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What To Do Near Holborn

Posted on: August 16th, 2022 by MediaVision No Comments

Holborn is the ideal work place and plays with its super-central location, stacks of culture, restaurants, bars and coffee shops.

I’m Ana, the Membership Manager for the newly-opened Work.Life Holborn. Since we moved in, myself and the team have been doing our research on what to do in Holborn and the nearby area. Whether you need a coffee shop for a quick pick-me-up or a lunch spot to schmooze clients, we’ve got you covered.

Here are some of our favourite things to do near Holborn. Why not pop along and check them out for yourself?

As a Work.Life member, you’ll get exclusive discounts on lots of Holborn hotspots – including coffee shop discounts, cafe and restaurant deals in Holborn. Check Work.Life Holborn office spaces and become a member today.

Holborn Area Guide: Where Is Holborn?

The Holborn area is just down the road from well-known Soho, Fitzrovia and Covent Garden, but it’s got plenty to offer of its own. Whether you’re looking for the best coffee shops in Central London, or are wondering where to eat in Holborn on a budget, you won’t need to step outside of the local area to find what you’re searching for.

Where To Eat Near Holborn: The Best Coffee Shops

If you’re looking to grab a coffee in Holborn, you won’t have to look far. There’s a range of coffee shops, all with their own unique vibe. My personal favourite coffee shops near Holborn are:

The Espresso Room

An independent coffee shop right near Holborn station serve up a drip and iced coffee, as well as light bites.

23 Southampton Row, Holborn, London WC1B 5HA

Drury 188-189

Do you know the muffin man? This high-grade hangout offers arguably the best coffee in London, plus pastries, cakes and lunches.

188-189 Drury Ln, Holborn, London WC2B 5QD

Knockbox Coffee

A local’s favourite, and for good reason. Knockbox coffee is everything you could wish for in a London coffee shop (exposed brick walls, trendy interior, huge windows perfect for people watching)… oh, and they sell killer coffee!

29 Lamb’s Conduit St, Holborn, London WC1N 3NG

Guess what? As a Work.Life member, you don’t actually need to pay for coffee in Holborn. A bean-to-cup machine from our friends at Redemption Roasters (who also have their own coffee shop in Holborn!) will give you your caffeine fix, free of charge.

Where to Eat In Holborn: The Best Places For Lunch

Looking to grab a quick lunch in Holborn? Near Work.Life Holborn, you’ll find a range of lunchtime options to suit everyone’s preferences and price point – whether you need a venue for a client lunch or a cheap place to eat in Holborn on a budget. Check out where to eat in Holborn.

DIBS

Build your own salads, pizza folds, hot bowls and much more – there are options for everyone at this hidden gem. And best of all? It’s just a few doors down from our Holborn space. The ideal quick lunch spot if you need to get back to the desk ASAP.

52 Red Lion St, Holborn, London WC1R 4PF

The Black Penny

Slap bang in the middle of Holborn and Covent Garden, this traditional café and takeaway serves up everything from enviable breakfasts to treat-yourself lunches in the form of salads, soups and stews.

34 Great Queen St, Holborn, London WC2B 5AA

Banh Mi Bay

One of Holborn’s finest, this Vietnamese hotspot is a locals favourite for the best Banh Mi baguettes, pho, and spring rolls in Central London. Busy at work and don’t want to leave the office? They even do a lunchtime delivery service, so you can eat it in the office.

4-6 Theobalds Rd, Holborn, London WC1X 8PN

Where To Eat Near Holborn: The Best Restaurants

If you’re wondering where to eat in Holborn that’s a little fancier, the area is also home to many different high-end eateries from all over the world. Whatever your price point, you’ll find restaurants and cafes to tick all your boxes.

Abeno

Just up the road from High Holborn, this spectacular Japanese eatery ticks all the boxes. Need a place near the office to take clients? Or looking for a meet-up spot after work? Abeno’s your place.

47 Museum St, Holborn, London WC1A 1LY

Rosewood Hotel

For things to do in Holborn, you can’t go far wrong with the Rosewood Hotel: a spa, plus a number of restaurants. If you’re after somewhere more up-market, Holborn Dining Room is the spot for you. With inventive meals a plenty, it’s a great all-round experience with even better food.

252 High Holborn, Holborn, London WC1V 7EN

Ciao Bella

If you work in Holborn or you know the area well, chances are you’ll have heard of Ciao Bella. Classic Italian dishes in a rustic restaurant setting; ideal for an evening meal or a client dinner.

86-90 Lamb’s Conduit St, Holborn, London WC1N 3LZ

What To Do In Holborn, London: Work.Life’s Recommended Activities

Besides all the food and drink, there’s loads of culture and history in Holborn.

