Have you heard about the benefits of online coworking and body doubling when it comes to productivity in your pet business?
When you work for yourself, it can be lonely. It’s not like working in a job where you have people to chat to, so quite often you can go a full day without speaking to another person.
And when it comes to getting things done, you answer to yourself, because you’re the boss, so it takes a lot of discipline. You’re only accountable to yourself.
I’ve found online coworking, which means logging onto a video call and working alongside other people, ticks both of those boxes.
You have company, and you also have the accountability of having told someone else what you’re going to do, meaning you’re more likely to do it.
In this blog post, you’ll learn about online coworking, what it is, how it works, the benefits, and how you can get involved if it sounds like it’s going to be helpful for you.
Why I started running online coworking sessions
I started running a membership for pet professionals back in 2020, and we’d work on lots of things around being visible, so pitching to the press, creating content, website content, email marketing.
What I kept noticing was that people already had everything they needed to put themselves out there.
They just wanted the time and the accountability to actually sit down and do it, write the press release, draft the posts, send the email, tell someone what they were planning to do that morning, get their bum in a chair, and get it done.
That’s why I created online co-working sessions and they’ve been a regular part of the memberships I’ve offered for the last few years.
It’s so good to see what comes out of them, books have been written, online courses created, podcasts recorded, so much has happened in that room over the years.
I love creating the right environment for people to have the support, space and accountability to get stuff done.
What is online coworking?
Online co-working is exactly what it sounds like, getting together with other people on a video call, not to chat or be taught something, but to work, alongside each other, at the same time.
You’re not doing the same task as everyone else, you’re each getting on with your own thing, your own to-do list, your own business.
But there’s something about being visibly there with other people, even if everyone has their screen off, that helps you get through the tasks you need to get through.
At the start and end of each call, everyone is invited to share what they’re working on and what they’ve got done.
What is body doubling, and how does it help?
Body doubling means working alongside someone else, in person or on a video call, purely for the accountability and focus it creates.
This is a definition from the CHADD website (Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder).
“Body doubling is a tool some adults use to help them start and complete projects. Sometimes referred to as an accountability partner, it is a technique for better productivity.
“A body double is a friend or partner who works simultaneously, either in the same room or virtually through videochat platforms.
“Having another person in the same physical or virtual room can help you with productivity because you have someone present to check in with and keep you accountable.”
You get lots more done when you’re working alongside others and seeing them work too, there’s something about that shared focus that pulls you along with it.
And you learn what other people are working on, which can spark ideas of your own, things you’d never have thought of sitting on your own.
How The Planner Club coworking sessions work
Here’s what happens on a coworking morning in The Planner Club.
We start at 10 am, straight after the planning session, plan then do, no gap in between for the ideas to get lost and never happen, whether it’s for social media or something much more significant in your business.
We work until 11:30 am, then take a 15 minute break.
Then it’s back to work until 12:45 pm, when we have a catch-up and share what we’ve each done in that time.
Why it’s part of The Planner Club
The point isn’t just the two and a half hours themselves, it’s what having them booked in does over time.
When co-working is in your diary, on a set day, month after month, it becomes something you build your other work around, rather than something you’re hoping to fit in if you get a spare moment.
You get into the habit of using that time properly, for your social media, your content, whatever the thing is you keep meaning to get to.
This builds momentum and consistency, so if your goal is to post on social media at least twice a week and you can get 8 posts done in that coworking morning, you’re making that goal happen.
That’s really the whole point. Not more ideas, you’ll have plenty of those already. Just the time, the structure, and the people around you to actually get the work done.
What members say about coworking
Tracy Brind, Dog Trainer at Canine Senses, said: “I’ve been a member of Rachel’s Planner Club for the last 12 months.
“It has given me space for valuable planning, space to work alongside others, and a fantastic physical planner diary in which to keep all my thoughts, appointments, to-do’s, and important monthly planner of awareness days that I use to plan social media content.
“The Planner Club and Rachel’s support has helped me become more organised and less overwhelmed.”
Elle Hack, Coach at Canine Care Hub, said: “As a business coach myself, I make time for others to do the work they need to in their business, but typically don’t carve out the time for it myself.
“I find both the quarterly planning sessions and the co-working mornings extremely beneficial, and I’ve done the majority of my scary work during those mornings.
“Having a crew of fellow animal industry businesswomen silently working along with me gives me the confidence to go and make it happen.
“Rachel has a wonderful way of delivering these sessions, and is the calm in the storm any petpreneur needs.”
If that sounds like what you need, come and join us in The Planner Club here: https://rachelspencer.co.uk/the-planner-club/
Further reading
What is The Planner Club and should you join?
How to write a press release for your pet business
Building habits in your pet business
I never thought writing a book in 30 days would lead to this
How to create a plan to suit your strength, goals and energy levels
