“It’s not just about a goal that matters, but the quality of life you experience along the way.” – Sheila West

Can remote working give you a better quality of life? I often speak about the change that has been bought about and accelerated by the COVID pandemic, which has shown us that we are now able to choose where we live because it offers us a better quality of life. We don’t have to necessarily live somewhere, just because of our place of work. This is one of the huge benefits that has been bought about through technology and the proof that we can be as or even more productive outside our corporate offices when we are not forced to be in a specific place, at a specified time, around more or less the same people day in and day out. I am a big supporter of collaboration amongst colleagues and some real face time, but how often do you end up spending the majority of your time with the same people, having similar conversations? Sometimes it is just good to change your environment, even if it is just for a few hours or days a month. I don’t necessarily mean working from home, which has distractions, and each day moulds into the next as you struggle to define the boundaries of the work/life balance.

This brings me to the point of today’s blog… how can remote working create a better quality of life? This means ensuring that you remain productive and don’t slip into the loneliness trap, which has become prevalent amongst many that have chosen to make their home the primary place where they will live, work and play. Maybe its time to look at a new place to live?

Remote Working and Quality of Life

Some of the ways that you can improve your work-life balance with remote working include the following:

Choose what’s important outside of just work:

Are you a mountain biker, or a trail runner who wants to be challenged by getting into the mountains? If so, it probably won’t be ideal to move to a place where there are only sandy white beaches, but the closest mountain trail is a few hours away. If you have kids that you want close to you and would like them to stay at home, it wouldn’t be ideal to choose a small picturesque town, where the nearest school is miles away. Remote work means your decision on where you live is going to be driven by what is really important to you, outside of work. 

I am probably a bit biased, but looking at my hometown of Hermanus, we have awesome mountains, sea, wine farms and great schools. My primary reason for choosing Hermanus is more than the features. We have a safe clean CBD and walking between cafés and restaurants at any time of the day or night is easy. In fact, we encourage walking in the CBD with events like the Art Walk, which takes place on the first Friday evening of each month. There is a sense of community, and the townsfolk genuinely help each other out. Outside of just town features, get to know the people or the vibe. This is important when choosing your permanent new home.   

Find co-working spaces that offer a wide range of services:

Once you choose your destination, the fact is you are still going to need to work. Unless you want to work permanently from home, you will be left with a few other choices. You could rent a small office. In most cases, you will be asked for a deposit, and for a longer-term commitment, which could be anywhere from 12-36 months, you will need to take care of buying the furniture, cleaning the offices and providing your own services such as WiFi and IT infrastructure. These costs do add up quickly and they place the responsibility of office management squarely on your shoulders. 

Coffee shops are a great way to get out and potentially meet people, however, if you are wanting some distraction-free time, and wanting to put yourself in an environment with other professionals, where you can grow your network or bounce ideas off people in other industries, it is unlikely that a coffee shop is a long term solution. It should also be remembered that the free Wifi is shared amongst other patrons, so it may be unstable and certainly won’t be secure. Coffee shops derive revenue from selling food and beverages, so at some stage, you will be frowned upon, if you sit for hours and only buy 1 coffee. If you have a conscience, you will be spending a fair amount of money in the coffee shop. 

Co-working or shared workspaces have been developed specifically to provide offices as a service. These are places where you can get the space and environment to get important work done or have some peaceful time to complete projects. Interaction is simpler between members, as everyone there has the same intention, making it easier to strike up a conversation. It’s a great way to meet people in the community. Most co-working spaces will offer premium services, like comfortable furniture, excellent WiFi, various different workspace options from hot-desks to lock up offices, boardrooms, printing services, and coffee stations.

Co.Unity in Hermanus is an A-Grade office space, where we take care of all the office tasks. Simply choose a package online, book in, and within a few minutes, you are operational – simple, flexible and convenient.

Balancing work and life:

Hermanus as a destination has so much to offer, and by offering you the convenience of a flexible co-working structure combined with our exceptional features, there has never been a better time to make your move than right now. If we can take any lessons from the past few months, we can never predict what is around the corner.

Contact us today to find out more about our remote working packages and see how you can find the perfect quality of life in Hermanus.