Near Red Lion Street, you’ll find The British Museum, Lincoln’s Inn Fields, and Sir John Soane’s Museum. Ideal to visit on a lunch break, after hours or at the weekend if you’re after a bit of local culture.

Holborn is also home to numerous businesses from all different kinds of industries. Like most areas of Central London, it’s got all the pub and bars you could wish for – and given that it’s right on the doorstep of Covent Garden, Tottenham Court Road and Soho, you’ll never fall short of things to do in Holborn and the surrounding areas.

A museum hotspot with a surprisingly rich history, Holborn’s had restaurants, cafes and coffee shops popping up for the last few years. With all this and more, it’s quickly becoming a place to be for businesses and employees.

Why not experience things to do in Holborn for yourself? Located in the heart of the area, Work.Life Holborn has everything you need, inside and outside of the space. Find out more about coworking in Holborn.

Please note: At the time of posting, all recommended restaurants, bars and coffee shops are open.

Working From A Café: Freelancer’s Guide

Posted on: August 15th, 2022 by MediaVision No Comments

Want a flexible workspace you can use sometimes but are not ready to invest in a full-time office? Try Flex – Work.Life’s pay-as-you-go coworking membership.

A day in the life of a freelancer is never the same as the next. Freelancers work for themselves, meaning the 9-5 doesn’t necessarily exist, and the idea of a ‘working day’ isn’t set in stone.

Because freelancers could work on long-term or short-term projects, it’s beneficial to work agilely — moving around between hot desking in coworking spaces, finding cafés to work from, and working from home.

It’s common for freelancers to find work from home in coffee shops and cafés to work in — but why?

The Benefits Of Working From A Café

For freelancers, working from a café instead of staying at home benefits.

Most importantly, working from home at a coffee shop often helps freelancers avoid procrastination. Since freelancers are their own bosses, it can be difficult to concentrate at home – it’s easy to get distracted by the television, housework, family members, or housemates. Separating work and home life can also be tricky for freelancers, so it makes sense to have a place to ‘go to work’ in the day, and then come home and relax.

Being around other people can also be a good thing for those who spend a lot of time alone. Working from a café can help stimulate creativity and boost productivity — just try to find cafés to work from that aren’t too loud or crowded.

And, of course, the on-tap coffee is a big plus. Many coffee shops will also sell food, so if you need to (and the location allows it), you can work from a café for the whole day. A slice of cake or a cappuccino can be a great way to stay motivated.

But there’s one big problem: even your favourite work-from-home coffee shop is a place of leisure, not a place of work, and therefore isn’t suitable for all working needs.

Is it bad to work from coffee shops every day? To help you decide what’s best for you, we list some of the disadvantages of working from a café below.

Disadvantages Of Working From A Café

There are some drawbacks of working from a café, and they certainly don’t suit every freelancer.

Coffee shops can be noisy; and while this can sometimes act as helpful background noise, it isn’t ideal if you need to take a conference call or really concentrate on a project. If you need to meet a client, it’s not the most professional to ask them to meet in a café – and you don’t have any access to projector screens, whiteboards or tables.

Likewise, space can be a drawback to working from a café. Without a dedicated ‘desk’, there’s a high chance that you could be in a cramped window seat or sitting at a table with lots of other people. Especially during the busiest times of the day (8.30 – 9.30 am morning commute and lunchtimes), coffee shops to work from can get extremely busy and the noise can be overwhelming, which isn’t really conducive to productivity.

Seats in coffee shops aren’t necessarily designed for sitting in all day, so comfort isn’t guaranteed either. The facilities aren’t always reliable, so it’s best to check beforehand whether plug sockets and WiFi are available beforehand. If you need to set up a large screen or spread out your work, it can be difficult when the space isn’t designed for working.

Although it’s possible in some places to just buy one drink and stay the whole day, most coffee shops will expect you to buy a few drinks within the day, so working from a café can become expensive. Also, they often won’t allow you to bring your own food or drinks either. If you’re buying three or four hot drinks, plus lunch and a snack, the cost of working from home at coffee shops for long periods can really add up.

Finally, there’s always the worry of overstaying your welcome. While coffee shops might not necessarily ask you to leave (although they sometimes will!), freelancers will often start to feel as if they should leave after a couple of hours. Plus, coffee shops usually close in the late afternoon, meaning that you may have to move elsewhere.

Even the best coffee shops to work from can have problems with productivity and wellbeing.

