The Pro's and Con's of Renting an Office Space

Hey guys, hope all is well.

The past couple of days I've been really considering renting a little office (a one room/desk sort of thing) just so I have somewhere to work. I don't know about you guys, but while I love the freedom of being able to work when I want, I also feel like I am far more driven when I am in a work environment, dressed appropriately for work....and not in my pants on the sofa haha

I just thought it would be quite interesting to see people's views on this.

It would cost me around about £150-£200 per month to rent a little office space. The increased work, and treating IM like a real business, I feel, would more than make up for that cost. Going from working a couple hours per day, half assing it on my couch, to, let's say, 9 to 3, 5 days a week. Yet, still with the ability to take time off whenever I please.

I feel this could be a beneficial move for me. What do you guys think?

 

If this will motivate you to work harder then I would say go for it. But make sure you are already making £150-£200 a month before making a move like this.

 

Dude, I used to think like that.

But give yourself like 6 months and you will start to go to your office lesser and lesser (to maybe 2 or 3 times a week).

When I first got my private office, I went nearly everyday and I was happy to be in my office. But 6 months later, I started becoming 'lazy' to go to my office due to transportation time.
Not sure if it will happen to you, but I know an IMer near my office too and his laziness to go to his office started barely 2 months after renting the office. lol

Not to mention, you will become 'lonely' unless if you can socialize with your 'office neighbours'.

BUT your productivity will definitely boost a LOT when you're in office. Concentration and focus will be there. Work gets done quick.

 

Lonely? I've got all you guys to talk to! haha. Besides, I'm not planning to work ridiculous hours. Just a few SOLID...HARD WORKING...hours per day. As opposed to the 30 minutes here and there I currently do.

I also feel it would be beneficial for me as somewhere to get out of my flat. Sometimes I just need a quiet space to work where I don't have flatmates etc.

 

Renting a office is a good move imo. You will feel more motivated to do your job and you'll be less distracted from different things around your house. Cons? The price. If you have a good stable amount of money each month, then it's ok. Other thing maybe the time to travel to it. That can be also a good thing, but it depends on you.
If you have a spare room in your apartment/house, i would suggest you to build a home office. It will cost you less money to build it, you won't have to travel a lot, and you will still be in the comfort of your home. But of course, that is your choice. If you're running a business, then yes, renting a office will be the best choice.
Cheers.

 

True to your last sentence. That's why I got my office in the first place as I hated staying at home EVERYDAY

Sweet, then go for it!

Try to negotiate with your landlord to have a short lease-term to try it out. Perhaps like 6 months. And 200 pounds is pretty cheap.
Mine was about US$700 for just 150-175 square feet.

 

To make it cheaper for you OP you could always pop into your local library and use their computer facilities rather than rent an office. Unless your working on a porn site lol

 

I already have a makeshift office in the flat mate. But regardless of how fancy an office one has in their home. There's still TV's, the fridge, the playstation, the hoover...and literally anything you can think of to procrastinate with haha

 

haha! No, I'm not doing anything like that.

"technically" speaking I could just head into my university campus and work there. It just doesn't have the same effect as an office though does it? Plus I can freely make phonecalls in a library or at university, and COLD CALLING is a major part of my work currently.

 

Oh yes, here's a list of considerations BEFORE signing that lease form.

1) Does the rental fees include utilities like airconditiong, electricity, .etc?
2) Are toilets available?
3) Is there free wifi?
4) Is it 24/7 access?
5) Is the office area safe? No burglaries?
6) What's the lease-term period? 6 months? 1 year? 2 years?
7) Is carpark space available? If you're taking public transport, is there a direct bus?
8) Eateries? Pubs? Whore/escort houses nearby?

 

Or you could even use that £150-200 a month to outsouce a lot of your work, that way you will still end up spending that money but you will have to do a lot less work anyway.

 

I also plan to rent some sort of place to work and in my mind, it will really help in consentration and professionalism. If you go there in a tshirt holding a donut it won't be so good. On the other hand, if you go there with formal (but comfortable of course) clothes and have your own phone-line etc, it will really, really improve your job quality. [things will get serious ]

 

haha, had a giggle.

Majority of them are 24/7 access in my area with WiFi. Some even have gym and shower facilities, which would be awesome.

As for burglaries, I'd be taking everything with me to the office each day, so that's kind of irrelevant haha

 

I don't actually want to do less work though. I actually enjoy working when I'm doing it....I just struggle to get to that 'doing' consistently haha

 

I've done both on several occasions and there are benefits with each.

From what you've said I think it would be a good move for you. The act of getting ready to go to the office, putting on a suit (if that's your choice) and travelling to 'work' are all things that get you in the work mindset. It also gets you into the habit of working for a set time each day.

They were the reasons I took my first office and it had the desired effect.

There are other benefits too. If you meet with clients it's great to invite them to your office, a much more professional impression from the outset. It also give you the option of employing extra staff.

Having said that, I choose to work from home now and I prefer it, but that's because I have learnt to be disciplined and so I don't need the office setting to motivate or regiment myself any more. Of course, I got myself to that state of mind by going down the office route.

Perhaps try it for a set period and then review the situation.

One thing for sure, whatever the cost of the office, you will more than make up for it with your increased productivity, so don't let the cost put you off.

 

Why not trying coworking offices?
That way you will be able to get out of the house, see and become acquaintance with some different new people (networking) but still be in an office environment and get all the benefits from it.

 

Might get in contact with a couple offices in town and go for some viewings, check out some prices

 

Co-working/Office sharing comes to mind, check out if you have any of those in town. Plus, how far would it be from your place? As stated before, it really sucks to have THE idea of the week and then having to wait for 40 minutes while you drive into town.

 

Getting an office does have some benefits, in a way it does motivate you more, that's true. The question is whether you can actually keep going to the office. I couldn't. It gets "boring" and "not worth it" to go to the office. In the end I don't think that an office is really worth it if you have the space in your home to build yourself your own office. That is basically what I have done. I travel the world but I always dedicate a part of any flat or house I rent as "the office". That way there are no excuses like "its rush hour, takes too long to travel" etc

 

Separation of home/work is a major problem for a lot of full time IM'ers. Working from a shared co-working space, coffee shop, or rental office can help if you're having trouble taking action.

I occasionally have trouble getting work done at home, and usually a day out at a few coffee shops will set me straight. As you mentioned, getting out, dressing up, & treating it more like a regular 9-5 can help if you're feeling stuck.