Your Fun & Profitable Online Business · Episode 32
Virtual Coworking: Tips to Prepare, Focus, and Be Productive
Coworking is not productive just because you showed up. The magic happens when you arrive with one clear priority, protect the focus block, and leave with evidence that something actually moved.
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A focus container only works if you fill it intentionally
Prepare the session before the session starts
Coworking gives you accountability, structure, and shared energy. Preparation is what turns those ingredients into finished work.
Your three-part readiness check
Choose a result specific enough to complete or meaningfully advance.
Open notes, logins, outlines, chargers, water, and required tools.
Close unrelated tabs, move the phone, and protect the session.
Virtual coworking is a scheduled online focus session where people work quietly alongside one another. The silence is not awkward once you know what the room is for. It is the structure that gives everyone permission to stop talking about the work and actually do it.
Why coworking helps when you are stuck in your own head
Entrepreneurs spend a lot of time making decisions, solving problems, switching contexts, and carrying unfinished work mentally. That makes it easy to procrastinate, overthink, or move the same task from one list to another.
Coworking interrupts that loop with three things: accountability because other people are working too, structure because there is a clear time boundary, and momentum because a task finally gets a protected place to move.
Choose deep work, not convenient work
The best coworking task is usually not the easiest thing on your list. It is the work that benefits from concentration and feels heavier to do alone.
Routine email, quick admin, casual design tweaks, and tasks you can do with Netflix in the background.
Writing, planning, organizing, outlining, deciding, or the project you have been dragging from week to week.
Preparation protects the focus block
Choose one specific outcome before you join. “Work on marketing” is vague. “Draft three Instagram captions” gives the brain a visible finish line. Then gather logins, notes, outlines, chargers, and anything else you need so you are not spending the first ten minutes hunting for a password.
Close unrelated tabs, move your phone, grab water, and make the work easy to begin. Small setup choices matter because every interruption gives resistance another chance to take over.
Use the break to preserve momentum, not escape it
The five-minute break is not a doorway into laundry, Slack, or scrolling. It is a reset. Stretch. Meet a physical need. Note what you finished. Decide what the next block is for. Then return before your brain has fully left the work.
Four ways coworking accidentally stops working
Break it down until one or two blocks can create a visible result.
Slack, messages, and extra tabs turn focused work back into scattered work.
Reset without leaving the work rhythm completely.
If you never register the win, the session feels less satisfying and less repeatable.
Why the celebration is part of the productivity system
A completed paragraph, outline, decision, or cleaned-up folder may seem small, but naming it matters. Celebration helps your brain register that effort produced movement. That makes it easier to come back to the next session with less resistance.
You are not just attending coworking. You are stacking evidence that you can move the work.
Your action step
Pick one thing you have been putting off and prepare it for your next coworking session:
- Define one visible result.
- Gather everything you need before you log in.
- Protect the focus blocks from switching and scrolling.
- End by naming what moved and what comes next.
Questions about virtual coworking
What happens during a virtual coworking session?
Participants usually name a goal, work quietly during timed focus blocks, take short breaks, and briefly share or reflect on what they completed.
What should I work on during virtual coworking?
Choose a specific task that requires concentration and feels heavier to complete alone, such as writing, planning, organizing, reviewing, or making progress on an avoided project.
How do I prepare for an online coworking session?
Select one priority, open the required files and tools, gather notes and logins, remove likely distractions, and decide what a successful focus block would accomplish.
What if I do not finish the task?
Record what you completed and identify the next action. The session can still be successful if it creates meaningful movement and makes the next work block easier to begin.
Bring one priority and work beside us
Join CEO Hour for focused, supported progress
Choose the task that has been waiting, prepare what you need, and use a dedicated coworking hour to move it forward.
Read the full episode transcript
Episode 32 transcript: Virtual Coworking Tips
Why virtual coworking can be a game changer
Hey there, and welcome to episode 32 of Your Fun and Profitable Online Business, the podcast that helps you grow your business with ease and celebration. I’m your host, Wendy Muzzy, a certified money coach, online business strategist, and your behind the scenes buddy for building a business that feels good and makes money.
Today, we’re talking about something that can be a game changer for productivity, virtual coworking. Now, if you’ve ever thought, what exactly is coworking? and how do I not waste my time in one? You’re in the right place because I’ve been there and I want to share those lessons with you.
All right, let’s get to it.
My awkward first coworking experiences
Now, I have to start with a funny but not so funny story here. The first time I logged into a Zoom that turned out to be co-working, I was late. Now, this isn’t typical for me. I had back-to-back client calls that day and I was just doing the best I could and I showed up totally unprepared.
I was also confused why no one was talking, I remember thinking, wait, is my audio broken? Did I miss something? And I did. I totally missed something. I just logged out and was like, lesson learned.
Now, here’s the spoiler alert. That silence, that’s the whole point of the plan.
And another time, the facilitator asked everyone during the break what they had accomplished. And you know what I had to admit? I’d taken a walk. I hadn’t made a plan for what I was going to work on, and I wasn’t prepared.
