WORKING or studying at home may be practical, but it can be counter-productive, no thanks to the many distractions that can easily derail you from deadlines (hello there, lazy bed!).

Coffee shops, while a good option, can get quite crowded and noisy. Your best bet? Shared offices, or what’s becoming popularly known now as co-working spaces.

Basically, co-working space is a communal, collaborative working place. It’s enticing to budding start-up groups, freelancers, home-based professionals, independent contractors, and students.

Imagine this. Throw in your gadgets and take a spot. Pay on an hourly or daily basis --- depending on what suits your working style. Rate varies per establishment, usually at a very reasonable price, but fundamentally has the same inclusions like strong wifi connections, charging stations for your devices, complimentary drinks, and a cozy, great ambiance inspired by your favorite coffee shops and new-age offices.

More so, another chief attraction of this concept is the community support and the ecosystem it creates for its users--- which millennial workers truly love. So one has the choice either to seclude himself and focus on deadlines or interact with other patrons that executes in their industry. Hence, this is what makes them commit to this space: a chance to meet like-minded people in a collaborative atmosphere.

The idea may sound new-agey to many, but it has been around in other countries and in Manila as early as 2005. And due to the rapidly increasing number of freelancers, side hustlers and “start-up-renuers” brought upon by today’s great culture-shift, the space business is geared to be the next big trend outside Metro Manila.

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