’Coffice’ Work: How To Work Efficiently From A Coffee Bar

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One of the perks of being able to work a job remotely is that you can work from almost any location. Most people who work remote jobs choose to work from home. There are benefits to working from home such as not having to commute anywhere and being able to sign deliveries. However, getting out of the house and exploring different work environments can have its benefits too – such as boosting creativity and helping us escape home distractions.

A popular location to work from is a coffee bar. These locations offer an inspiring change of scenery and the option to enjoy professionally-made coffee and snacks while you work. It has led to the invention of the term ‘coffice’ – a coffee bar used as an office.

There are of course some potential downsides to working from a coffee bar. You need to buy something while you’re there, the internet may not be secure, plus some coffee bars can be crowded and noisy. To ensure that you’re able to work efficiently from a coffee bar, here are a few tips that could be worth considering.

Choose your coffee bar wisely

Some coffee shops are better suited to working from than others. In fact, some are targeted at remote workers and have high speed internet, plenty of outlets and designated quiet zones for those that need to concentrate. It’s worth trying out different coffee shops in your area and ruling out any that have poor quality internet, noisy clientele or rarely have any free tables. Of course, the quality of coffee and prices matter too!

Avoid busy times

There could be some times of the day when certain coffee shops get really busy. You may not be able to find a table during these periods or they could get very noisy. If you’re only planning to work in a coffee shop for a few hours, consider taking the time to work out the least busy periods. All successful coffee shops will have peak hours – so if you’re planning on working there the whole day, expect some moments of mayhem. Getting a good table before a rush of people could be important. 

Find a table near an outlet

So that you can charge up your laptop or phone, consider looking for a table with a nearby outlet. Some coffee bars have lots of outlets, while in other coffee shops they could be quite scarce. If you can’t find a local coffee shop with enough outlets, you may have to consider investing in a portable power bank. Some power banks can hold several full charges worth of power. Just remember to charge up your power bank before you leave the house – otherwise it will be no use! 

Use a VPN

The public wi-fi found in many coffee bars can often be quite insecure. As a result, such wi-fi networks can be targeted by hackers who may steal information from other users on these networks. Using a VPN can allow you to use this network anonymously so that your personal information is harder to gain access to. It is recommended that you always use a VPN when working from any public wi-fi. You can compare VPNs online.

Be prepared to buy something

Working from a coffee bar isn’t free. You’re generally expected to buy a drink or something to eat while you’re there in order to be able to use a table. If you’re staying there for long periods, it could also be courteous to buy more than one drink or snack. These costs can add up if you’re regularly working from a coffee bar, so you need to bear this in mind. Obviously, some coffee shops will have cheaper prices than others, and it’s important to consider this if you don’t want to spend huge amounts on coffee and snacks. Loyalty schemes are worth taking advantage of – these could result in a free coffee after a certain amount of free purchase or a membership discount. If you’re self-employed, claiming coffee and snacks as expenses may be possible in some circumstances, but can be seen as tax fraud in other cases, so you need to be careful. 

Conclusion

In order to be an efficient coffice worker, it’s key that you choose the right coffee shop and visit at the right time. Buy yourself a portable power bank and download a VPN so that you don’t run out of power and so that you can use the internet securely. Lastly, make sure you can afford to buy something while you are there.

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