Are you tired of working in a lifeless office? And tired of the politics that go with it?
Maybe it’s time to break free…
Whether you currently work from an office or from your home, there is a far more interesting and creative location just waiting for you (and your laptop).
Coffee, Cakes, and Concentration
If you’re like most people, you enjoy visiting coffee shops. They smell good, people are friendly, and of course – the drinks are great! (Can you say the same thing about your office?)
However, you may not have considered coffee shops as a place for you to get your work done. Here’s why you should:
- They typically have comfortable seating
- Most coffee shops offer free Wi-Fi
- You’ll likely find an upbeat, productive atmosphere
At this point you may be thinking…
“Aren’t coffee shops too noisy and too distracting?”
Sometimes, but not if you know the best times and places. (I’ll come to this shortly.)
From my experience, I’ve found that the biggest distractions to work are colleagues. I’m sure you know what I mean. For example, a colleague persists on asking you aimless questions while you’re desperately trying to concentrate on an critical piece of work. Or someone insists on telling you their life story while you are preparing for an important presentation.
Being interrupted is much more distracting than the amiable background noise that you’re likely to find in your local coffee shop. And having some background noise is actually a good thing. “A moderate level of ambient noise is conducive to creative cognition,” found a University of Chicago study.
Are you ready to get started? Here’s my advice in picking the best coffee shop to work in:
- Firstly, find a coffee shop with plenty of space and spare seats
- Secondly, make sure it has fast, secure Wi-Fi
- Thirdly, make sure it sells delicious cakes and coffee!
You may need to try working in a few coffee shops, but the closer the place is to your home the better (you don’t want to be stuck in the commuter rat race!).
Wake up and Smell the Latte
Now, I won’t pretend that you’ll be able to do all your work in a coffee shop. For instance, if you have meetings to attend, and presentations to make, you’ll most likely need to be in your office for these. However, for most of your day-to-day work, I’m guessing that you could do this in the comforting surroundings of a local coffee shop.
The trend towards coffee shop working also has some surprising benefits:
- Your office may need less desk space.
- Your chosen coffee shop will gain some extra business during their quiet times.
- You’ll get to enjoy great coffee while you work.
- You’ll likely get more work done.
I’ve worked in countless offices and countless coffee shops, and I’ve come to this conclusion – coffee shops win every time!
So, my recommendation to you is…
Pack your laptop into a bag, head over to your local coffee shop, and discover the best workspace on the planet.
