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Where Do You Get Your Stuff Done?

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CaféWhere do you get your $*#& done? I’m not talking about the kind of stuff that goes on between two partners in a couple, or anything shady! What I want to know is… where do you get stuff done? 🙂

When I was a student, I used to come to the library to get things done. I found that my home just had too many distractions: There was a TV, and a computer with Internet, and it was just too easy to click off and watch a video, or do something else. My efforts to stay focused on task were sometime successful, but sometimes, it was just too easy to find something else to do.

Now that I am working for myself, I find myself in the same boat again. I can just stay at home and work from there, but all of the same problems apply. I also specifically have these issues with working at home:

  • It can get boring and lonely. I am used to being around other people when I work, even if I am not actually talking to them.
  • I live in a condo, so I might get cabin fever.
  • My desk is more suited to leaning back and relaxing, which is great for playing games and stuff like that, but is uncomfortable for long periods of typing and working. I don’t have the space for a large desk which would solve this problem.

Do you have any problems with your current workplace?

  • Can you get things done, without distractions?
  • Can you stay focused, and on task?
  • Can you be comfortable for long periods of time?

My solution: go to the library! The library is a great place to get stuff done. First, it is usually a quiet place, so you can work without distractions. Second, because of the studious atmosphere, it is easier to maintain concentration and focus for a longer period of time. Finally, there are no easy escapes to the TV or to the kitchen for a snack, so it forces you to stay on task.

I am also starting to experiment with working in cafés, which, while noisier, may also be able to stimulate creativity and could provide a different way of getting $*#& done.

Dear reader, where do you get your $*#& done? What sort of environment do you prefer?

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Comments

  1. I’m super picky about my workspaces as well! I fortunately live close to my alma mater so if I need to hunker-down I usually just head to my favorite spot there. More than the physical enviornment, I think its getting back into the school atmosphere that helps with focusing.

    I would try looking into co-op spaces. I know where I live there are a couple places where you can rent a spot by the day and be surrounded with other working types.

    • Thanks for letting me know about the co-op working spaces. It’s definitely something I need to look into. I also find atmosphere helps out a lot — I tend to study or work better just being in a library, where I know there are no easy distractions around and where I’ve always studied for years on end, so my brain just automatically goes into that mode.

  2. I actually prefer to get work done at home. It’s quiet and I can focus on my task at hand rather in a loud office or coffee shop. Also, If I take a 20 min coffee break there is no one barking at me to get back to work. God I hate my job….

  3. Hey Kevin! Most of the times I work at home like you do. I do get distracted and it becomes hard to focus on certain things like work. However, I still tend to get most of my stuff done. When i need a place to go though i usually head toward Castle Wood Canyon. I grab my Toshiba laptop and sit down on what i call my “workbench” and connect to the internet via satellite. I do this because it is perfect and makes me extremely relaxed and able to focus on what needs to get done. Writing articles while listening to the beauty of nature’s running water is priceless.

    • That setup sounds incredibly sweet! Unfortunately if I went outside here all I’d hear would be trucks and cars, but once the weather improves you know I really should head out to a local park with the laptop and do that. For now I go to youtube, look up forest or waterfall sounds, put that on…

  4. I have an office downstairs that I share with my gym equipment. I spend hours there and it works fine. I recently bought a new desk chair from Craigslist which helps me work better. I can spend 8 hours straight in that chair.

    • I also got a new chair which is more comfortable than the old. Only thing is sometimes stiff shoulders or forearms after a long period of time.

  5. I’m in almost the same situation as you are and it’s not easy to get stuff done. I’m taking some time off to catch up on the blogs and other businesses and this week is not as productive as I had hoped. I’m heading out to the library now and see if I can be a bit more productive there. It’s too comfortable at home. 🙂

  6. My office workplace is open-plan, with desks in pods. I can hear all the conversation (between coworkers, or on the phone) going on around me, and it’s DISTRACTING! I’d much prefer to work from home, where I can focus deeply, feel comfortable and private, and avoid interruptions. I get so much more done!

