Coworking spaces are killing my productivity

Used to work from a hostel common room in Chiang Mai. Cheap, loud, people always interrupting. Switched to a coworking space in Bali for $150 a month. Now I get even less done. Something about the silence and fancy chairs makes me lazy.

3 comments

3 Comments

the_charlie29d ago

Man, I feel this. The sterile silence of a coworking space is like productivity kryptonite. Give me the chaos of a coffee shop with a slightly sticky table and a broken espresso machine any day. I actually get more editing done on a park bench in the rain, no joke. There's something about being too comfortable that makes my brain check out completely.

rodriguez.diana29d ago

I mean, that thing you said about "too comfortable making your brain check out" really got me. I actually read somewhere that there's this term for it, "optimal noise" or something like that. Basically your brain works better with a little bit of background chaos because it keeps you from getting too relaxed. So yeah, maybe it's just me but you're probably onto something with the sticky table and broken espresso machine thing. The sterile coworking spaces are basically just expensive nap rooms if you're not careful with yourself.

eva90821d ago

I have to agree with what @rodriguez.diana pointed out about "optimal noise." Last year I tried a coworking space in Lisbon that had soundproof pods and noise-canceling headphones available, and I swear I got less done in a week than I do in a single day at my kitchen table with the TV on. The silence made me feel like I had to be perfect, so I'd spend hours just organizing my to-do list instead of actually working. Give me a slightly sticky table and the buzz of a coffee shop any day, it keeps me from overthinking everything.