On The Quest For Connection | Virtual Work Sessions

Small business owners and freelancers are familiar with working in isolation. It’s just what we do. We spend a lot of time rolling up our sleeves and working on our projects solo, on our own schedule.  But in the past year, this isolation has been magnified tenfold. For safety’s sake, our social circles are small and cafes, co-working spaces, and business spaces are at limited capacity, making it ever more challenging to find a balance between work and play or a bit of camaraderie. 

SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS AND FREELANCERS ARE FAMILIAR WITH WORKING IN ISOLATION. IT’S JUST WHAT WE DO.

Speaking from personal experience, it can get monotonous writing in the same place, day after day, with minimal creative outlets or distractions. I do believe that, in order to keep productivity levels high and steer clear of burnout, there should be a level of socializing intertwined into the work day.  And lucky for me, businesses are doing just that with virtual work sessions. They’re structurally pretty simple—businesses, groups, and like-minded people are coming together to work, like you would with a study group or at a co-working space, only it’s online.

With cameras on, participants work heads-down for 25 minutes, then take a 5 minute break to chat, talk about projects, and brainstorm through various roadblocks. Not only are they a great networking tool, but virtual work sessions feel organic—well, as organic as it gets behind a screen. Personally, I’m reassured that the world still offers me the chance to reach out beyond my little apartment, and that people everywhere are going through a similar sense of loneliness and disconnect during these unprecedented times.  

NOT ONLY ARE THEY A GREAT NETWORKING TOOL, BUT VIRTUAL WORK SESSIONS FEEL ORGANIC.

Creative entrepreneur Alex Lawrence has tapped into these work sessions to keep her fueling forward between clients, in addition to the Brand Camp that she runs a few times each year.  “The day to day can be extremely isolating—we don’t really have co-workers to commiserate with. I really miss co-working with fellow creatives where we could talk about a project or situation and bounce solutions off each other. More often than not, those mornings when I’d take a two-hour coffee date to network, I’d open my computer afterwards and be 10 times more productive because I was running off new inspiration and ideas.” 

Amidst the pandemic, brands like Reality Bites and Cave Day have been gaining more traction as they strive to unite remote workers and freelancers to come together for co-working sessions. These social clubs are teetering on the brink of something big by bringing like-minded people together to find accountability during the work day, create new connections and bring an exciting new energy to virtual collaboration. 

Freelance Founders CEO Carolyn Bothwell started her business with the hopes of uniting freelancers with meaningful jobs and opportunities in a way that promotes synergy. Her members have a chance to meet each other, work together, challenge each other and find opportunities based on their strengths. To keep her members engaged and supported, Carolyn has turned to this social club dynamic. “Freelance Founders teamed up with Reality Bites Social Club and we host a monthly co-working session called Work Club. It’s a virtual place to co-work and connect with other creative minds. We have two deep focus sessions and two ‘water cooler chats,’ and Sarah Saxty (the founder of Reality Bites) curates a productivity playlist.” 

THERE WILL ALWAYS BE SOMETHING SPECIAL ABOUT CONNECTING OVER LATTES AND LAPTOPS, BUT IT’S REASSURING TO KNOW THERE ARE DIGITAL ALTERNATIVES

There will always be something special about connecting over lattes and laptops, but it’s reassuring to know there are digital alternatives to turn to when cafes and co-working spaces are beyond our reach for the foreseeable future.  These virtual social clubs bring real people together and establish connections around the world based on a shared appreciation for business and creativity.  Just like so many other creative solutions that have found life during this pandemic, it’s nice to know that even those in creative fields don’t have to go it alone and can reach out for a little assistance along the way. 

Written by: Rachel Laiosa