If you are a student or a home office worker you have probably expirienced that focusing at your homeplace isn’t the easiest thing. Suddenly there are bilions things that you could rather do that accually get some work done. But don’t get hard on youself, because it seems that loosing focus is a common thing these days. That’s why I suggest you solution that works just fine for me.
So called „coffee shop effect” isn’t only about the caffeine that your body absorb, there is a lot more about doing things in those places.
First of all: the noise. I’m extremely easy to dissipate so for a long time I was avoiding places like coffee shops, filled with chatting people, sounds of cups and plates at the bar and this anoying modern pop jazz music that all those places are playing. But I keep looking for a place perfect for me to work for and after few attempts I finally found a perfect spot for me, ironically places that is the nearest from where I live. So if your feeling like you just don’t blend in one enviroment, go find a different one, it’s there somewhere.
What I also noticed is that we’re love to surround ourselfs with nice objects. It’s not like I’m living in the cave but coffee shops are specially designed to be a cozy and comfortable place to hang out in. Scientists are saying that even this crapy music is projected to boost your concentration and productivity. In fact, research at the University of Chicago shows that “a moderate level of ambient noise is conducive to creative cognition”. In other words: these noises (when not too loud) can boost your creativity and help you focus. There are even apps available, like Coffitivity, that provide recorded coffee shop sounds. Also, checking off your tasks in a new location is a way to exercise your brain’s neuroplasticity. Essentially, when confronted with new stimuli your brain responds by creating new pathways and mechanisms to accomplish tasks. So what you see as being more efficient in a different location is actually your brain thinking about the tasks in a different light.
It is also proven that surrounding yourself with the people that are working somehow motivates you work harder on your own. It is not clear how this happens, but it probably has something to do with subtle things as breathing, typing and body language. So besides soft ambient sounds, good caffeine and a creative environment, you might also thank the other workers around you whenever you find yourself being super productive at a coffee shop.
As I said at the beggining I never thought that coffe shops will be a good place to do my work. But after finding the right place, succesfully spotting the perfect chair with socket nearby, choosing my favorite pumpkin soy latte (after a lot of badly made decisions) I finally can say that I have never been so produtive in my life. And writing this article for you from my coffee spot is the best recommendation of doing it on your own I could think of.
PS: If you’re lucky like me you could also meet amazing girl or boy at your local coffe shop. Enough said 🙂
Cheers!
