The sweet smell of collaborative success (Brought to you by coworking)

During a recent weekly meeting, our team was considering what peripherals we could offer to coworkers. There’s the obvious list — monitors, chargers, that sort of thing. But when the question was put to me — What is it I’d most like — I said silence. To which Julie immediately responded noise canceling headphones. I mention this conversation because it’s interesting to me how one space is going to be able to meet an array of very different needs, some of which seem mutually exclusive. A big part of the idea of coworking is that it collaboration and camaraderie are highly encouraged. Which involves talking. So why would someone like me, who loves working in complete silence, even go to a coworking space? That’s easy. Just because I like quiet doesn’t mean I like isolation. I dig having others around, also working. For one thing, it helps me keep my butt in the chair (as opposed to frequent breaks from the my office at home, during which I do such productive t...