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Guide · Coworking

Do coworking days actually help?

Field data says they do. Here’s the evidence and a ready-to-run cadence you can use in Study Spaces.

Open today’s coworking roomList a public slotTest a 25 / 5 sprint

Finding

Higher productivity & well-being

An experience-sampling study (96 professionals, 686 reports) found higher self-rated productivity and well-being on coworking days vs WFH days.

Finding

Engagement improves with presence

Participants reported greater engagement when working in shared spaces, suggesting light social presence boosts task focus.

Finding

Small groups work best

The study and follow-on interviews indicated small groups (3–8) balanced accountability without distraction—mirroring our default room sizes.

Cadence

A simple weekly pattern

Pick 2 predictable slots

E.g., Tue 10:00 and Thu 14:00. Consistency beats ad-hoc invites.

Keep rooms small

Open 1–2 rooms capped at ~8 people; spillover rooms avoid Zoom fatigue.

Use short sprints

Start with 25/5, then offer one 50/10 if the group wants deeper work.

Include movement breaks

Prompt standing/walking in the break—ties to higher vigor in the sit-less RCTs.

Host checklist

  1. Open the room 5 minutes early; pin the purpose and local time zones.
  2. Run a 60–90 second round: “What will you finish this block?”
  3. Start the timer; keep chat as the async standup thread.
  4. Break: camera optional; invite stand/walk and a quick eye reset.
  5. Wrap: share a one-line outcome and drop any links or screenshots.

FAQ

Do cameras need to stay on?

No. The ESM study found benefits from being in a shared space; light presence and chat check-ins are enough. Camera-optional is fine.

How long should a session run?

60–90 minutes works well: one warm-up 25/5, one 50/10, and short wrap. Longer sessions add fatigue without more output.

How do we keep global time zones included?

Run two anchor slots 8–10 hours apart and keep them consistent week to week. Use chat for async updates for those off-cycle.