Now, you want to talk about awkward? It was pretty awkward.
So let’s go through how to save you from these awkward moments and I’ll share how to set yourself up for success so you walk away from every session with real progress, not just a checked attendance box.
Why coworking works
As business owners, we spend so much time in our heads. There’s a do list and there’s so much going on, problem solving, everything. And this makes it really easy to procrastinate, or overthink, or just spin.
And co-working sessions kind of shake that up a little bit. I like to think of them as focus containers.
It gives you accountability. Other people are working, so you’re less likely to scroll Instagram.
It gives you structure. There’s a time boundary, so your brain goes, okay, it’s time to work, get down to it.
And it gives you momentum, because you start finishing the tasks that you’ve been moving from list to list for the last three weeks.
But this is the key. None of these benefits matter if you don’t come in prepared.
The point of these sessions isn’t just to show up. It’s to move your business forward. And that happens when you go in with a plan.
So how do you make that happen? Here are three steps.
Step one: pick your priority before you log in
Number one, pick your priority before you log in. Decide on one thing you’re going to work on, not 15, not your whole to-do list, just one. and be specific.
Work on marketing is vague. Draft three Instagram captions, that’s super clear.
I want to add here that co-working is amazing for those tasks that require focus, but feel heavy when you’re alone. Everyone’s different, but this may be writing or planning or organizing.
It’s not great for things like answering emails or designing graphics if those don’t need your deep concentration. Think about the deep work that’s been nagging at you, not the busy work that you can do with Netflix playing in the background.
Step two: gather what you need and set up your space
Number two, gather what you need in advance and set up your space. Logins, notes, outlines, chargers, whatever it is, don’t waste your focus time hunting for passwords.
You want to have everything in front of you. Close your tabs, put your phone away, grab some water or coffee, and set yourself up to actually get things done.
Step three: use the timer wisely
And number three, use the timer wisely. Most co-working sessions use Pomodoro style blocks. It’s 25 minutes on, five minutes off. And this lets you plan what you can tackle in each block of 25 minutes so you don’t drift.
Also engage during those five-minute breaks. Sometimes facilitators will ask what you got done. Now, this isn’t about looking perfect. It’s about building accountability and momentum.
Even saying, I wrote the intro to my email reminds you of your accomplishment. And that little bit of sharing builds momentum for the whole group, not just you.
Celebrate the finish
Then celebrate the finish. When the session wraps up, take two minutes to acknowledge what you got done.
That moment of celebration cements the progress and makes you more likely to show up next time and make the same movement forward.
Four coworking pitfalls to avoid
Now, I do want to share some pitfalls to avoid.
One, choosing a task that’s too big or bringing your entire to-do list. To fix this, break it down. Aim for something that you can complete in one or two 25-minute blocks.
Number two, multitasking. Answering Slack messages or scrolling your phone kills the whole point. Coworking is about focused progress.
Number three, using breaks between the work blocks as escape time. Look, I know it’s tempting to go fold laundry or scroll socials, but the problem is you lose momentum and you don’t come back ready to focus.
Use those breaks for your bio needs, a stretch, or just to drop down a quick note about your next step. Save the walk for later.
And number four, skipping the reflection. If you don’t take a minute to acknowledge what you finished, it won’t feel satisfying.
Celebrate the win because it builds momentum. I’ll say that again and again and again. Celebrate, celebrate, celebrate.
What changes when you cowork with intention
Now, when you start approaching co-working with intention, something starts shifting.
Suddenly that thing you’ve been dragging from one week’s list to the next, it gets done. That resistance melts away because you give yourself a space and the energy of others to actually focus.
And instead of feeling scattered and behind, you walk away lighter. I’m proud of what you’ve done.
And what’s really cool, this momentum builds with each session you attend. And before you know it, you’re not just staying afloat, you’re moving forward with confidence.
Imagine stacking those wins again and again. That’s what creates real growth in your business. Simple, steady, and sustainable.
Your action step for this week
All right, let’s get to your action step for this week. I want you to pick one thing you’ve been putting off and commit to tackling it in your next co-working session.
Show up with that plan in mind.
And if you’re not in a session yet, mark your calendar and come join us at the fun and profitable Power Hour. I would so love to co-work with you. You can find out more at wendymuzzy.com/powerhour.
Recap: accountability, structure, and momentum
All right, to recap, today we covered why co-working works, accountability, structure, and momentum, how to prepare, pick one clear priority, gather what you need, set your space up, use the timer wisely, and what’s possible when you use these sessions consistently.
It’s real momentum week after week.
Coming next: designing a customer journey
Next week, we’re going to shift gears from co-working to something that impacts every part of your business, designing a customer journey that actually converts.
Because it’s not just about having a great offer. Those are awesome, but that’s not all it is. It’s about guiding your people step-by-step so they feel seen, supported, and excited to work with you.
I’ll walk you through how to map it out in a way that feels natural so you can turn more curious people into paying clients.
All right, that’s everything for today. Until next time, happy coworking!