We are a fresh coworking space in Basel called Kleinhafen. We are ambitious, we are curious for innovation. Our space is not only a coworking space, but a community, a family, a new breath in the entrepreneurship and collaboration.
Last friday (15.07.2016) we decided to take a coworkation (coworking+vacation) to travel to somewhere outside of our comfort zone and work. We needed to talk about our next business moves, and get stuff done. If we would have stayed in Kleinhafen, we might have risked to get flunked to our everyday tasks. So I proposed Kleinhafen crew to take two days off. We worked during the first day, slept in the mountains and next day took a hike with some team building exercises.
It was a great idea from the beginning to the end!
Coworking + Vacation = Coworkation
Sometimes leaving all your post-its, notes, mailboxes and phone calls behind is extremely productive to get things done. Working in the same environment every day might lead to a monotonous work life. Such changes like coworkation is an attempt to bring positive impact to your team, to be at the peak of your concentration. Additionally, it is not bad at all to be in the nature while you are talking about your goals and beliefs; nature boosts your positivism.
No matter what kind of business you do, consider a day out of office, out of your routine. It is a great occasion to reach an immense progress on your to-do list. Encourage your coworkers! And if you are a coworking space, don’t wait for others to come in, be the first to get out.
Community in the mirror is closer than it appears
The idea was simple: instead of going to a hotel, a spa, or a hut in the Alps, we wanted to go to a mirror space, a space where we can meet ourselves in different location. It is not about comparing yourself with another coworking space, but be a part of their community. That is what we wished for, and that is what we found. I received very supportive feedback from many coworking spaces in Switzerland after I posted our request on the Coworking Switzerland Slack channel. We visited Büro Lokal as our first coworkation trip with Kleinhafen crew.
Leaving your office is not counterproductive at all
People hear more and more about coworking in interesting locations. Leaving your office for a day or two doesn’t have to be a vacation. The awareness elevates the dubious fog and leaves a prosperous shine over it. You will be surprised how productive and satisfying two-days of coworkation can be. We are proud of being a part of this movement and experience, with a connection to a fantastic community in Switzerland and all around the world.
Hope to see you all at the Coworking Europe Conference in November!
About the author:
Safak is the co-founder of Kleinhafen in Basel, and the board member of the Coworking Switzerland Association. He is also co-founder of YAAY visualizing complexity and getting ready to start his PHD on Data Visualization at the FHNW.