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> 1. Upon entering the store, write down at the reception desk how many words and by what time you are going to write your manuscript. > 2. The manager asks yo
by karaterobot 5y ago
> 1. Upon entering the store, write down at the reception desk how many words and by what time you are going to write your manuscript.
> 2. The manager asks you every hour how your manuscript is coming along.
> 3. You are not allowed to leave the store until you have finished writing your manuscript or writing project.
Sounds like a cute idea. I wonder what would happen if you decided you wanted to leave before finishing. Do they berate you? Do you lose a deposit? I imagine you can't hold customers hostage or trap them in your cafe if they actually want to go.
- BiteCode_dev 5y agoBeing interrupted every hour would kill the zone for me.
- echelon 5y agoHold a deposit. You can break the glass if you really need to make an exit, but make it painful.
- atoav 5y agoI mean it is japan. If we go with the cliché, it would be hard to find any japanese writer who would choose social emberassment over actually doing the job. Especially if they chose to buy into this thing themselves.
- grapeskin 5y agoNah, people will just sternly say “I need to leave” and go. They’re not ants.
- makeitdouble 5y agoPeople underestimate writers' will power and the effort and sacrifices they will do to _not_ do their job. Even (especially ?) in Japan.
- thebeastie 5y agoAs a programmer, I need to understand this better.
- stocknoob 5y agoYou might have missed it, the cafe is at the back of a sumo arena.
- warning26 5y agoThe article notes you can choose your level of PRESSURE when you sign in -- perhaps trying to leave with a higher level of pressure selected would get you angrily berated, while at the lower levels you'd just get a mild chiding.
- EGreg 5y agoWhat’s the highest level look like? Maybe chained to the desk or sumo wrestler blocking the doorway?
- trinovantes 5y agoI think that only happens in Anime e.g. Shirobako In real life that should count as kidnapping
- leeoniya 5y ago"Keep writing, you worthless maggot!"
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- dfxm12 5y agoDo they berate you? Would love to know the interview/training/standard operating procedure for this position.
- nowherebeen 5y agoI highly doubt they berate you. The Japanese place high importance on public manners. I think at worst is the frequency of nagging. Are you done yet?
- klenwell 5y agoGreat example of a commitment device: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commitment_device https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commitment_device I like the idea of losing a deposit.
- teraflop 5y agoYeah, according to the cafe's website, they don't physically stop you from leaving. In fact, one of the FAQs specifically says that you can leave temporarily if you need to. It's just that they won't allow you to pay your tab unless you've reached your goal. As others have said, it's about the social pressure. I doubt the question of "can we legally enforce this rule" was a major concern.
- Cthulhu_ 5y agoI do think it's undervalued how a bit of social pressure can really help you be more productive. I mean I'm sitting at home typing a comment on HN, because there's no colleagues or employers that can peek at what I'm doing. My work productivity has really taken a dive thanks to WFH.
- pikma 5y agoI totally agree, and I've observed how my productivity has gone up dramatically now that I'm back to the office. It's fairly empty, so it's not like there is actually many people watching over my shoulder, but somehow while I'm at my desk there I feel very little desire to do anything other than work.
- AlwaysRock 5y agoSure. I'm much more comfortable at home and in the long run get more done because I'm likely to actually stay at a company for a longer period of time... But there is nothing like being in an office and feelings like you have to be locked in for productivity. I can simulate a lot of that with pairing though.
- thanatos519 5y agoThey are lucky that Douglas Adams will never visit.
- Wowfunhappy 5y agoWait, so the punishment for not finishing is that... you don't have to pay?
- sizzle 5y agoI recall someone hiring someone to slap them if they got off task, I wonder if they had options like this to spice up the experience at the cafe hah
- suyash 5y agoIf I was the owner, I would not allow the person back in unless it was a legit emergency bail out.
- needle0 5y agoIt's most likely based on the honor system. I mean, if you're willingly paying a visit there yourself, you came there to get work done and have some fun doing so, not to actively game and exploit the system. Plus, the cafe only has 13 seats, and the website says that the space is usually a photography studio (and only operates as a writing cafe during off-peak hours), so whatever irregularity that comes up can probably be dealt with on a case-by-case basis-- this isn't a public web app that needs to automatically defend itself from all sorts of attacks from any random hacker in the world.
- fenomas 5y ago> Do they berate you? The website describes it as: > Mild: they ask if you met your goal when you pay > Normal: they ask about your progress once an hour or so > Hard: like Normal, and staff will frequently stand behind you silently applying pressure. The official FAQ is written quite informally, so I think it's safe to assume the cafe's "rules" are more "casual guidelines meant to help writers get their work done", and not "literal rules that will be rigidly enforced in some particular way".
- cube00 5y agoTo think I'd been getting the 'hard' service for free last time I had to set foot in an office.