Well, here I am, in a coffee shop, while my apartment is turned inside out by the cleaning lady I occasionally call.
It’s not the first time I’ve worked outside the home, after all, it’s been 5 years in this home-office life (well before the pandemic even thought of existing).
As time goes by, we notice what works and what doesn’t, in this totally independent routine.
Well, working from home is ok, right? There’s not much of a secret: you create a cozy, quiet, organized corner, and stay there all day doing your daily tasks. But, what would it be like to work in a totally random place, which you are not very used to?
A lot of people ask me what this experience is like, and I want to share a little here what I’ve learned over the years.
Table of contents
Open Table of contents
Work in a place you already know
Of course, when I say “already know” it would be a place that you, at least, have heard of. You can’t visit all the cool places out there (unless you’re a nomad with a hipster van traveling the world) (even a dream, right).
But back to reality. Look for information about the place you will be spending the day. Try to go to the place you want to stay, when you’re hanging out on the weekend, or ask on instagram what the environment is like, for example.
In addition, there are some key points that you should never leave aside so as not to affect your delivery routine:
Environment with comfortable table and chairs
A comfortable place to work is essential.
I know, no place is like home, but at least it has to be cozy, so you don’t keep counting the minutes to leave.
A wide table, with space for a notebook, mouse, and a mocaccino (I know you will ask for it lol), will make a total difference in your day.
A chair that makes your spine straight is also great, it will prevent you from leaving with your back creaking at the end of the day, wishing you never left your beloved gaming chair again.
Taken close by
There’s a lot of space out there with top tables and chairs, but without a power outlet nearby. Well, nothing is perfect, right? And this is a crucial detail, young man, you have to have an outlet practically glued to the table so you don’t have difficulties charging your pc.
Please silence!
There’s a point that until today I’ve always had problems: silence.
Cafeterias usually have a lot of people, and this naturally generates noises, noises, parallel conversations that you can’t even understand if it’s Portuguese, Mandarin, some unknown dialect of Brazil, because it comes to your ear just like a bunch of words and sounds. Yes, but there are ways to avoid it.
Look for a little place away from doors, roads and corridors. It’s also nice to understand the flow of people at each time. For example, in the afternoon there are usually more people than in the morning at a coffee shop. If you can afford to invest in an insulated headphone, great, do it without even batting an eye! Silence is the eighth wonder of the world (this bill is true).
Environment without distractions
An environment without people walking to and fro helps a lot with focus. So, similar to the previous tip, look for a place without much movement, preferably facing a wall or window, leaving the figures of people moving behind you.
And last but not least, the lighting!
Yes, this is a very important point. Just imagine, you’re very happy there, you found an empty place, there on the horizon of the place, and then, you walk towards the find, very happy, and, when you sit down and open your notebook, you notice that there is a big window behind you making your pc screen look like a black hole it gets so dark! Frustrating, no? Well, after a while you end up knowing from afar where you can or cannot use your notebook. But here’s the tip. After all, wise are those who learn from the mistakes of others, right?
That’s it for today, folks! I hope you found these tips helpful.
Be sure to give that little clap in the post and share with that colleague of yours who always says he’s going to work from a cool place, but is always stalling when you invite him to venture out (lol).
Bye!