There are so many better places to work than working from a coffee shop, which you can check out here
We have compiled a list of 8 reasons why working from a coffee shop is overrated.
1. There is definitely such a thing as too much noise
A lot of people thrive in a work environment which has a conversational buzz. The vivacity of the life around you keeps you awake, engaged and your brain ticking away, which is why many choose working from a coffee shop over working from home or a traditional office. However, cafés are social places and most people go there to chat, gossip and meet with friends. This can mean loud and high-pitched conversations between Katy and Stacy about how much they hate their boyfriends; long-drawn out debates between Trent and Joe about which bonds to invest in; or Madeleine with her 3 kids that just received sugar and caffeine hits via their venti mocha frappuccinos.
Whilst the background noise can be conducive to get your creative juices flowing and make sure you’re on top of your emails, the foreground noise is a little more stressful to deal with! If you’re the sort of person who needs a bit of peace and quiet to concentrate, working from a coffee shop isn’t the best place to for you.
2. Riding the caffeine roller-coaster
Start: I’m strapped in and ready to go. I’ve found my desk, set up my laptop, ordered my skinny flat white and I’m feeling good about what lies ahead..
Acceleration: slow and steady, I’ve opened my laptop and wrote out my plan for the day. Yes, that coffee does go down really nicely.
Peak: Yes – just went from 30 emails to inbox 0 in half an hour. Boom – got that sales lead. Boom – responded to that customer complaint that i’ve been putting off since last night. I feel like i’m starring in the opening scene of Rambo 3 where Sylvester Stallone bursts in killing 367 bad guys with a single machine gun. I own this day and I am master of my own universe.
Rapid descent: Ahh the headaches have started. My mouth is dry and I need water, but I also need to pee, how is that possible? Where do I leave my stuff? Do I take my laptop with me? Aahh so many people are here now, it’s so loud, I can’t think. Pee first or water first? Pee first, water second… I fancy a little danish as well and…ummm… maybe a bag of sea salt & cracked pepper posh crisps. Must. Rescue. Day.
Trough: Right, I’m now fed, watered, and ready to go. Ah, lost my momentum, where was I? Oh wow, 35 new emails and I still haven’t started my article yet. I don’t really understand why those 2 girls need to talk so graphically about their boyfriends… I really wish those guys would stop talking about bonds… Buying frappuccinos for your kids – that will really help calm them down! Really can’t concentrate.. probably shouldn’t have had that danish – I’m hitting food coma stages.
I think it’s time for another coffee.
Repeat x 4,
3. Spilt drinks on your laptop
No need for further explanation.
fizzle crack and pop sounds
4. Nowhere to leave all your stuff
Need to pop to a meeting or pop to the loo but don’t want to carry your entire mobile office with you? In most cases, when you’re working from a coffee shop you’re going to have to take everything with you! Even if you do leave your things out in a fairly reputable coffee shop with a decent clientele, you’ll always be paranoid whilst you’re away.
5. Did i just spend £30 today on coffee, tea, water, muffins and crisps?
Yeah, that sucks. Working from a coffee shop is not free. In order to justify spending all day there, you will be obliged to buy drinks and food from there. The coffee is normally great, but unless you can survive on half filled paninis and red velvet cake (actually that sounds amazing), then your options are pretty limited and expensive.
6. Yes, you did just spent the day drinking coffee and eating junk food
Wave goodbye to that diet that was supposed to start today.
7. You may need a chiropractor
Café tables and chairs are not designed to be comfy ergonomic workstations. They are designed to be used for an hour at a time. Repeated use of these while working from a coffee shop can start causing havoc on your back along with stirring up that carpal tunnel you’re paranoid about.
8. Interruptions
“Hey, can I borrow your chair?”
“Hey, sorry, can we share the table?”
“Mate, how are you doing? Fancy catching you here – long time no see! What are you up to these days? Mind if I sit down?”
“Waaaahhhh… waaaahhhhhhh….. waaaaahhhh…” (that was a baby crying by the way)
fizzle crack and pop sounds
Coffee shops are coffee shops and not offices.
People choose working from a coffee shop because they want to be out of the house, in a buzzing environment, be able to socialise with others and enjoy great coffee. However, working in a coffee shop might not be the place where you can be your most productive.
There are many co-working spaces around London to facilitate and provide exactly that atmosphere. They cater to different budgets depending upon what you want and most of them offer free tea and coffee (actual espresso machines, rather than those crappy machines we all hate), so working from a coffee shop isn’t your sole option.
You also benefit from working around a diverse group of freelancers, agencies, small businesses and startups that could help your business if you happened to strike up a conversation.
