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How Sociability Impacts Productivity

Eva Sanz coworking , , ,
How Sociability Impacts Productivity

If you have been keeping up with our blog, you might’ve come across our post about “Advantages & disadvantages of freelancing”. Some of the benefits include flexibility, independence, the potential for growth, and being your own boss. However, it’s not all coffee and working in pajamas. There certainly are cons, one of the largest being isolation. Lacking the coworker interaction that comes with the traditional office environment can be quite the drawback. In this blog post, we decided to dive a bit deeper into how sociability impacts productivity, specifically for freelancers.

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Erasmus Young Entrepreneur & Digital Nomad Profile: Guillaume Avond

Community Manager Community Managers, entrepreneurship, Locus Workspace, profile , , ,
Erasmus Young Entrepreneur & Digital Nomad Profile: Guillaume Avond

Check out Guillaume’s website: gamastudy.com
 
Name: Guillaume Avond
Hometown: Montségur sur Lauzon, France
My name is Guillaume Avond and I’m a French Entrepreneur. I founded the Language Agency GAMA Study a year ago. I am now visiting Locus as part of the programme “Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs”. This programme aims to help European entrepreneurs develop their business by gaining experience in another country and increase their list of contacts.
Hometown: Montségur sur Lauzon, France
Fun fact about hometown: Montségur sur Lauzon is a small village located in Provence in the South of France. Although it’s a tiny place (1200 people), we are the national Capital of Black Truffles, that very expensive mushroom.
Occupation: Entrepreneur

Field of study: Master’s Degree in Project Management and Web Development.

Did you already have an idea of what a coworking space was before you came to Locus?
Yes, as I am working remotely myself, and often changing location, I had interest in coworking spaces but never get the chance to work from an actual one. I used to work remotely from home and sometimes from cafés, but I think a coworking space is definitively the best option.

Why did you decide to do your training at Locus?
As I mentioned, I am at Locus as part of the programme “Erasmus for Young Entrepreneur”. Firstly I chose Prague as a destination because it is located in Europe with the same time zone as France, which is a good point for my job. The cost of life is also lower than in Western Europe. Finally I chose Locus because a coworking space was the ideal place for me to grow my business. They were looking for an entrepreneur with web development and community management skills, so we matched perfectly. J

What are some of your goals for your time at Locus?
On one side, I am here to help Locus to grow their online presence on social media and to finalise their new website.


On the other side, I am here to meet other entrepreneurs and freelancers, and enjoy the services of a great coworking space.

What do you do that allows you to be location independent?
I founded the agency GAMA Study last year. It is a language studies agency which helps students from all over the world book language courses at reduced prices.

Thanks to established partnerships with schools, we offer language training tailored to all clients, whether they are professionals, students, new entries to the job market, retirees, or groups, and for all budgets! 

The job allows me to work remotely from everywhere in Europe.

How would you say that being location independent has changed your life?
It allows me much more freedom than I had before, with a fixed-location job. I can travel when I want, where I want, and I can settle in any country in Europe, as long as it is  not too far from France in term of time-zone.

On the other hand, I also lost a bit of freedom in the evenings and on weekends, as I often need to work. I also need to be connected to the Internet all the time so I cannot go backpacking in exotic destinations anymore.

How many countries have you visited and which one did you like the most?
I have visited most of the countries in Europe as well as Peru, Bolivia, USA, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong. It is hard to say which one was my favorite, but Bolivia and Taiwan are definitively on the top of my list because they are not so “touristy”. You can have a real adventure without being surrounded by thousands of tourists, and have the chance to order food without speaking a word of the language.

What are the biggest challenges you have faced living a nomadic lifestyle?
Changing cities is often a mess, as you need to find a new apartment, new friends, new activities, etc. It can be fun at the beginning, but after a while, I just wanted to stay in the same place for a longer period of time.

Do you think Locus Workspace is a good place for digital nomads?

Locus Workspace is the perfect size for a coworking place. Not too small, not too big. There is a real family atmosphere as most of the members know each other’s and often go to restaurants and have lunch together. As well, a large number of the members are not Czech and everybody speaks English here.

What is the best thing about working and living in Prague from a digital nomad’s point of view?
Prague is a great place for Digital Nomads. The quality of life is very high and the prices are low, especially for food and drinks. If your job allows you to get a good salary, you can live like a king here! 

It is also a charming city, full of history but also nature with many parks around. Moreover, it is very safe and you can easily travel to other European countries from here!

