Instagram Photo essay: Working\Dining\Chilling in Colombo when you are your own boss.
“Don’t mix work with pleasure”?? What if your work is your pleasure?
Working on my company (Cerisen) is not the only guilty pleasure I have, there is coffee and very divine sweets ;)
I will not lie to you. Untethering yourself from a security net called a job and risking your life style, retirement plans and reputation is scary as the hypothetical hell we were taught as kids. A way to handle this fear is to use the very asset that suddenly is in abundance: time. Time and the good folks who run the numerous coffee shops/eateries in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Not been stuck at an enclosed office from 8–5, suddenly leaves an opportunity to work while exploring, nei! experiencing, the city.
Yes! we are a third world country with an exceptional internet penetration and technology accessibility. While Colombo might not host a huge array of chilled out coffee shops, it still does cater to the nomadic tech entrepreneur by its (ok for the picky/ downright lukewarm coffee for the scandinavians /chillax spaces for the young /tech nomads’ rest stop) coffee houses and wonderful open spaces.
What are the real benefits of working out and about at cafes?
- It’s a great working environment for creative work
- You’re never worried about how bad the lunch might be today (I may add, I am leaving this statement open for interpretation)
- Believe it or not, great place to network with fellow chilled workaholics (we are a world of contradictions)
- Want to switch from working to some chilled out reading? Do it without missing a beat, coz you are no longer a 8–5 droid
- Great place to set up non confidential meetings\interviews
Yet, is it all that as it seems to be? NO!
These places are expensive, which means you need to be careful when indulging yourself with good coffee and food. Having alternative spaces to work is important. That could be your own home or a rented office space.
Striking a balance between working in secluded workspaces like home or offices to more open and interactive spaces like cafes is required. Just working on your own is bad for business. You need to be out and about meeting new people and creating connection while also concentrating on executing tasks that bring income to your business.
So how does a life of a tech nomad looks like in Colombo? Well it is interesting and scary at the same time.
You have to start your day with breakfast. There are some really nice places to have breakfast. Although, with a packed schedule, at times I just simply forgets to have breakfast. I found out the hard way that skipping breakfast is a bad idea. Stressed and tired half way through the day were common symptoms. Good habits are important when you’re venturing alone!
It’s not always fancy cafes you will have to work from:
You might find yourself in awkward positions when not anchored to an office.
The only fair prediction one can make of Colombo traffic is that it is horrid. Which also means, you try your best to arrive for an appointment in time. Many times however, I have surprised myself by driving into an appointment too early. Which puts you in a spot. Twiddling thumbs until the appointment time arrives seems wasteful. You don’t feel like relaxing! The only viable option is to work. So yes, I do at times work in my car!
Despite all that, coffee houses still provide an excellent environment to work either alone or in collaboration. Fair warning though, cafes are not places to work when you require quiet and focussed environment. Teenage hordes that raid coffee shops have effectively made that impossible. Yet, when you just want to work surrounded by people and a variable background noise, cafes are the place to be. Plus you do get a seemingly endless supply of caffeine.
Perhaps the most interesting part of working in different places is the ever changing backdrop. Working seeing the same curtain\wall\column and perhaps even people could be tedious day in and day out. Working off cafes lets you adjust this to your preference :).
Be it a brick wall, open window, decorated wall, fine furniture. It is fun switching and changing around your work backdrop :).
Plus you can plan your lunch :). You really know if it is going to be good or bad.
Every cafe, open space have its own feel and comfort level. I like to sit indoors in a cozy environment or outside in a shade.
Sometimes these spaces can be almost empty. Which is good!
An absolute marvel working in Colombo is the available open spaces to work. There is the Old Dutch hospital and the Independence Arcade that provide excellent open spaces to work. There is free wifi in these areas, however I would always recommend using either one of the cafes wifi hotspots or carry your own. Apart from that there are some cafes and clubs that have excellent outside open spaces.
Well, one can’t be constantly working of course. What better place to take a coffee or tea break than in a cafe ;).
I cannot express just how happy it makes me feel that Sri Lankan (or expats here) find it a delight to create awesome desserts.
Just take a look at some of these chocolate treats! Yes I do have a slight bias towards chocolate products.
I assure you though it is not just chocolate that is available but a whole set of more sweet culinary delights to make your breaks awesome.
Another aspect, perhaps is that you can place yourself in an excellent location to end the days work.
To be realistic though, these places can burn a hole through your wallet. Not having a steady income does not help! It’s just best to kick back and work from home. To make that bearable I do have a bit of a coffee stash.
Now, working from home, you don’t feel like it is an environment to work sometimes. You do need a quiet and nice place to work! That is why I rent open office spaces from Regus to work in a quiet and secluded environment.
These proper offices gives me space to concentrate on complex and difficult tasks. Lets face it: Once all the creative thinking and ideation is done at coffee shops, you need to start executing those. For that sometimes you need a proper chair, lighting and zero disturbance.
I hire single workstation room to lock myself up in a cubicle like environment to simply start coding all the ideas that have been finalised. Without a product your ideas are meaningless.
Something else you get by owning your own time: You get time to do some experimental cooking!
Working on your own is a nice experience. Yet you just need to be careful not to put yourself in a situation where you're isolated from other creative people nor in a situation where your savings are burning like rocket fuel.
