exploration happening. Just a couple weeks ago I was typing client emails while a ballet class was happening literally inches from my desk. If that isn’t exactly the vibe you are going for there are many more coworking spaces around Dallas that each offer a little something different.
Where is this surge coming from you ask? The professional climate is changing. 40% of workforce will be freelancers, temps, independent contracts and solopreneurs (and Mompreneurs) by 2020. And people love what happens when they get out of their house and into an environment that spawns creativity. In fact, 71% of coworkers described feeling more creative since joining a coworking space and 62% said their work had improved.
So how does it work exactly? Well it’s pretty simple. Most places offer different membership levels ranging from day passes if you just need to get a project done in peace and quiet or dedicated space memberships which provide an office or desk all your own. I use a full time membership that gives me access during working hours but no dedicated desk so I just grab an open desk when I arrive. There are also tons of benefits like the basics which typically include a coffee bar (umm, HOT coffee!) and snacks to beer and wine. Some spaces even offer fitness facilities and catered lunches. There is also a growing interest in creating Coworking spaces with onsite childcare. How cool is that?!
Coworking allows us working women to carve out a space in our lives that is our own. It’s free of distractions like the laundry that is piling up, the dinner that needs to be prepped or the house that needs to be vacuumed. It’s a space outside of our home, outside of our Mom world where we can tap into the woman behind the family and feed our desire for some time that is just for us, for our dreams. So try it out…it might be just what you need!
Are you a WAHM who needs a space to call your own? Do you already dabble in the coworking world? Share with us what works for you?
Looking for a space? Some of the coworking spaces that I would recommend are The Mix, Common Desk, Foundry Club, The Grove and NōD Coworking. There are tons more out there too, just Google “coworking dallas.”
Coworking spaces with childcare!? That would be amazing. I’ve considered joining a gym just so I could use their 2 hours of childcare and wifi! Ha! Have you heard of any great spaces that offer this yet?