Working Alone, Side by Side

For those remote-working entrepreneurs out there, toiling away in the home office or coffee shop can be, well, lonely.

But, see, this is why you struck out on your own. No more distractions, no more useless meetings, zero office politics. Yet, something is obviously missing. You sense it on those Thursday afternoons after working several days solid without human contact. And you sense it during those moments when you have a constructive question or an meaningful idea and you look up quickly to share it... but there's no one there.

The New York Times last week profiled groups of entrepreneurs (mostly Web designers, writers, bloggers, etc.) who are having it both ways with "coworking" spaces. These are not large, alienated, library-like situations, but more like communal spaces where people can work from their laptops with the benefit of having like-minded people around them doing the same thing (much like San Francisco's Hat Factory, pictured above). While quiet is maintained for focus, ideas can be thrown around and skills can be shared when needed. And, of course, there is enough productive energy around the table to keep the mood busy and focused.

Now, this kind of arrangement might not be for everyone. Some people cannot work, for instance, unless Travis Tritt or Rush (or both!) are blasting from across the room. And others are not good sharers of space. Ahem. But, for a good majority, this could be ideal: Complete independence without alienation.

Now, the only challenge is finding a space and a group of like-minded people to work with. Shouldn't be that hard.