Member Profile: Cory Benson

Community Manager Locus Workspace, members, profile ,
Member Profile: Cory Benson

Check out Cory’s website: bikerumor.com

Where are you from?
I am from a small city near Washington, D.C. called Frederick, Maryland. It’s the first city outside
Washington, D.C. that’s not a suburb.
What’s a fun or interesting fact about where you’re from?
The region is very closely tied to Chesapeake Bay and seafood and it’s basically the only thing I miss from growing up: fresh crabs, oysters…

What do you do?
I am a cycling journalist. I report on new bikes, test them, and travel around Europe riding and reporting about new bikes.

What are you currently working on that you’re most excited about?
I am looking forward to riding in new places with friends I meet a few times a year. The next project is called “Rapha Prestige Bohemia” and is a team competition along the German/Czech border. The region is called “Saxon Switzerland” [on the German side] and across the border [on the Czech side] it’s “Bohemian Switzerland”.

Why did you choose to work from Prague?
I married a Czech woman in the USA, it was a good opportunity to return to Czech Republic.
It’s good to work in a lower stress environment. Having kids and raising them is easier and more
relaxed here.
 
Why did you choose to work from a coworking space?
I am not productive at home. I need peer pressure to be motivated. I also needed a place to bring
professional meetings. When I started to work in Locus I had a very different job, I was an architect so
I needed a more professional environment both to attract and maintain developer client relationships.
 
Why did you choose Locus in particular?
The location was a big deal. I started in the former Locus location and I really needed a professional environment and it worked well for the needs I had at that time.
What describes the kind of location-independent work you do?
I work for a company based in the US and I manage a group of remote freelancers in Europe. I am a remote manager. I am definitely based in Prague but I travel out of Prague 30 or 40 times a year both for work and for fun.
Before you joined a coworking space, what were the biggest challenges of doing that kind of work?
One is trying to strike a balance between work and play. Traveling is tiring, I need to recover but don’t
have time for it. Work traveling can be very entertaining but time consuming. Before joining a coworking
space, the biggest challenge was separating the work and play: riding a bike for fun or riding a bike as a job.
 
How have you overcome those challenges?
By separating work and home physically. Commuting to the office by bike gives me the chance to move
away from the home life and be ready for the work day.
 
What is the main benefit you’ve gotten working from Locus (not already mentioned above)?
Having a place that is reliable. Here, I don’t have to worry about it when I come back from traveling
or from the weekend. I can just come to Locus, sit down, and start working.
What’s the best thing about living and working in Prague from the perspective of being a location-independent professional?
It’s a city which is central in Europe and it’s really easy to drive to the Alps or Belgium. The airport is
good and it takes me few hours by plane to go anywhere in Europe, which is good for my work. I can
get on my bike and be completely out of the city within half an hour, Prague ends relatively quickly.
 
Any other interesting projects you’re working on that you haven’t mentioned already?
I have an upcoming trip to Mallorca, then a road trip to Switzerland, then I’ll be in Tenerife in November.
These are all work trips.
 
What is a fun fact about you?
I don’t have only one job: I was a stonemason first, now I am a journalist, I am also a licensed architect. I was the first green building LEED accredited professional in the Czech Republic and I teach building technologies at International Architecture University in Prague.

FOCUS on Digital Nomads: Kevin Ohashi

Community Manager digital nomads, location independence, Locus Workspace, members, profile , ,
FOCUS on Digital Nomads: Kevin Ohashi

Check out Kevin’s website: reviewsignal.com

Name: Kevin Ohashi

Hometown: Washington, D.C.

Academic background: Bachelor degree in Economis, minor in computer science.
2 Master’s degrees in Entrepreneurship and International Marketing and Brand management.
 
Without talking about work, tell us a bit about who you are and what you value.
I’m an introvert but everybody thinks I’m an extrovert. I’m the kind of guy who plays video games in the coworking space.

What do you do that allows you to be location independent?
I run a company called “Review Signal” which does web posting reviews based on analyzing social media posts. I also do consulting. I have worked with individuals up to big companies solving a variety of problems related to big data, web marketing or software development.

How would you say that being location independent has changed your life?
I don’t think it has changed my life. I feel like travelling has always been a part of my life. My family worked in international development and they traveled around my entire life so travelling is in my DNA. I started my first location-independent business at the age of 16 in Kathmandu, Nepal. Travelling has always been my life.

How many countries have you visited and which one did you prefer?
I have visited 44 countries. I spent more time in Thailand than anywhere else because I like it there. I was raised with Thai housekeepers in the family, one of whom has been longer in the family than my little brother and sister! I grew up with the food, the culture, and I have been there many times.

