Up or Down?

Life, Work & the Great Central AC Debate

Coworking spaces promise a lot of things—collaboration, flexibility, good coffee, “vibes”.
What they don’t prepare you for is the daily emotional workout that comes with a central AC.

Because here’s the thing:
There is one temperature.
And many bodies.

All built differently. All feeling differently. All convinced they are correct.

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The Two Kinds of People (You Know Them)

There are people who like it cold.

They walk in wearing half sleeves, laptop open, life sorted.
Cold air hits, and they’re like:
“Ahh… perfect.”

Then there are people who like it warm.

They’re already uncomfortable. Shoulders slightly hunched. Fingers cold.
They politely say:
“Yaar thoda kam kar sakte hai kya?”

And here’s where logic quietly exits the room.

Because the people who feel cold refuse to wear jackets.

Not because they don’t own one.
But because:
“Office mein jacket ajeeb lagta hai.”

Okay. Fair. Maybe.

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No Remote, Only Courage

This is a central AC.
No remote. No privacy. No stealth mode.

To change the temperature, you have to get up and walk to the controller on the wall.
Which means everyone knows.

You’re not just adjusting the AC.
You’re making a statement.

You walk.
People look up.
Someone stops typing.

And when you press that button, you can almost hear the room thinking:
“Isne badha diya… ya kam?”

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The Unspoken Game

Ten minutes later, someone else gets up.

They don’t announce it.
They pretend they’re stretching or passing by.

Click.

Nobody says anything.
But everyone notices.

This goes on all day.

Not aggressively.
Not loudly.

Just quietly… like grown adults fighting over a fan in a joint family house.

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Why This Never Gets Resolved

Someone always suggests:
“Let’s keep it somewhere in between.”

But “in between” is a feeling, not a number.

For one person, it’s “still too cold”.
For another, it’s “now I’m sweating”.

So we adjust.
Then re-adjust.
Then mentally judge each other.

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The Real Problem

Here’s the unfair bit.

People who feel cold can add layers.
People who feel hot can’t exactly start removing clothes.

There are social rules.
There are HR policies.
There is basic decency.

You can’t just say:
“Guys, mujhe garmi lag rahi hai”
…and solve it completely.

Some solutions are simply illegal.

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So… Is Up Good or Is Down Good?

Honestly?

Up is good.
Down is good.
Somewhere in between is also good.

What’s hard is accepting that everyone’s comfort looks different.

The AC isn’t the enemy.
The controller isn’t the villain.
It’s just a room full of humans—trying to work, stay comfortable, and not offend anyone before lunch.

And maybe that’s the real coworking lesson:
Collaboration isn’t about sharing desks.

It’s about surviving the temperature… together.