4 ms·

This penchant for working in 'coffee shops' or other public spaces always leaves me utterly mystified. What on Earth could be the point, instead of going home,

This penchant for working in 'coffee shops' or other public spaces always leaves me utterly mystified. What on Earth could be the point, instead of going home, or to some library in a pinch? Says the attention deficited introvert in his very quiet house far, far out in the boondocks.

mbrameld 9y ago
Different people are different. Mystery solved.
cr1895 9y ago
>What on Earth could be the point, instead of going home, or to some library in a pinch? To keep home and work separate. Maybe working from home for some is perceived as never leaving work.
- jameskegel 9y ago
  >working from home for some is perceived as never leaving work That's a glass half-full/half-empty approach; conversely, I end up being more productive, working more minutes, taking less breaks to socialize/browse. One benefit I didn't recognize immediately is that I gained valuable time by being able to eat at my own pace, often while working, rather than worrying about a sustenance/obligations time management equation with my lunch break every day when I should be working. I no longer wake up dreading going to work. I get to get up at a normal hour, feed the family every meal, and spend about an hour every morning reading. A more convenient workplace, for me, does not exist; people are different. Every day feels like hours have been added to my life.
sotojuan 9y ago
Ha, finally someone that agrees with me. Though not everyone has quietude in their home, I dislike it when I visit a coffee shop and everyone is working or doing meetings.
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
myth_drannon 9y ago
coffee shops are on every corner, libraries are far and you need to drive
- cableshaft 9y ago
  and libraries tend to have worse hours. like there's one near me that's open 12-4 on sunday, and others that close at 6pm on a weekday. i'm only just getting home from work then.
scott_s 9y ago
Sometimes I want to be among people, even if I'm not going to interact with them much. This was particularly true during grad school, when I was working almost completely by myself on my own work, most of the time. Doing my work at the local coffee shop was some of the only social outlet I had. Without it, I would have felt even more isolated. Now that I have a job, I'll often go to coffee shops if I work on the weekend. And, again, it's because doing it by myself, at home, feels very isolating. Even though I like having time to myself late in the evening, it's rare that I want no social interaction during the day. And if I need to get work done during that day, I'll often use a coffee shop.
rossdavidh 9y ago
Library works for me, but home has the problem of either getting pulled away from work by a family member, or having to tell a family member "you have a problem now but I refuse to help you with it". Neither is good. If I'm not at home, they won't contact me for help unless it's truly a crisis.
FTA 9y ago
To me, there's something slightly numbing to the part of my brain that craves distraction when I'm surrounded by other people going about life like normal--be it the workers cleaning tables, a first date or friends meeting, or the steady stream of people ordering. I also get a similar numbing feeling when vacuuming or showering that allows me to focus conceptually on a hard problem. And oftentimes it's the novelty of a place that helps inspire some creativity when it comes to writing. As others have pointed out, it's hard to shut out conversation from coworkers especially if you don't know if they are talking about work related to you. But when you're in public, you know those conversations don't pertain to you and you can feel no back-of-the-mind guilt about shutting them out (which, as an introvert worrying about others' thoughts, _is_ an issue).
- SomeStupidPoint 9y ago
  > as an introvert What you describe has nothing to do with being introverted.
  - FTA 9y ago
    Sorry, I was trying to describe myself in different respects. 1) Introverted, 2) Worrying about others' thoughts.
_raoulcousins 9y ago
My house has Netflix, video games, and the world's best nap room. I do go to a library instead.
- abledon 9y ago
  I imagine in 20 Years libraries will just be packed every day with work from homers ... public space is a fkkkin problem cities need to deal with — big corps should be charged to set up public spaces or some tax incentive etc.
eropple 9y ago
It's pretty simple, for me: getting to a library is a lot harder (it's a half an hour trip on two trains) than getting to a coffee shop (a block and a half walk).
resolaibohp 9y ago
A big difference between working in a coffee shop vs a library from what I have noticed is that a coffee shop is filled with people who appear to be somewhat similar to yourself, whereas a library seems to have a lot of homeless people hanging out to stay out from the elements. I would rather work in the coffee shop based on this. I understand this can vary significantly based on location, but this is what I have noticed in my city.
dboreham 9y ago
>What on Earth could be the point, instead of going home Home is a very bad place for me to try to focus because I'm constantly reminded of things that need to be fixed, painted, washed, etc. And if there are other humans in the home it's even worse because you know I could be socializing with them, helping them with their homework, fixing their computer problems... So a coffee shop is an improvement because a) Starbucks people are responsible for fixing the plumbing problems and b) I don't know anyone there.
