Perch Offices are focused on ‘routine’ and ‘learnability’ this month. What does that mean to you as a flexible worker in co-working space? Co-working is cool because its flexible, cost-effective and easy. But how do you learn from being in a space where there’s no ‘organisational structure’ and you may not know the people around you? How do you make the most of your experience?

The value of networking is drummed into us by the popular media as one of the characteristics that sets successful people apart from the average. This is corroborated by neuroscience and anthropology research which shows that human beings are social animals and work effectively in tribes. According to Matt Liebermann, a social cognitive neuroscientist, for three-quarters of the time we are not concentrating on our work or the activity we are doing: rather, we are thinking about our social relationships.

So how do you make working at Perch beneficial to you and your business? The answer is to PLUG-IN. Attend the next networking function. Introduce yourself to the guys at the booth next door. Pop over to the person at the desk next to yours and ask for a pencil!

Our brain has been formed over time by its environment and our environment is social one. Make co-working become pro-working: perhaps connection will lead to collaboration. And if you don’t find that you can leverage off the guys at the office next door to make some moolla, then know that by simply CONNECTING, your brain is releasing oxytocin. This will lower your stress levels, elevate your capacity to learn and give you a sense of wellbeing at work.

Written by Laura-Ann Tomasella, who is a business coach and runs Accountability Labs: www.onesmallnudge.com. Labs are based on adult learning theory, basic principles of neuroscience and systems theory.