Digital nomad, coworking, coliving ... words that have made a dent in my dictionary and little by little in that of my family and friends. Some easier to explain than others. Now you will understand why I say it!
Imagine for a moment that moment in which you tell your mother that you are going to travel the world while working remotely. I am sure that many of you have seen yourself in this situation, mine was like this:
- Mom, I want to be a digital nomad and live in a coliving.
- Noma ... what, co ... what?
This was my mother's first response, almost the same as the rest of my family and friends as I told them what I wanted to do during the following months, and surely for the rest of my life. Therefore, I tried to put all my momentum into understanding well what all these words that sounded to Chinese meant.
Explain that it is a coworking was really simple, I made the simile with an office and I added that there were events for everyone who works there to know and share knowledge, thus creating a large community of coworkers (new term that now they also know).
Define digital nomad? This was a piece of cake, as easy as saying: He is a person who works from the computer while traveling. It is done! Problem solved.
But then the complicated thing came, in my case at least, to explain what a coliving is. I remember the exact moment I prepared to explain to my grandparents that for a few months I was going to live in a coliving. This was my definition: There are people who work traveling and looking to live in a community. ERROR! First image that came to mind? The hippie communes. Yes, yes what you hear. My family thought for some time that I had become a hippie and was going to live in a commune lost in the world.
Many months have passed since that and these words are still rare for all of them, but little by little they understand what they mean and why they make me so happy. Without going any further, the other day, when I said goodbye to my grandmother for my trip to Bangkok, she asked me: And this time you also go to a “cogorcin” of those? (sorry grandma, but I had to tell). At 80, although he still can't pronounce it, he knows what it is. And not only that, but she would love to have been able to access places like this when she was young and to be able to live experiences as enriching as those that coworkings or colivings are offering me.
How is a day in a coliving?
You have to start the day with energy, so what better way to start than meeting with the rest of coworkers in the common space / kitchen for breakfast and share the ideas that have come up while I was sleeping. After some exercise (normally these spaces have a gym or classes like yoga).
It is time to get in front of the computer, for this there are areas enabled as coworking where you can work comfortably, with everything you need (printer, coffee maker ...) and enjoy a good internet connection. What questions do I have with the work I am doing? Tranquility! Surely there is a partner who can help me out.
No matter what time I eat, there will always be someone who accompanies me and takes me off the computer for a while. The rest is over! Touch to return to work.
A few more hours and end of the day. The hours I invest in work are less than I would spend at home or in an office, since I don't waste time on transfers and I have fewer distractions. In addition, the atmosphere promotes productivity if you see everyone working and in a good mood. I assure you that it is. The work ceases to be and becomes a moment of sharing and creating!
What I do in my free time? Enjoy the place where I am (right now Bangkok) and sign up for all the events organized by the coliving team, so I know the rest of coworkers better and I can learn more from all of them outside of work. There are many different profiles: remote programmers, entrepreneurs, freelance copywriters ... And everyone has something new to give me!
Did you also think that a coliving was something like a hippie commune like my family? I hope that after reading this article you have changed your mind and very soon you embark on an adventure like the one I am living, you will learn and grow as a professional and as a person.
Laura Vilchez Castro
