5 ms·

People go to cafes to work. It is not closed cubicles there. And I think they are able to concentrate more. I know for one that I can.

falcolas 10y ago
Cafes offer an odd sort of privacy since none of the conversations mean anything to you - effectively white noise - so they're easy to filter out. In an open office, every conversation may apply to you at any point during the conversation, requiring conscious effort to monitor and filter the conversation.
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
- dredmorbius 10y ago
  This. It's the otheredness of the conversations which happen at a cafe that makes it work. If you found yourself at a cafe sitting next to, say, the co-worker you can't stand, the director you've heard is trying to kill your project, an ex-partner and their new partner, I suspect the scene could get quite distracting rather quickly.
  - mamon 10y ago
    >> an ex-partner and their new partner That's why you never date your co-worker. And if you couldn't help it and fell in love then you should quit your job first and ask him/her on date later.
    - jrs95 10y ago
      Quitting your job to ask someone on a date seems a little crazier than risking dating a coworker, though.
    - dredmorbius 10y ago
      My point was that an ex-partner, regardless of co-worker status, is a distraction. Having to encounter one at work all the more so, yes, but that wasn't what I was limiting my example to.
- Jemmeh 10y ago
  So much this. I want to wear my headphones to focus, but at the same time I never know when they're talking about a project behind me that might pertain to what I'm doing....which happens a lot because of our fairly open setup. Other people at the cafe, I don't care what they're talking about. And it's away from home where I might have other distractions.
monk_e_boy 10y ago
Libraries and study areas are more representative of what people need to concentrate. I expect the cafe is more akin to white noise, not the sort of conversations you'd hear in a dev open office. Sometimes when you overhear some devs talking you can't help get sucked into the conversation. Especially when they are wrong.
joezydeco 10y ago
Because nobody is tapping you on the shoulder every 10 minutes asking "did you get the email I just sent out?". You also don't see long multi-person meetings in coffee shops (well, actually it does happen, and that's just as annoying). If you could train coworkers to respect the explicit and implicit signals that people give off when working and concentrating on something and use some fucking etiquette like keeping the shouting to a minimum or taking long conversations elsewhere, this wouldn't be a problem.
- new_hackers 10y ago
  This. Polite, business-like etiquette goes a long way to productivity.
  - varjag 10y ago
    Or walls.. it's like automation for etiquette.
- deleted 10y ago
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reneherse 10y ago
I too loathe the disruptiveness of my employer's open office plan, but have found I can easily focus in a cafe. In part, I suspect this stems from mentally being able to classify cafe conversations as "ignorable noise of strangers", whereas in the office, any conversation I hear both comes from a familiar voice and is likely related to the work at hand. Some portion of my mind inevitably tunes-in to these cues.
vonmoltke 10y ago
I read this sentiment often in these discussions. It isn't true for me, however. I can't not pay attention to conversations or noises around me. Sometimes I can't even focus on someone talking directly to me in those kind of environments.
rokhayakebe 10y ago
Someone told me Cafes are for Output Works, Not Input Works.
ssharp 10y ago
I actually find most open office environments to be better than cafes. Cafes tend to be very loud, have lots of movement, and I get distracted by people slurping their coffee, munching on food, etc. I've also noticed people at cafes who talk on the phone talk much louder than I've experienced people talking on the phone in open offices. I much prefer the library setting where you're expected to be quiet and there is little movement around you.

falcolas 10y ago

Cafes offer an odd sort of privacy since none of the conversations mean anything to you - effectively white noise - so they're easy to filter out. In an open office, every conversation may apply to you at any point during the conversation, requiring conscious effort to monitor and filter the conversation.

deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
dredmorbius 10y ago
This. It's the otheredness of the conversations which happen at a cafe that makes it work. If you found yourself at a cafe sitting next to, say, the co-worker you can't stand, the director you've heard is trying to kill your project, an ex-partner and their new partner, I suspect the scene could get quite distracting rather quickly.
- mamon 10y ago
  >> an ex-partner and their new partner That's why you never date your co-worker. And if you couldn't help it and fell in love then you should quit your job first and ask him/her on date later.
  - jrs95 10y ago
    Quitting your job to ask someone on a date seems a little crazier than risking dating a coworker, though.
  - dredmorbius 10y ago
    My point was that an ex-partner, regardless of co-worker status, is a distraction. Having to encounter one at work all the more so, yes, but that wasn't what I was limiting my example to.
Jemmeh 10y ago
So much this. I want to wear my headphones to focus, but at the same time I never know when they're talking about a project behind me that might pertain to what I'm doing....which happens a lot because of our fairly open setup. Other people at the cafe, I don't care what they're talking about. And it's away from home where I might have other distractions.

monk_e_boy 10y ago

Libraries and study areas are more representative of what people need to concentrate. I expect the cafe is more akin to white noise, not the sort of conversations you'd hear in a dev open office. Sometimes when you overhear some devs talking you can't help get sucked into the conversation. Especially when they are wrong.

joezydeco 10y ago

Because nobody is tapping you on the shoulder every 10 minutes asking "did you get the email I just sent out?". You also don't see long multi-person meetings in coffee shops (well, actually it does happen, and that's just as annoying). If you could train coworkers to respect the explicit and implicit signals that people give off when working and concentrating on something and use some fucking etiquette like keeping the shouting to a minimum or taking long conversations elsewhere, this wouldn't be a problem.

new_hackers 10y ago
This. Polite, business-like etiquette goes a long way to productivity.
- varjag 10y ago
  Or walls.. it's like automation for etiquette.
deleted 10y ago
[deleted]

reneherse 10y ago

I too loathe the disruptiveness of my employer's open office plan, but have found I can easily focus in a cafe. In part, I suspect this stems from mentally being able to classify cafe conversations as "ignorable noise of strangers", whereas in the office, any conversation I hear both comes from a familiar voice and is likely related to the work at hand. Some portion of my mind inevitably tunes-in to these cues.

vonmoltke 10y ago

I read this sentiment often in these discussions. It isn't true for me, however. I can't not pay attention to conversations or noises around me. Sometimes I can't even focus on someone talking directly to me in those kind of environments.

rokhayakebe 10y ago

Someone told me Cafes are for Output Works, Not Input Works.

ssharp 10y ago

I actually find most open office environments to be better than cafes. Cafes tend to be very loud, have lots of movement, and I get distracted by people slurping their coffee, munching on food, etc. I've also noticed people at cafes who talk on the phone talk much louder than I've experienced people talking on the phone in open offices. I much prefer the library setting where you're expected to be quiet and there is little movement around you.