Carlos Almansa on Oct 17, 2014

So....was this coworking? My experience at Lanau!

An oldie but also a goodie, this article on Deskmag explains how to make the most of your coworking space. Depending on your needs, there is a wide range of things you may have to consider when choosing the right coworking space for you.

I moved to Madrid and I’ve been living there for the last seven months. When I decided to move there, finding a coworking space was one of my top priorities. Well, after having a place to sleep of course ;)

This was my wish list when I started having a view of different co-working spaces there:

Distance from home: I needed a place near my flat to get there quickly and not to have to take the underground.

The right size: I was looking for a not-so-crowded or a small space. A medium sized community that would allow me to meet everyone.

Price: Well, this was not the main reason but I took into account the space to be affordable.

Quiet: Although, when you get into a coworking space you know that it’s not a monastery, I wouldn't be comfortable in a space where the noise levels were a bit too high.

Commodities: I don’t need more than my laptop to work, but having a place to have lunch, an office, a kitchen, a courtyard, or some other place to have a chat was good for me.

Design: I’m not a design freak. Well, maybe a little bit. When I visit coworking spaces, usually the first glance gives me insight about how I would feel there. Things like the size of the space, the illumination, and the desks, are important to make me feel comfortable.

These were the things that I considered on my choice of a coworking space. As we work with coworking spaces at Nexudus Spaces, I had more or less a deep knowledge about the different spaces in the city and also had visited some of them. The final choice was Lanau Coworking. On my first visit, I had a good impression on the space and the community. When I got into the space, I tried to do few things to make the most of my experience there:

Meet as many people as you can: coffee breaks, events, casual meetings, and more, are good ways to meet new people in a coworking space. The more people you talk to, the higher the chances you will have of discovering amazing new people.

Pitching: In order to boost the famous “serendipity”, the rest of the people in your coworking space should know what you do, the skills you have, and how you can help them or be helped. In this sense, it is important to have a pitching attitude.

Participate: Although events are usually programmed by the space managers, they are usually open to hear new initiatives from the members of the community.

Collaborate: Be open. Giving feedback, helping people with your skills as much as you can will engage you with the rest of the community.

Have fun: It’s not all work in a coworking space. You will find it a lot of fun getting along with coworkers.

Don’t eat alone: Lunch time is a great opportunity to chat with people and get to know each other better, so when possible, eat with the rest of the community.

Surely I didn’t do everything on the list, but my experience in Lanau was awesome. Moving to a new city and getting to know new people is not easy and getting into a space like Lanau helps a lot. During the past seven months I met amazing people and professionals, worked in a great environment, played basketball with coworkers and had fun.