Tips For Finding The Best Coffee Shops To Work From

If you decide that working from a café is right for you, then there are ways to streamline your experience. If you’ve set your sights on working from a coffee shop, take a look at our top tips to help you find the best cafés to work from:

Do your research: Some coffee shops are better than others for working from. Try to find one that isn’t too far away; otherwise, you’ll use up valuable energy (and spending money) before you even get there. When you’re finding coffee shops to work from, it’s often better to choose an independent coffee shop or one designed to be a work-from-home coffee shop rather than a big chain coffee shop that is likely to be busier and more cramped. Try to find coffee shops where you can work for long periods of time. If you’re working in London, check out this list of The Best Independent Cafes To Work From In London.
Double check the facilities: Before you go, make sure you have checked whether the coffee shop has free, fast and reliable WiFi, plenty of plug sockets, and room for people to work. If you want to stay working from the café for a few hours or more, make sure you know that is feasible. It’s worth looking at the coffee shop’s Google or Trustpilot reviews: often, fellow freelancers will have left helpful reviews. Call the coffee shop if you can’t find any clear information. It’s better to confirm before you get there and be disappointed.
Visit during off-peak hours: This won’t always be feasible, but if you can, try to work from coffee shops when it’s quieter. More space will be available and quieter, and you won’t have to worry so much about overstaying your welcome. Coffee shops will usually be quieter between 10 am-12 pm and after lunch, but it’s worth checking with your local coffee shop of choice as their busiest hours may differ.
Plan your day: Working from a café can get expensive if you stay for a whole day. To get the most out of your work day, make sure you have a clear plan in place. This might mean taking all calls during the late morning when you know the coffee shop will be quieter or taking a break between 12.30-1.30 pm to avoid working through the lunchtime rush. Coffee shops can be a great place for freelancers to concentrate, so plan your day and split up your workload accordingly. Staying organised as a freelancer is vital.

Where To Work As A Freelancer: Alternatives To Working From A Café

Where should freelancers work if working from cafés isn’t the best option?

Are you a coffee shop freelancer? Watch the summary video below to find out the truth about working from a café.

Going solo and finding work as a freelancer doesn’t have to mean abandoning the whole working infrastructure. That’s what Work.Life is all about! Knowing first-hand the problems that freelancers face, we’ve developed Work.Life Flex – a unique membership option for freelancers to join our collaborative workspace. There is no commitment or sign-up fee; the tech behind your memberships seamlessly combines the best bits of Uber and Oyster Cards and applies them to your world of work.

Operating on a pay-as-you-go basis (for only £4 per hour), Flex gives freelancers proper workspaces 7 days a week: ninja-fast WiFi, standing and sitting desks, leave-me-alone focus booths, and private phone booths. Work.Life office spaces give you everything you need to run your business, including access to printers, meeting rooms, and somewhere to meet clients in an office. Throw in the fact that you get free, unlimited, locally roasted coffee and breakfast, and it’s a no-brainer! The cost of coworking spaces often works out cheaper than working from cafés does.

There are so many benefits of coworking as a freelancer. For the price of a coffee, you can have a proper workspace, with all of the perks of a modern office, and free coffee too! We know freelancing has a big role to play in the future of work, and Flex office space is the perfect way to embrace that. It’s the buzz of a coffee shop working, without all the distractions, the feeling of overstaying your welcome or the uncomfortable seating.

Join us in a Work.Life office space today

More Freelancer Blogs On Workplace Wellbeing

Why Is Coworking Beneficial For Start-Ups?

Posted on: August 9th, 2022 by MediaVision No Comments

One of the biggest misconceptions about coworking is that it only caters to freelancers. Admittedly, throughout the history of coworking, it has often been advertised as the ideal for freelancers looking to escape the pitfalls and pains of the home or the café. And yes, a vibrant coworking space filled with like-minded spirits can be just the boost a freelancer needs. But it should be known that businesses of all different sizes are welcome and would do well to reap the many rewards of coworking.

Start-ups and SMEs especially would benefit from choosing a coworking space to help them ply their trade. A large number of start-ups and smaller businesses will fade or fall away for a wide variety of complicated reasons. Coworking spaces can offer the boost, the services or the guidance that can be the difference between success and failure for a start-up.

Coworking Benefits For Start-Ups

How does the atmosphere of coworking spaces benefit start-ups?

The benefits of coworking spaces can apply to start-ups and SMEs as they apply to freelancers. The vibrant and entrepreneurial atmosphere of coworking space will rub off as much on the teams of small businesses as it will on freelancers.

Many companies in their infancy are looking to cut costs wherever possible. So, any start-up with its own office space is unlikely to spend much jazzing up the space. Nor are they likely to spend unnecessarily on breakout areas, outdoor space or impressive design. A drab office can soon sap the life out of a team of previously inspired workers.

