Can someone explain to me the fascination with working from coffee shops anyway?
You put up without power/internet guarantees and an expectation to spend money for what? The comfort of working hunched over a laptop at a strange table and the convenience of commuting to work even though you don't have an office you have to go to?
Is it a thing where you have better self control at a computer if you're not at home?
I'm a telecommuter and I work out of coffeeshops quite often. For me, they offer social interaction and a change of scenery that I don't get at home. Going to a coffeeshop will also force me to get to business if there is some work I've been particularly dreading. There's a cozy little bubble which forms when working amongst strangers in a neutral location, which shoots my productivity up.
It is possible to mitigate most annoyances by bringing along extra supplies: power splitters + long power cords for limited access to plugs, your own data card for the unreliable wifi, laptop locks for when using the bathroom, and noise-isolating/canceling headphones for the occasional bad music, and an spare sweatshirt for when the coffeeshop leaves their door open.
Yeah libraries are another good candidate. In my experience, libraries aren't as social, and can be a little antiseptic, but I think this varies widely based upon which library you visit.
Coffee shops force you do work and nothing else. The shop's shared WIFI is overloaded so slacking off on the web is unrewarding. Videos are dog slow, social sites have long wait for refresh, the high ping in online games makes other players hate you. You can't walk off easily to watch TV. You can't slack off by going to kitchen to grab some food. You can't have a comfortable phone call because it's loud. You can't even slack off to have a long bathroom break, for fear of someone grabbing your laptop. You don't have interruption from colleagues, meetings, or phone calls as in the office.
The "rent" is unbeatable, $1.50 for couple hours of desk space, janitorial service, power, and WIFI. And you got the constant caffeine boost to keep you going. Just put on the headphones and blast away at the codes.
i can't explain the appeal, but i worked out of a coffee shop for 3 months a couple of years ago and it was definitely there for me.
your self control theory might be a part of it although i don't recall doing any less random surfing. and believe me i would notice if some environment helped me tone down my random surfing.
i think just being around people, even (maybe especially) if they have no bearing on my activity, is comforting and helps me focus. at the risk of concocting one of those questionable evolutionary psychology theories, most of our ancestors probably didn't do a lot of productive work in complete isolation?
I worked from coffee shops for 6 months as a solo founder. Being a solo founder was incredibly lonely, and sitting at home made that worse. Going to coffee shops and being surrounded by other people working on their own gigs was energizing.
Now that I'm working at a 2 person startup, I still work from coffee shops ~2 days a week. It's a great change of scenery from the office. I plug in headphones, get a caffeine buzz going, and can be very productive without being distracted.
The coffee shop matters a lot. I disagree with the author's opinion that national chains are best. Starbucks tends to have terrible WiFi, average coffee, and feels soulless. You have to explore your city to find the right balance of WiFi, ambiance, coffee, and power outlets. I was spoiled living in Seattle - I imagine that search takes a bit more effort somewhere like DC :)
(me == author) and I completely agree. And you're just spoiled because you're from Seattle :-D. Compared to better indy coffee shops, the chains aren't great, but they are consistent (the wireless may not be great, but it doesn't go down). But you definitely want to find a place with soul if you can.
I don't work frequently from coffee shops, but I go to one when I need to get work done and the choice is between home or coffee shop.
Why? Two reasons --
(1) being at a coffee shop is uncomfortable in such a way that its a constant reminder that I'm there to do work, not get comfortable, relax, etc.. Plus, it keeps me away from regular toys/distractions I might have at home or my desk at work. I probably don't know anyone at the coffee shop, so it means odds are, no one will bother me in person.
(2) I'm the type of person that seems to focus better when there's stuff going on around me, but nothing is glaringly stealing my focus. When I'm at home, I'll sometimes put on an action movie in the background and turn the sound down to a low level so its difficult to pick anything in particular out. The sound and motion helps me focus, for some reason. (Double edged sword, though -- all it takes is one person for me to focus on for whatever reason instead of my work at the coffee shop to shoot my productivity).
I second the other posts. I have a lot more self control at coffee shops. I could come with all manner of reasons why, but honestly, I just don't know why. But I do know the result.
For me it's your last point, better self control when I'm not at home. It's also a state of mind thing, if I'm at home I have trouble getting into the "I'm working, now" state of mind. Getting out of the house, be it coffee shops or other locations, helps with my focus.
Mostly it boils down to getting really good coffee and just a change of scenery. I get restless staying at home all week long. I never work a full day out though; either AM or PM is enough. 3G on my phone gets me through spotty wifi, and staying for only a half-day means I won't run out of battery.
Occasionally I'll use it as a place to meet up with friends in similar work-from-anywhere jobs. In fact, I need to start doing that more often.
You put up without power/internet guarantees and an expectation to spend money for what? The comfort of working hunched over a laptop at a strange table and the convenience of commuting to work even though you don't have an office you have to go to?
Is it a thing where you have better self control at a computer if you're not at home?