kps 9y ago
Working on laptops anywhere — other than as a last resort while actually travelling — leaves me utterly mystified. Tiny screen and execrable ergonomics.
- yurishimo 9y ago
  I’m sure some people carry around those portable laptop stands that make it a little more ergonomic. A 15” screen isn’t too bad if you’re at a small table by yourself.
- ctdonath 9y ago
  Once the 15" retina display arrived, I instantly abandoned any notion of working on a desktop system. Far superior visuals than any big monitor I could afford, and I can work anywhere anytime.
- Retra 9y ago
  It depends on what kind of applications and control you need. I can work on my own stuff at home very easily on a laptop because I have a fairly streamlined process. I can just tab between my terminal and text editor. I can't do that with my job, since I need probably 20 different programs running at once: multiple browser windows, debugger, specialized programs, chat window, email window, multiple text editors and guis... it's a major hassle on a laptop.
- 482794793792894 9y ago
  If I have to use Windows, I can't do it either. But give me virtual desktops, a tiling window manager and (sensibly laid out) keyboard shortcuts for everything, then I'll often even forget to use my second monitor.
ilamont 9y ago
I prefer home, but sometimes I am forced to be outside ... every Tuesday evening, for instance, I station myself at a donut shop for two hours with a decaf drink and my laptop to get some work done while my daughter is in her dance class. Unlike others in this extended thread, I can't focus with people talking nearby or the music on the shop's speakers, so I put on the headphones with ambient music, classical, or white noise to keep out distractions.
lr4444lr 9y ago
Many libraries are often overrun with toddlers and seniors during the day whose behavior is - to put it mildly - not library appropriate. A coffee shop has an incentive to keep the environment more civil and inviting.
s73ver_ 9y ago
I'm not sure why you'd pick the coffee shop over the library, but a big part of it is getting out of the house. I personally don't want to work from home. I don't want to bring work home; I want home and work separate, so I have a place to forget about work.
christophilus 9y ago
Yeah. I agree 100%. I can't focus in a Coffee Shop. But I sure as hell can't focus in an open office space.
abecedarius 9y ago
I prefer to mostly work in private where I can concentrate, but it's also nice to have a change of scene as an option.
Broken_Hippo 9y ago
Libraries are absolutely filled with distracting noises. I have always had trouble in a quiet library. Every pencil drop, paper shuffle, and so on distracts me. I need headphones with music in a quiet library. Home can be the same - I have neighbors. I can hear them from time to time. Headphones, though, are a solution, but so is just general background music. Some times of day/night are much better than others, but I don't always get the luxury of doing stuff at those times. All this said, I like working at home. On the other hand, a coffee shop is filled with near-constant hums of noise. Park, restaurant, etc are all the same. Since no one noise jumps out to grab my attention, I'm actually less distracted. No one cares I'm there for the most part (libraries aren't so good at this bit, but are better now that I'm older). The other positive of working at a coffee shop is the change of environment often brings a sort of creativity. I find this especially so if I've walked a bit to get there, and even more so when I'm out of town or out of country. Granted, I'm generally working on artwork instead of "real work", so maybe this bit is just me.
- remir 9y ago
  I saw a modern monastery once. It had a great contemporary design and the place was built to encourage contemplation and inner peace. I bet working there is amazing.
bluedino 9y ago
Library has a few problems: Too quiet. Bad internet. Gigabit, but they filter/firewall the heck out of it. No coffee/snacks allowed Bad hours. Some days they open at noon, some days they close at 6p, never open after 8p or before 10a
Jemmeh 9y ago
Got family/people I know at home who can distract me. I love them. Which is why they're going to talk to me at some point in the middle of a hard problem.
yesenadam 9y ago
I tried working in a library, once I'd been driven out of parks by wandering people on phones. In the library every couple of minutes someone ran outside shouting into their phone "I'm in the library! Hang on!". Grr. And when it's quiet you notice you're within earshot of someone texting on their phone with "click" sound effects.
spicytunacone 9y ago
You received a lot of good general replies, but from one introvert to another: my time and space isn't respected at home living with others, libraries are suffocating in their own way and have more restrictions (protocols other than http/s generally not available, times open, more visitors explicitly looking for an outlet and desk space). I regularly work out of coffee shops, for hours and hours at a time even, and unless you absolutely dread even the slightest interactions, "Hey is someone sitting there?", other patrons generally leave you to your devices figurative and literal. If you do summon the courage to talk to people, you get a nice mix of regular baristas and patrons as well as a revolving door of new faces to meet and exercise your social and networking skills. The tradeoff for a few bucks a day was worth it to me. I can't afford a co-working space and while that would probably be better for long-term professional networking, you can't deny the breadth of people walking into any given Starbucks.

