
Ask HN: Do you work in coffee shops? - dglass
What do you like about working in coffee shops? What don&#x27;t you like about it?<p>I&#x27;m fairly new to remote working and have started exploring my neighborhoods coffee shops. I&#x27;m curious to hear others thoughts on why they like (or don&#x27;t like) it.<p>For me, I like switching up my environment. It helps with creativity and I feel better than sitting at home alone all day.<p>I don&#x27;t like the fact that if I&#x27;m going to a coffee shop I&#x27;ve never been to, I have no idea how good the wifi is or if I will be able to find an outlet.
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jimmyvalmer
I've been waiting for someone to ask this.

Please, someone tell me: how did flipping bits in a coffee shop, or even more
puzzling, the wework desk, make more sense than flipping them at home
(assuming you can afford the $50/mo for broadband).

The cons are endless, chiefly noise, food crumbs, having to number 2 in a
public restroom, and a pointless commute. Wework one-ups the coffee shop by
making you pay for all of the above.

People: do you realize how wonderful it is to take a dump in your own
bathroom, or pop a zit whenever you want?

~~~
detaro
Many people don't like bringing work home, but prefer having separate spaces
for it to keep it mentally separated.

Some people find it more pleasant to have at least some superficial exposure
to other humans during their work day, and find that they get totally
withdrawn if they also work from home.

Working at home also brings other distractions, be it things to do, family,
...

~~~
jimmyvalmer
Fair. But I'll deal with all manner of home distractions if I can avoid having
to pack up all my gear to go number two (and having everyone around me _see_
that I'm preparing for number two).

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Havoc
Never.

Work gives me a laptop & wireless connectivity & nobody cares where I am. So I
could...

...but office is just way more productive. 2nd screen, better ergonomics and
all my seniors & juniors are there.

I'd take a sizable hit on effectiveness if I'm not in office.

That said - I lean more towards the office work / manager side than most of hn
though.

~~~
dglass
makes sense. Sounds like you're more involved in management / decision making
then?

~~~
Havoc
>you're more involved in management / decision making

Senior manager. Bit of both...large amount of autonomy on my turf...very
limited influence on big picture.

So yeah...half the time my word is law...and half the time nobody listens I
guess. (Exaggerating ofc)

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markeddown
Never.

I take plenty of meetings in coffee shops; but unless the business makes it
clear they accommodate laptop work (e.g. long communal table with power
outlets), it's an anti-social behavior.

~~~
dglass
Never heard anyone describe working in a coffee shop as an anti-social
behavior before. I'm curious why you think that?

~~~
Porthos9K
People trying to chill or get laid don't want to see you working. It makes
them uncomfortable.

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letitburn
Once you have been on the other side of the coffee shops' router, you'll learn
to bring your own hotspot/SIM card in the laptop. I once found a sniffer
effectively pulling a man in the middle. I wiped the router's firmware.

