Thanks for the tips, Dan!

Great thread, Ruth!
It's wonderful to read everyone's journey towards better balance in life. I have to say that it was my travel experience that positioned me perfectly to start up Office Nomads with Jacob in July last year. I think the ability to get away from my everyday here, be in a different place (I was in southern and eastern Africa for 6 months), and to step outside of my comfort zone enabled me to discover the confidence and drive I needed to get this next journey off on the right foot. I'll add to that that it has become increasingly important to me to build in these structured breaks into my future to enable me to continue to be my best self. Taking a break allows me to step back, look at the bigger picture, and to gather ideas from the great world around me so I can come home refreshed and full of new ideas.
Whether it's travel, retreat, or just taking some time to allow yourself to breathe, it is pretty critical for all of us to make down-time a priority so we can do our best with all the up-time we have as business owners. :)

As others have chimed in, ON is growing and running smoothly up on Capitol Hill. We're always excited to have more coworkers in the space, and have some availability in our three conference rooms. The best way to get a sense of what we have to offer is to stop by - no need to call ahead, just stop by between 8:30 and 6 M-F. Hope to see some of you soon! (And of course drop us an e-mail or give us a call if you have any questions. You can check out our location and directions to the office at www.officenomads.com)

Rock on, Haddad!

Great to get all of us reviewing and visiting our own sites as visitors for a change - thanks!

Thanks, Laura!

Hey there Norman,

Great discussion topic! We've been talking quite a bit about just this at Office Nomads recently. Coworking spaces are designed with what you're talking about in mind - building a community instead of just having another space in which to work. Yes, getting the work done is important, but having the community aspect is key for us. The best way to get a sense of things would be to drop in for a day and check out what is going on. We'd love to have you up at Office Nomads and I'm sure Shauna would be happy to see you at MDO as well. If you want to catch both Jacob and I at Office Nomads stop in on Monday and say hi to us both, and catch up with everyone working in the space during Monday Lunch. :)

Thanks for bringing up the subject- coworking is a really amazing movement forward in creating more useful, interesting and engaging workspaces for independents. I hope you find what you're looking for! And please, if you're interested in reading/learning more about coworking feel free to drop me an e-mail - I'd be happy to point you in the direction of more resources.

Take care, Susan