mbrameld 9y ago

Different people are different. Mystery solved.

cr1895 9y ago

>What on Earth could be the point, instead of going home, or to some library in a pinch? To keep home and work separate. Maybe working from home for some is perceived as never leaving work.

jameskegel 9y ago
>working from home for some is perceived as never leaving work That's a glass half-full/half-empty approach; conversely, I end up being more productive, working more minutes, taking less breaks to socialize/browse. One benefit I didn't recognize immediately is that I gained valuable time by being able to eat at my own pace, often while working, rather than worrying about a sustenance/obligations time management equation with my lunch break every day when I should be working. I no longer wake up dreading going to work. I get to get up at a normal hour, feed the family every meal, and spend about an hour every morning reading. A more convenient workplace, for me, does not exist; people are different. Every day feels like hours have been added to my life.

sotojuan 9y ago

Ha, finally someone that agrees with me. Though not everyone has quietude in their home, I dislike it when I visit a coffee shop and everyone is working or doing meetings.

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

myth_drannon 9y ago

coffee shops are on every corner, libraries are far and you need to drive

cableshaft 9y ago
and libraries tend to have worse hours. like there's one near me that's open 12-4 on sunday, and others that close at 6pm on a weekday. i'm only just getting home from work then.

scott_s 9y ago

Sometimes I want to be among people, even if I'm not going to interact with them much. This was particularly true during grad school, when I was working almost completely by myself on my own work, most of the time. Doing my work at the local coffee shop was some of the only social outlet I had. Without it, I would have felt even more isolated. Now that I have a job, I'll often go to coffee shops if I work on the weekend. And, again, it's because doing it by myself, at home, feels very isolating. Even though I like having time to myself late in the evening, it's rare that I want no social interaction during the day. And if I need to get work done during that day, I'll often use a coffee shop.

rossdavidh 9y ago

Library works for me, but home has the problem of either getting pulled away from work by a family member, or having to tell a family member "you have a problem now but I refuse to help you with it". Neither is good. If I'm not at home, they won't contact me for help unless it's truly a crisis.

FTA 9y ago

To me, there's something slightly numbing to the part of my brain that craves distraction when I'm surrounded by other people going about life like normal--be it the workers cleaning tables, a first date or friends meeting, or the steady stream of people ordering. I also get a similar numbing feeling when vacuuming or showering that allows me to focus conceptually on a hard problem. And oftentimes it's the novelty of a place that helps inspire some creativity when it comes to writing. As others have pointed out, it's hard to shut out conversation from coworkers especially if you don't know if they are talking about work related to you. But when you're in public, you know those conversations don't pertain to you and you can feel no back-of-the-mind guilt about shutting them out (which, as an introvert worrying about others' thoughts, _is_ an issue).

SomeStupidPoint 9y ago
> as an introvert What you describe has nothing to do with being introverted.
- FTA 9y ago
  Sorry, I was trying to describe myself in different respects. 1) Introverted, 2) Worrying about others' thoughts.

_raoulcousins 9y ago

My house has Netflix, video games, and the world's best nap room. I do go to a library instead.

abledon 9y ago
I imagine in 20 Years libraries will just be packed every day with work from homers ... public space is a fkkkin problem cities need to deal with — big corps should be charged to set up public spaces or some tax incentive etc.

eropple 9y ago

It's pretty simple, for me: getting to a library is a lot harder (it's a half an hour trip on two trains) than getting to a coffee shop (a block and a half walk).

resolaibohp 9y ago

A big difference between working in a coffee shop vs a library from what I have noticed is that a coffee shop is filled with people who appear to be somewhat similar to yourself, whereas a library seems to have a lot of homeless people hanging out to stay out from the elements. I would rather work in the coffee shop based on this. I understand this can vary significantly based on location, but this is what I have noticed in my city.

dboreham 9y ago

>What on Earth could be the point, instead of going home Home is a very bad place for me to try to focus because I'm constantly reminded of things that need to be fixed, painted, washed, etc. And if there are other humans in the home it's even worse because you know I could be socializing with them, helping them with their homework, fixing their computer problems... So a coffee shop is an improvement because a) Starbucks people are responsible for fixing the plumbing problems and b) I don't know anyone there.

kps 9y ago

Working on laptops anywhere — other than as a last resort while actually travelling — leaves me utterly mystified. Tiny screen and execrable ergonomics.

