The Most Productive Place to Work From
Today I woke up and decided to work from a coffee shop. I live in the coffee capital of the world, and yet, I haven’t taken advantage of the many coffee shops that surround me.
In my town, even Starbucks feels like a “local” coffee shop. So, I went and found a small coffee shop inside an Amazon building. It was one of the many Café Ladro shops in the Seattle area.
Working from a coffee shop comes with the perk of savoring unlimited coffee while being surrounded by other professionals working on their computers. It feels like being part of a community, an office atmosphere without the politics and pressure, because no one at the coffee shop works with you. That’s a bonus.
At home, my setup includes three monitors: two 24-inch ones and my laptop screen. While this provides ample screen real estate, it also invites distractions. The temptation to keep multiple applications open can result in a lack of focus. Can one maintain concentration with so many screens? Yes, but it demands discipline many of us might lack.
In contrast, when I work from a coffee shop, I tend to focus better due to limited screen space. But, this setup has its challenges: like the anxiety of leaving your laptop unattended when you visit the restroom or the hunt for a good power source and fast WiFi.
So, what’s the most productive place to work from? For me, it boils down to screen real estate rather than location. I’ve found that working solely on my laptop, with just its single screen, offers the best concentration. Whether I’m at home, in a coffee shop, or a hotel, the single screen keeps me focused.
I’ve tried splitting my laptop screen for tasks like coding or reading documentation, and it’s not as effective. But when it’s just writing, like I’m doing now, a singular focus, anchored by a single screen, works best. It reminds me of using a single-purpose tool. The constraints force you to concentrate because there’s simply no room or capability for distractions.
The other day I woke up and decided to work from a coffee shop. I live in the coffee capital of the world, and yet, I haven’t taken advantage of the many coffee shops that surround me.
In my town, even Starbucks is a “local” coffee shop. So, the other day, decided to go work from a different coffee shop, and found one inside an Amazon building. It was one of the many Café Ladro shops in the Seattle area. I spent a few hours there, the coffee was great, the atmospheric was nice, but forgot to bring my power cord, so as soon as my laptop ran out of juice, I left.
Working from a coffee shop comes with the perk of savoring unlimited coffee while being surrounded by other professionals working on their computers. It feels like being part of a community, an office atmosphere without the politics and pressure, because no one at the coffee shop works with you. That’s a bonus.
At home, my setup includes three monitors: two 24-inch ones and my laptop screen. While this provides ample screen real estate, it also invites distractions. The temptation to keep multiple applications open can result in a lack of focus. Can one maintain concentration with so many screens? Yes, but it demands discipline many of us might lack.
In contrast, when I work from a coffee shop, I tend to focus better due to limited screen space. But, this setup has its challenges: like the anxiety of leaving your laptop unattended when you visit the restroom or the hunt for a good power source and fast WiFi.
So, what’s the most productive place to work from? For me, it boils down to screen real estate rather than location. I’ve found that working solely on my laptop, with just its single screen, offers the best concentration. Whether I’m at home, in a coffee shop, or a hotel, the single screen keeps me focused.
I’ve tried splitting my laptop screen for tasks like coding or reading documentation, and it’s not as effective. But when it’s just writing, like I’m doing now, a singular focus, anchored by a single screen, works best. It reminds me of using a single-purpose tool. The constraints force you to concentrate because there’s simply no room or capability for distractions.
What about you? What’s your favorite place to work from?
