Thinking about joining HackLab.to

| decision

I’ve been taking month-long sprints of focusing on other interests, but now I’m getting ready to scale consulting back even further – enough to consider signing up for a coworking space like HackLab or ING Direct.

Here are some options:

  • A. Work on the kitchen table. Convenient, and I’ve survived the quiet before. It’s nice to be able to nap or go for a walk. W- occasionally works from home, so I can spend time with him. I can “bump into” ideas and people online, and build up more of a visible reputation.
  • B. Work in the basement or in the spare room. I can set up things the way I want them. I can practise drawing on large sheets of paper.
  • C. Work out of cafes. I can meet people without inviting them to the house or cleaning up. May be crowded, noisy, and expensive. Difficult to leave things or set up.
  • D. Work at a no-commitment co-working space once in a while. (Probably Network Orange, with their meeting rooms and lovely colour printer.) Flexible, although a bit further away.
  • E. Work at a co-working space with a monthly fee, and use the sunk costs to encourage me to go more often.
    • E1: HackLab ($50/month, no meeting room): hardware and software geeks, 3D printers, wearable computing
    • E2: Network Orange ($20 pass, $100 40 hours)
    • E3: MaRS ($25 day pass; $75/mo 1 day a week + 3 hours meeting room): Technology/entrepreneurship incubated companies
    • E4: Centre for Social Innovation ($125 for 20 hours + 3 hours meeting room) + $125 setup fee: social organizations
    • E5: Foundery ($25 pass; $190 10 day access, 90 minutes Boardroom): ?
    • E6: Co:Work ($20 pass; $175 part-time, 8-person meeting room): ?

Other things to consider:

  • I don’t plan to be at the coworking space most evenings. If I don’t have an event, I prefer to spend evenings at home. I’ll probably be there mid-morning to late afternoon or early evening.
  • I prefer to go when I can bike there. Free exercise is a plus, and I don’t have to buy TTC tokens. It takes me 30-45 minutes to get downtown.
  • Hacklab has a kitchen, not just a kitchenette, and people like cooking/sharing.
  • I know many people at Hacklab, so talking to people might be easier. I can learn more about co-working there, such as getting used to asking questions and being asked questions. (Also, dealing with the distractions of other people working on cool stuff.)
  • MaRS and CSI are a little more spread-out than Hacklab is because of the space, so it’s less distracting. I don’t know what the Hacklab dynamics will be when Hacklab moves to the new building in June, but it will probably be all right.
  • There’s a bit of a hum from the servers in Hacklab, but I can probably work around that with off-one-ear headphones, and the new building might fix it too.

So let’s say I’m going to go to Hacklab for at least 9 months if my membership application is approved. How would I want to grow in order for me to consider it a successful investment? Who would that future Sacha be like?

  • I know more about other geeks in Toronto thanks to ambient conversations and helping each other out.
  • I’m better at asking people for help when I get stuck, and at setting myself tougher challenges knowing that people can help
  • I’ve dug into some of the more difficult things that are easier to learn with other people who can help me. For example: web development, mobile development, electronics
  • I’ve gotten better at sketching ideas, asking other people for feedback, and fleshing out the ones that get people interested
  • I’ve improved serendipity (test different laptop cues to talk? talk to people about what they’re working on?)
  • I go to HackLab 1-2 times a week, and sometimes more often if the weather is great.
  • I’m good at managing my focus (do not disturb / yes, talk to me)
  • I’m good at talking to new people and hanging out with the regulars

Initial investment $~500 before I re-evaluate. I think I can make it work wonderfully. I’ll probably learn much more than I can anticipate now. The upside potential of connections and learning is better than the upside potential of staying home. The downside potential (time and opportunity cost; distractability) doesn’t look like a big deal.

I wonder how I can track the benefits and potential disadvantages. If I track my focus tasks each day that I go and I record serendipitous conversations and the giving/receiving of help, I think that might give me an interesting picture. I can use the same focus tasks idea to track my productivity at home, and I can track if I’m proactively “bumping” into other people online (either asking for or giving help) or how I’m interacting with people.

Okay then! Experiment on.

You can comment with Disqus or you can e-mail me at sacha@sachachua.com.