yurishimo 9y ago
I’m sure some people carry around those portable laptop stands that make it a little more ergonomic. A 15” screen isn’t too bad if you’re at a small table by yourself.
ctdonath 9y ago
Once the 15" retina display arrived, I instantly abandoned any notion of working on a desktop system. Far superior visuals than any big monitor I could afford, and I can work anywhere anytime.
Retra 9y ago
It depends on what kind of applications and control you need. I can work on my own stuff at home very easily on a laptop because I have a fairly streamlined process. I can just tab between my terminal and text editor. I can't do that with my job, since I need probably 20 different programs running at once: multiple browser windows, debugger, specialized programs, chat window, email window, multiple text editors and guis... it's a major hassle on a laptop.
482794793792894 9y ago
If I have to use Windows, I can't do it either. But give me virtual desktops, a tiling window manager and (sensibly laid out) keyboard shortcuts for everything, then I'll often even forget to use my second monitor.

ilamont 9y ago

I prefer home, but sometimes I am forced to be outside ... every Tuesday evening, for instance, I station myself at a donut shop for two hours with a decaf drink and my laptop to get some work done while my daughter is in her dance class. Unlike others in this extended thread, I can't focus with people talking nearby or the music on the shop's speakers, so I put on the headphones with ambient music, classical, or white noise to keep out distractions.

lr4444lr 9y ago

Many libraries are often overrun with toddlers and seniors during the day whose behavior is - to put it mildly - not library appropriate. A coffee shop has an incentive to keep the environment more civil and inviting.

s73ver_ 9y ago

I'm not sure why you'd pick the coffee shop over the library, but a big part of it is getting out of the house. I personally don't want to work from home. I don't want to bring work home; I want home and work separate, so I have a place to forget about work.

christophilus 9y ago

Yeah. I agree 100%. I can't focus in a Coffee Shop. But I sure as hell can't focus in an open office space.

abecedarius 9y ago

I prefer to mostly work in private where I can concentrate, but it's also nice to have a change of scene as an option.

Broken_Hippo 9y ago

Libraries are absolutely filled with distracting noises. I have always had trouble in a quiet library. Every pencil drop, paper shuffle, and so on distracts me. I need headphones with music in a quiet library. Home can be the same - I have neighbors. I can hear them from time to time. Headphones, though, are a solution, but so is just general background music. Some times of day/night are much better than others, but I don't always get the luxury of doing stuff at those times. All this said, I like working at home. On the other hand, a coffee shop is filled with near-constant hums of noise. Park, restaurant, etc are all the same. Since no one noise jumps out to grab my attention, I'm actually less distracted. No one cares I'm there for the most part (libraries aren't so good at this bit, but are better now that I'm older). The other positive of working at a coffee shop is the change of environment often brings a sort of creativity. I find this especially so if I've walked a bit to get there, and even more so when I'm out of town or out of country. Granted, I'm generally working on artwork instead of "real work", so maybe this bit is just me.

remir 9y ago
I saw a modern monastery once. It had a great contemporary design and the place was built to encourage contemplation and inner peace. I bet working there is amazing.

bluedino 9y ago

Library has a few problems: Too quiet. Bad internet. Gigabit, but they filter/firewall the heck out of it. No coffee/snacks allowed Bad hours. Some days they open at noon, some days they close at 6p, never open after 8p or before 10a

Jemmeh 9y ago

Got family/people I know at home who can distract me. I love them. Which is why they're going to talk to me at some point in the middle of a hard problem.

yesenadam 9y ago

I tried working in a library, once I'd been driven out of parks by wandering people on phones. In the library every couple of minutes someone ran outside shouting into their phone "I'm in the library! Hang on!". Grr. And when it's quiet you notice you're within earshot of someone texting on their phone with "click" sound effects.

spicytunacone 9y ago

You received a lot of good general replies, but from one introvert to another: my time and space isn't respected at home living with others, libraries are suffocating in their own way and have more restrictions (protocols other than http/s generally not available, times open, more visitors explicitly looking for an outlet and desk space). I regularly work out of coffee shops, for hours and hours at a time even, and unless you absolutely dread even the slightest interactions, "Hey is someone sitting there?", other patrons generally leave you to your devices figurative and literal. If you do summon the courage to talk to people, you get a nice mix of regular baristas and patrons as well as a revolving door of new faces to meet and exercise your social and networking skills. The tradeoff for a few bucks a day was worth it to me. I can't afford a co-working space and while that would probably be better for long-term professional networking, you can't deny the breadth of people walking into any given Starbucks.