Tips for Working from a Coffee Shop

We’re heading back from Lake Tahoe today and I am not happy about it. It was my first time in Tahoe and by far one of the best weekends I’ve ever had. No seriously. It was amazing. We spent the past six days paddle boarding, hiking, riding bikes,lounging at the lake, jumping off boats and just hanging out with  family until sunrise (and lots of competitive Heads Up). I’ll be sharing a roundup of some of my favorite moments tomorrow on the blog so stay tuned – but in the meantime, it’s back  to work as normal. Boo. One of my favorite ways to get back on track after a trip is to head into a coffee shop and just crank out a major to do list for a few hours. Working from home, I typically head into a coffee shop  at least once a week. Whether you’re working from home and need a location change or you love working in coffee sops as much as I do, check  out a few of my tips for getting the most out of your work sesh below! 

Get there early and stake your claim. I don’t know why this took  me so long to figure out but there were a few weeks where I would get to a coffee shop around lunchtime and have to wait for at least an hour to get a good seat. Now, I try to get there before 9am so I can pick the perfect spot. I like my own little nook that still allows for the perfect people watching view of site. 

Make your To Do List before you get there. I typically make a huge list of tasks I need to get done while I’m working away from my “office” the night before. That way, I don’t waste time trying to think of what I need  to accomplish when I first get there aka stalling. I also don’t leave until I finish everything on the list – hence the reason I’m usually the last  one out.

Pack snacks because no  one wants to spend $50+ at a boutique coffee shop. Obviously, I get coffee  (maybe a few cups) while I’m  working. And depending on how long I’m there I usually get lunch. However – I am a huge snacker and refuse to pay $5 for a small cookie or $10 for a cup of fruit so I typically bring a few snacks in my bookbag to hold me over. 

Bring a friend to tackle the coffee shop work sesh. Because I work from home, the amount of time I get to spend interacting with someone during the day is extremely limited. Sometimes I like plugging in my headphones while I’m out working but other times,  I find that going with a fellow blogger or friend that works remote can create a fun change of scenery.  Whether I need to bounce some ideas off someone or just take mini catch-up breaks in between to do lists, sometimes you just gotta bring the team. 

Make friends because sometimes your other friends are just too busy. I mean  basically, see above. If I do end up going  to a coffee shop alone, I try to make at least one connection while I’m there. This is usually to challenge myself because I am the world’s worst networker. You never know who you’re going to meet and how that relationship could benefit your business though! So I try to make at least one “friend” – sometimes it’s just exchanging small talk, sometimes we talk about our business and sometimes those quick little convos lead to blog collaborations or new business for Adorn.  And sometimes I get super creepy guys that just don’t get the hint. It happens.