What are the biggest challenges you have faced living a nomadic lifestyle?
The biggest challenge is the routine. Every time you are in a new city, you have no pattern and finding discipline and routine can be difficult. And also having “normal” relationships with friends, I mean both maintaining existing friendships and making new ones.

What advice would you give someone who wants to run their own business and travel often?
I see a lot of young people who want to live remotely with little experience and connections or network and it’s difficult to build those when travelling. Especially when going from high-paying countries to cheap or poor ones. It’s better to know when you’re going to make your money from before you leave. I think missing out on that local experience and connections can be harmful in the long run. Some places are much better than others to make business, like Europe.

Why did you choose Locus Workspace to work when you first came to Prague?
I first came to Locus in 2016, I was living nearby. I was looking for a coworking space so I decided to check it out and had a free day.

Why do you think Locus Workspace is a good place for digital nomads?
Prague in general is a nice city for digital nomads. I like it for the community aspect, I get to meet people and hang out. Meeting people and making friends is the most difficult part so this coworking space facilitates creating a community and getting people included in that community.

What is the best thing about working and living in Prague from a digital nomad’s point of view?
The cheaper cost of living and Prague is a beautiful, small and easy city. It does not take more than 20 minutes to go anywhere. I also like all the weird bars and enjoy the lack of fashion which feels very liberating!

Imagine that you had one month to travel anywhere in the world (money not being an issue), where would you go and why?
That’s the question I ask myself every day! I definitely want to go scuba diving in the Galapagos.

What is a fun fact about you?
I was once bitten in the butt by a tiger. I won’t give any further information!

Member Profile: Ariana Montanez

Community Manager Locus Workspace, members, profile ,
Member Profile: Ariana Montanez
 
Where are you from?
I’m from East Los Angeles, California
What’s a fun or interesting fact about where you’re from?
There is a rodeo that happens once a year and is very popular.
 
What is your current occupation?
I’m a UX (User Experience Design) and UI (User Interference Design) for Image Conscious Studios in Boston, Massachusetts. I work on web design for companies that are looking for a site that is more information-based, such as a restaurant.
 
Above is an illustration part of a series created by Ariana for an internal marketing project
 
What are you currently working on that you’re most excited about? 
I’m currently excited about two different projects. The first is a client website for a law firm. The firm truly cares about their clients and the owner is very involved in the community, where he does things like teaching previously incarcerated people. The website will also involve the firm’s ‘rethinking of the law model’, something super cool to be a part of. The second project is an illustration project for the company I work for, Image Conscious Studios. It’s all about me and my travels, but it essentially is for our clients to see how we are inspired and the work we do.
 
Biotech Company website Ariana helped create. Check it out here: f1oncology.com
Why did you choose to work from Prague? 
I was just excited to live anywhere abroad, and heard great things from people who had previously visited Europe. I was looking for a city that had a lot of things to do, had great architecture, and was beautiful.
Why did you choose to work from a coworking space?
I really wanted to be more productive because I can get easily distracted at home, and to leave the house to get work done to truly ‘call it a day’ was what I was looking for. I also wanted to meet more people and felt that joining a workspace would be the best way to do that.
Why did you choose Locus in particular?
The community and all of the events that are offered. I love that Locus is not centered around networking, but about building a sense of community.
 
What best describes the kind of location-independent work you do?  
I’m location-dependent when I’m working back in Boston, but I would say I’m Nomadic until I return home.
Before you joined a coworking space, what were the biggest challenges of doing that kind of work?
Productivity is much lower outside of the workspace, and I can be more productive here. There are a lot of distractions outside of the workspace and working from home makes you feel like hermit because you almost never leave.

How have you overcome those challenges?
Joining Locus because I do not have an office here in Prague.

What is the main benefit you’ve gotten working from Locus (not already mentioned above)?
The events have been great. I’ve gotten some good takeaways from them, such as one of the last events about Happiness with David Papa.
 
What’s the best thing about living and working in Prague, from the perspective of being a location-independent professional?
 I’m very affected by the environment that I’m living and working in, so it’s great to be here in Prague where I appreciate the beauty and architecture.

What is a fun fact about you?
I never read the news. I occasionally listen to NPR’s 5 minute daily summary, and if I’m feeling like it, occasionally part of the Morning Edition, but that’s the extent of it. There’s so much else I’d rather focus on, and I’d rather not spend time learning about the latest negative thing that happened. I do love podcasts though, especially ones that center around specific topics. Some of my favorites are: Two Guys on Your Head (super quick explanations about how our brain works), The Leap (stories about people making radical life changes), and Science Vs (tests different fads or concepts against science, i.e. “True Love”)

If you could use one word to describe Locus, what would it be?
Welcoming!