This is an installment in an ongoing series highlighting statistics from a recent Coworks survey of coworking space operators and managers. The goal is to illustrate the scope of their daily responsibilities and answer the question, "If you suddenly had 2 extra hours in your workday, what is one thing you would spend that time on?"
The top responses indicate managers crave more bandwidth for long-term vision.
But days filled with tackling immediate fires like billing questions, facility issues, and sales inquiries leave little margin for focusing on big-picture growth.
The reality is that inspiration rarely arrives through lightning bolts striking out of the blue. Dedicating consistent time for future casting, strategic planning, community building, marketing, and skills development ultimately allows the future to flourish through steady daily progress.
So let’s outline some pragmatic starting points for integrating more of these vital activities without overhauling packed schedules.
Giving shape to business plans and revenue goals generally slides down the priority list when fighting daily fires. But you must create space for long-term thinking. It doesn’t have to be a full day offsite event. Instead, use time blocking to carve out a solid one to two hours to answer specific questions and outline goals about your coworking business.
Use tools like Milanote to collaboratively build mood boards and creative ideas. Or put hour-long planning meetings on the books religiously every month. Treat sessions as seriously as client calls.
Identify quarterly benchmarks for community programming, partnerships, marketing campaigns, etc to build strategic agility into standard operations.
Marketing often becomes reactive versus nurturing clear positioning and funnels. But consistency matters hugely.
Build in 30 minutes per week for brainstorming creative content and hashtag campaigns. Cloud-based graphic design tools like Canva simplify social media assets too.
Follow social listening data to realign initiatives to directly feed audience needs. Survey members to refine which offerings and messaging resonate as well.
Enhancing community programming only happens by making it a habitual priority. Baby steps matter.
Begin by earmarking 15 minutes daily to craft member surveys, brainstorm event ideas, or create spotlights showcasing local leaders and partners. Calendar blocks guarantee you carve out the time.
Batch record short video talks or podcast episodes highlighting member initiatives too. Repurpose material across newsletters, social media, etc. Coworks' community feed functionality spotlights content directly through our member app as well.
In chaotic workplaces personal development stalls. But learning new skills and specializations keeps innovation humming.
Use commutes for audiobook learning. Schedule webinars or workshops around specialty niches like community leadership, social media marketing, commercial real estate, etc too.
Join a mastermind group with other coworking mavericks for trusted idea exchange. Follow influencers such as Cat Johnson, Hector Kolonas, Jamie Russo, and organizations like GCUC and Coworking IDEA.
Or grab coffees with partners to pick their brains 1-on-1.
The way forward relies on community professionals caring enough to make space for these mission-critical initiatives every single day.
Specialized platforms like Coworks alleviate heavy administrative burdens through workflow automation, centralized data access, self-service portals, and operational analytics.
By codifying repetitive tasks around client communications, billing, access control, reservations, etc. software lifts the operational weight from the shoulders of community builders.
Championing member relationships, visionary planning, transformational marketing, and inspirational leadership then gain oxygen to thrive.
The future of work rests on ensuring exceptional human experiences drive environments - not bureaucracy. Streamlined technology liberates the passion and purpose underpinning community building to shine brighter.
What bold new initiatives might your next two free hours set into motion today?
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