Carrying out editorial work in the coworking K10 centre – the pluses and minuses of shared offices
There are quite a few in Prague and this style of work has recently become very popular. I chose the K10, a shared spaced, which is located in a neo-Baroque villa dating from the beginning of the 20th century, right next to the deluxe Havlíčkovy sady in Vinohrady in Prague.
How does K10 work?
K10 has a total of approx. 200 members who are individuals and also smaller or larger companies. This usually concerns people connected to on-line services: IT, monitoring, e-shops and developers. You can purchase membership from 50 hours a month. K10 also leases its deluxe space externally and is an official destination of the organisation organising travel year for digital nomads. This usually concerns Americans who spend each month in a different country.
Today I joined its members as an editor of Ĺuxury Prague Life. I bring you my authentic experience from working in a “shared office”.
I was amazed when I entered the beautiful interior – wooden cladding, wallpaper and colourful armchairs in the foyer. Apparently the Danish Ambassadors used to live here!
The large garden (1,540m2) is usually a magnet in the summer months. I am not at all surprised because it truly appears very pleasant. But I have to remain inside because it is still quite cold outside.
The ground floor as a common room
The ground floor of the villa is more a “coffee shop”. It is busier, the tables and chairs look like they belong in a real coffee shop. Many people prefer this style of working environment, but I am afraid that it is not quite the thing for me or my work. It reminds me a little of the common room in a hostel, an impression that is enhanced by the bistro serving hot breakfasts and lunches right next to it and a kitchenette where you can have anything you can see. There is a relaxed atmosphere here at first glance.
You can also find a beautiful conference room on the ground floor, a deluxe space, which I should have had reserved for myself, but which didn’t work out in the end, because there were too many meetings planned here for this day. This is why I spent my day on the first floor.
The first floor as a quiet office
The first floor is reminiscent of an office. It consists of 4 interconnected rooms with desks and comfortable office chairs. It is more peaceful here, which is exactly what I need for my work. However, after an hour I find that it is too quiet. I can only hear the tapping of the keyboard (mostly mine, until I start to think that it has to disturb someone!), sometimes steps and people making telephone calls here and there in the corridor. Then I realise that I am missing music! I forgot to bring my earphones with me! So I can’t play anything here: not music or video. The lesson of the day: earphones are a must! And nearly everyone has them here.
Greater work efficiency and absolute anonymity
Overall I find it quiet pleasant here, I cant really complain about anything. It is busier here at lunchtime, which I surprisingly don’t mind at all after two hours of quiet. Time passes quite quickly here, but my work also goes quite quickly.
Although I prefer to be at home when working and not share a room with anyone, I must admit that I was more effective today than usual. Maybe it's a coincidence but I actually think that it’s because nothing distracts me here. I do what the others do: I arrive, sit down and work. No one really talks to anyone on the first floor, new arrivals do not say hello, most people are wearing earphones, they are immersed in their work and are oblivious to their surroundings. On the other hand it is a bit boring, there is a truly working environment here. It is basically an office, in which you are always with someone different. I don’t know whether it is possible to establish more personal relationships here, but after my experience today I would say that it is not. Everyone minds themselves and is only interested in their own laptop. No one knows about you here, no one is interested in you, they don’t care what you are doing. It surprised me, but I didn’t mind.
If you don’t have to go to work and you have work that you can carry out anywhere and you only need a computer and the internet, then coworking centres may be a good option in my opinion for occasional changes on stereotypical days. And K10 truly offers a luxurious environment!
