My coworking routine flipped after a coffee shop noise experiment

I used to always work from loud coworking spaces because I thought I needed the buzz to focus. Idk, maybe it was just me but I felt like total silence made me anxious. So for like 2 years I was at WeWork in downtown Portland paying $250 a month for a hot desk. Then last December a friend invited me to a quiet library meetup for freelancers and I decided to try it. Within a week I noticed I was finishing tasks way faster without all the background chatter. Now I split my week between a cheap local library space and a quiet corner at a coworking spot I found on a trial pass. Has anyone else made a similar switch or do you thrive on the noise?

3 comments

3 Comments

zarag172d agoMost Upvoted

Good for you for trying something different. The loud coworking trap is real, I fell for it too for way too long. You should grab a pair of decent noise cancelling headphones though, they help a ton if you ever need to work from a busier spot. Also check if any local community colleges have study rooms open to the public, those are usually dead quiet and free. Switching sounds weird at first but once you see how much faster you finish stuff you won't go back.

faith272d ago

Did you know Sony's new headphones have a mode that actually filters out chatter but keeps alarms and stuff?

angela7282d ago

Tbh I'd still probably manage to sleep through an air raid siren with those on, knowing my luck with headphones. Ngl that sounds way too useful for my chaotic lifestyle.