![]() “In the grand scheme of things, would have taken me longer without having that extra motivation of staying focused and then taking intentional breaks,” she said. She found she was able to complete her work faster and without distraction, and she even found a new client to attend her fitness classes. Laura Moore, the founder of pre and postnatal personal training company PG Strength Club, took part in one of the coworking days in March. “I think that there’s also something to be said about leaving your normal work environment and stepping into somewhere new and being super, hyper-focused on one or two things.” “I believe that people do desire to be around other people and have some sense of social, even when it comes to work,” Smith said. When setting up the space, she also wanted to inspire collaboration so, everything in the space can be moved around to meet users’ needs. So, she wanted to offer a space for people to work hard and get out of the house without the rigid obligation of a coworking space. ![]() And while plenty are heading back to the office at least a few days a week, workers across the city and beyond still spend a lot of time alone in home offices. She said she wanted to create this new kind of workspace because the future of work has changed. Smith originally opened Open Door Concept with co-founder Chloe Louvouezo, but Louvouezo left at the end of 2022. “You’re no longer sitting at home behind your computer, on your standing desk, but you are actually in a space where you may be required to actually commune and have to connect with people when they ask you what you’re working on,” Smith told Technical.ly. She wants these days to help folks complete the work that’s hard to do alone in a home office, talk about what’s been completed, do a group toast and go home feeling accomplished. Smith said she encourages these workday participants to bring whatever kind of work needs to be done, especially if it’s something sitting on the back burner (one person brought in their taxes during the last session). During these working sprints, Smith said, cell phones aren’t allowed she also encourages everyone to close out all the open tabs in their browsers and just focus on one thing at a time. This cycle repeats before a final, 20-minute sprint and a 15-minute break where everyone discusses whether they met their goals for the day. Workers come in and introduce themselves in the morning and discuss what they want to work on before jumping into a 52-minute “sprint” of working followed by a 17-minute break. ![]() Smith also runs twice-a-month coworking sessions for remote employees and founders. This means companies can do anything from shooting video B-roll to headshots or hosting book tours or wellness events (Open Door already hosted a sound bath workshop). Instead, users pay to rent the 1,050-square-foot, 45-person space by the hour or by the day. NE, Open Door Concept is not a coworking space, in Smith’s words, but a collaborative workspace, since there’s no monthly fee to attend events or use the space. It officially opened in September 2022, and cofounder Jasmine Smith has been heading up a relaunch with a nontraditional, sprint model for remote workers that consists of 52-minute work sessions followed by short breaks. Open Door Concept is a collaborative workspace for remote workers, founders and creatives alike. If you’re participating in a coworking session at DC’s Open Door Concept, that would be the pattern of your day.
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