Coworking spaces, however, are often impressively designed with a range of facilities for members to take advantage of. The boost a freelancer will feel moving from a home office to a coworking space is the same boost that comes with moving from a lifeless office to a buzzing, entrepreneurial community. Meeting new people, sharing ideas, and networking will create excitement around your business that could be hard to muster in a drab, leased office.

How can start-ups or SMEs save money by choosing coworking spaces?

A start-up or SME looking to lease office space will often get lumped with a long-term, expensive bill for a space that needs another cash injection to turn it into a presentable workspace. As a start-up or small business trying to focus on growing your company, keeping costs and distractions low is a priority. Leasing an office space can be an enormous cost and an overbearing distraction.

Leased offices normally come with long, inflexible contracts, often running between 3 and 10 years. This is a big cost to take on for a company in its infancy — especially for central London office spaces, where leases are notoriously high.

That same leased office will also be an empty shell when you move in, meaning that you will have to spend big fitting out the space. Desks, filing cabinets, printers and copiers, telephones, internet connections, utilities, and the list of overheads that need sorting out is not a short one. These bills can soon pile up and, in the worst case, cripple a burgeoning business.

In coworking spaces, everything is already sorted out when you arrive, so much so that you and your team can arrive with your laptops and get on with the important stuff. Not having to spend cash on an office fit-out can accrue to massive savings for smaller businesses. Rather than paying for a long and expensive contract, you pay an all-inclusive monthly fee at a coworking space that ensures you can keep overheads low — meaning sought-after locations, such as office spaces in Soho and workspaces in Holborn, are far more affordable. Managing your money as a start-up or SME is essential, and coworking spaces provide this luxury.

How do coworking spaces provide networking opportunities?

Entrepreneur life can be isolating, and coworking offers a much-needed communal space to collaborate and network, which freelancers, start-ups, and SMEs can all benefit from.

Having your team members create bonds with a wide range of entrepreneurs will only inspire them and help them build better knowledge and ideas, which, in the end, only serves the success of the company they belong to.

Whatever your product or service, there will likely be other coworking members who can improve, use or help promote your product. These opportunities are much harder to come by in a private, insular office. Start-ups today recognise the value of collaboration and sharing ideas to help grow their ideas and products.

Additionally, sharing a space with more established businesses can be great for smaller businesses, as they can learn from and take advice from authoritative sources. A small business with a great idea may well suffer without the business acumen. So, gaining knowledge from speakers and co-workers can be essential for a young company.

How are coworking spaces flexible for start-ups?

Start-ups and SMEs are often looking to grow and expand their setup. However, growth can be unpredictable; it may take 10 months for your organisation to pick up traction and grow, and it may take 10 years. Coworking spaces have changed the office landscape by offering a solution to this problem that traditional, leased offices never could.

Suppose you are looking to lease office space for your start-up. You’re currently a team of five but hope to grow rapidly over the next five or so years. You could lease a large office to cater for expansion in the future. However, if your company does not expand as expected, you will be stuck paying for an overly expensive office for years to come. So instead, you decide that it’s better to lease an office that suits your current size. Yet, if your organisation sees rapid growth sooner than expected, you will be stuck with an all-too-small office and a need for extra space that can only be solved with awkward solutions. Either you can rent a second office and not have your team together, which is hardly ideal, or you can move your whole team to a new office and continue with payments on your smaller space, effectively throwing money away.

Start-ups and SMEs won’t ever have such dilemmas in a coworking space. If there’s an office available of a different size in the building, you’re never more than 30 or so days away from changing your contract and moving office. This flexibility means that smaller setups don’t have to take massive risks with their money and can grow without fear of it being too much or too little.

How do coworking spaces help start-ups work from better locations?

As a burgeoning company, you will probably have an ideal business location in mind. Somewhere where your business will fit in perfectly, with great transport links, and where your employees will be delighted to head into work every day. This can be an expensive proposition, though. Finding your own workspace in the perfect neighbourhood or office space in the City of London won’t come cheap and, in the end, may have to be sacrificed for more pressing matters.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

Another impressive aspect of coworking spaces is that they are often found in some of the best neighbourhoods, on some of the best streets in town. This means that start-ups and SMEs who would have otherwise had to head to less salubrious neighbourhoods can now set up shop in their favourite spots.

This can be vital for younger companies who want to stand out to clients with impressive business locations. It can also play a role in hiring the best talent and improving the morale of your current team. Start-ups and SMEs should take advantage of growing their business in postcodes that might otherwise be out of their reach.

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