    • One of my old coworkers, who is already a fast developer, was telling me he could get about 3x done at home. I believed it when he’d come back from working on something over the weekend, and he’d have done something that would take 2-3 guys a week to do!

  7. The library is a good solution – and creates a clear separation between your “work life” and “home life”.

    I can work in my office at home – but I have to close the door and do nothing but focus on work. I usually work for 2-3hr stretches at a time… with 15min breaks in between… when I’ll use the washroom, get a snack, or change over the laundry. Then back to work!

    • I am getting better at focusing, even at home, but I do like the environment of the library. You can really get in the zone.

  8. The library or a coffee shop. Those are two places where I enjoy getting things done, and can often be productive due to less distractions at home – in terms of other things to do. I don’t have as much time to go those places lately, but those are places I’ve been very productive.

    • Actually been a couple weeks since I’ve been to a coffee shop! My usual destination is the library, but the wifi has been so bad there lately that I might need to find another spot. Too many students downloading gigs of torrents!

  9. I work from my desk in my home office upstairs on the blog ad business from 9am until the “end” of the work day (4-6pm) and then move downstairs to the couch to hang out in front of the tv and work on my actual blog, blog-related stuff like this, and other blog ad business stuff until I go to bed around 1am. 🙂 I sometimes take breaks to go to the gym or planned activities like our bowling league. 🙂

    • Sounds pretty similar to my schedule! My biggest break was full-day skiing on Sunday, but the season is over and I need to find something else now.

  10. If I ever really need to get something done, I go to the library as well. For blogging, sometimes Panera or McDonald’s with free wi-fi is all I need to be able to really get a lot done or sitting at the dining room table when everyone is asleep.

    • I don’t like areas where too many people are passing through, so I mostly avoid the stuff around the subway, but I like the cafe shops and such downtown. They are busy but they don’t feel “commuter”.

  11. * Can you get things done, without distractions?
    * Can you stay focused, and on task?

    Let me add some weirdness to this one … I grew up in a household where I had the ability to do homework with the TV on. I perform better with distractions – so when I write articles my wife is usually nearby, the dog is wandering, and the TV is on (or insert other distraction). Sometimes I do get in the zone when I’m solo, but I actually find it pretty easy to be creative in the midst of distraction. Call it quirky learned behavior…

  12. I had to set up a desk in the spare room in order to create a space that felt more productive. I generally need to feel settled with everything I need around me. When I do it is almost as important as where I do it though. It doesn’t leave a lot of time for sleep, but I tend to be most productive at night.

    • I also like to feel settled in my surroundings, with a place for work, a place for play etc… but I think I’m getting used to working from home. Haven’t felt as distracted as I did a couple of weeks ago. 😉

  13. i defintitely prefer getting out of the house when possible. I’m not big on the coffee shop thing, but I like libraries and even co-working spaces. Unfortunately the library where I live isn’t great, but I’ll have to get more creative with places to go.

  15. The café in the Barnes and Noble near my work is where I get a lot of these posts and comments done. Like you said, it’s a little noisier, but it’s a little more fun to be at.

    • When I get too bored of being at home and I don’t want to head to the library I’ll go toward a cafe… can’t wait until the weather gets warmer when I can go to the parks, too. Will probably be in May though.

  16. I’m not sure there is any place I can get more work done than others. Usually, wherever I am, if I’m in the mental working zone, I’ll get stuff done. Probably the one place I find it the hardest to get into that zone is actually at the office, ironically enough. For some reason, everyone in my office space seems to think of it as a giant watercooler.

    • Haha, yeah that can get annoying. I do miss some of that social interaction now that I’ve been out for a while.

  17. I’m actually pretty productive from home – I have a very comfortable and functional setup (that wasn’t always the case) and I’m pretty good at neglecting things around the house to do what I need to do. 🙂

    The biggest distractions for me are also part of my work. Social media, reading and commenting on blogs, backend stuff for my sites, etc. are all things I need to do, but it’s hard to balance that with actual writing time. I know I definitely accomplish more without coworkers to distract me.

    • Those distractions all have to be managed for sure. Sometimes I just have to close the email or chat otherwise I will be distracted every few minutes and not get into the zone.

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