If given the opportunity to work locally for less money, would you do it? Working local doesn’t always mean less money, but for most of us living in Sydney, we usually know that the top paying jobs are in Sydney’s CBD or in the business industrial parks which are located in areas with limited residential access. This means a long commute for us living in suburbia.
For me, working in North Sydney and living in the Sutherland Shire, my daily commute is a long one. I have been very fortunate to have negotiated with my company to work 3 days a week out of Inspire Cowork, the Sutherland Shire’s largest coworking space, which allows me to benefit from working local.
Here are my top 10 reasons why working local is better.
Reduce your commute to work
We’ve all done it or are doing it! That dreaded daily commute to work. Whether working local saves you 30mins each way or an hour each way, the time at the end of the week adds up very quickly. Reducing your daily commute allows you to have time for you. 
Better quality of life
Living closer to work gives you a few extra hours a day at home with family or time to meet up with friends. It allows you to engage in your hobbies, join a local sporting team or use the time to further educate yourself. Setting aside time for yourself, your passions and hobbies makes you more productive in the workplace and happier in life.
Support local businesses 
Working local allows you to support your local business. Whether you are buying a sandwich for lunch or stopping off at the grocery store to pick something up for dinner, you are buying local rather than on your commute home.
Save money
We all know that commuting is expensive. Whether you drive to work and have to pay for petrol and the wear and tear on your car, or the cost of public transport, it hurts the pocket. Additionally, as you are waiting for your train or bus there is always the temptation to buy a coffee and a pastry in the morning or a drink or snack on the way home.
Less stress
Commuting can be incredibly stressful. With the work day getting longer, the consistent issues with public transport and the terrible traffic on the roads, working closer to home will alleviate so much pressure and stress. A study conducted by Canada’s University of Waterloo discovered a direct link between your commute time and well-being. It was found that commute lengths are linked to a sense of time pressure. People who spend the most time on the road experience higher levels of stress as they constantly feel hurried and out of time. 
Fitness
If you work local and close enough to bike, walk or run to work, it gives you a great opportunity to get your workout in before and after work. With this, not only do you gain your fitness, you also save money. You will arrive at work already mentally stimulated and your productivity will sky rocket. You will get home relaxed as you have time to de-stress and put your mind at ease before walking through the front door.
More sleep
If you’re anything like me, I need my sleep to function. When I commute to the office I need to be up before the crack of dawn to be at the train station before 7:00am to make it to the office by 8:30am. When I work from the coworking space I only need to wake up at 8:00am to make it to the office by 8:30am. Depending on the kids, this usually gives me an extra 2 hours of sleep in the morning, or an extra 2 hours with the kids.
When I have enough sleep I find that I am more productive, much more creative, my decision making skills are on point and my concentration is sharp.
Flexibility
Working close to home allows you to get things done in your personal life. Whether you decide to go before work, on your lunch break or after work, you have the opportunity to visit your local doctor, shopping centre or bank etc. It also allows you to drop your kids off to school, or if you forgot something at home you can quickly race back to pick it up.
Home in time for dinner
For those of you with kids, you know that it’s not often you get to be home to sit at the dinner table with them and enjoy a meal. I’m very fortunate that when I work from the coworking space, I am able to do this. When working from the office, if I’m lucky to leave by 5:00pm I only get home by 7:00pm. Dinner then gets pushed back till about 8:00pm.
Have a routine
Having a routine is so vital for your mental stamina. It provides you with structure, creates positive habits and increases your efficiency. It is important that your routine isn’t only getting up for work, commuting to work, working, commute home from work, eat dinner and go to bed. This has an adverse effect of what a routine should bring to your life. A routine which has a positive impact on all aspects of your life is important to your overall well-being.
Are you ready to quite the daily commute? Get in touch and I’ll share the steps you need to take to work remote.

Coworking Spaces:

1. Coworking is all about growing your community
   Coworking spaces come in all shapes and sizes. What they all have in common is the emphasis on collaboration and networking. It is all about fostering your community and creating business opportunities through new networks.
2. Creating a positive working environment
   Coworking is centred around creating a working environment which supports collaboration, openness, knowledge sharing, networking, innovation, and accountability. It is a place where entrepreneurs and freelancers come to work for themselves but not by themselves.
3. Your own desk
   At a coworking space, you have your own dedicated desk. You set up your desk the way you like it and that’s the way it’ll stay. No need to pack up your belongings at the end of the day and saves you the time in the morning to get straight back into your work.
4. Work with like-minded people
   When you’re starting up a business, it’s always difficult to find the time to interact with friends or family. A coworking space allows you to be immersed in an environment where you meet and engage with like-minded people who can help offer fresh eyes or feedback to a business idea or problem.
5. Better internet connection
   You will find that coworking spaces typically have a faster internet connection to your normal corporate office building. The use of the internet is part of everyone’s daily work routine and the quicker it is, the more productive you become. With many coworking spaces disrupting the status quo with the upload and download speeds, it provides a great space for businesses to work from 
   

Hotdesking:

1. Hotdesking is a workspace sharing system
   Hotdesking is used in activity-based working to allow groups of people to form and work together on projects then disband as the project ends.
2. Drop in for a day 
   If you are travelling interstate, and your time is on the road but just need a space to get some work done. Hotdesking gives the flexibility to share spaces.
3. Hotdesking at your company vs hotdesking as a service
   When hotdesking gets introduced into corporate offices it tends to get a bad name from people losing their dedicated space. This is not what coworking spaces are like. When hotdesking is offered as a service in a coworking space, the dedicated desk is normally also offered along with a private office. Simply providing the flexibility.     
   

Private Office Space:

1. Privacy
   Many people like the idea of having a door which they can lock. If you are in an industry where you are dealing with highly confidential information, it provides a sense of security that you can lock your door. It also offers workers the advantage of escaping from the perceived peering eyes and ears around the office.
2. Increased productivity
   The privacy of your own space allows people who typically lack attention when there are a few distractions around the opportunity to focus and concentrate on the task at hand. Without the distractions of other people on the phone, the sound of typing or watching people get up to make a cup of coffee can lead to greater productivity.
3. More space
   A private office typically means more space. This may not be a big deal to many who only use their laptop, although can be a huge selling factor to those who need filing cabinets or a small desk to hold one-on-one meetings within their space.
4. You don’t feel part of a team
   A private office can be quite lonely. When you get into your groove and just pump out content or numbers etc. you can forget where you are and the fact that people may be around you. You lock yourself in the office and don’t have the opportunity to take the time to collaborate or speak with like-minded people who may be around you.
5. Expense
   A private office is typically more expensive than the other shared workspace options.