Work in the office or outside of it? Advantages of working in a cafe, bar or restaurant
Making no mistake, the offices are the spaces that can generate stress sometimes. Sitting in your office all day can be very exhausting, making you unproductive and can lower your creativity. You may do some tricks to be able to focus more, such as getting up and stretching our legs a little while walking to the coffee machine or having a glass of water, but sometimes none of these things can help you.
Working in the same place every day is becoming a routine, and little by little that can influence on our mood, feeling that every day is the same as the previous one, like a wheel without end. This causes our creativity to run out and our motivation to diminish over time. A change of the working environment could mean a new air to our productivity and creativity and it can give us the feeling that you can be relaxed while working.
But sometimes those little tricks are not enough, no matter how much we try, our work is stressful in the end. So what to do? What changes could we make to adapt our work? The most practical alternative is simply to move completely out of that work space to another that might seem unconventional, but that could be more productive, regardless whether we are working a full time or a part time job. A change of the work environment is very necessary.
A café, a restaurant or a bar as a workplace could be very pleasant for the simple fact of changing the environment which helps us to change our mood, not to mention that these places raise our productivity unlike the offices.
It is evident that times have changed very drastically. The scene in which the only way to work is only in an office has begun to be outdated. More and more professionals are working as freelancers and they choose to work from their own homes or, better yet, from a cafe, bar or a restaurant.
The office as an outdated place to work
Nowadays, while walking through the city we can spot people sitting in cafes or restaurants working on their lap tops. These places are gradually becoming the best alternative for a working place and replacing our every day office.
Moving our office to another location could take a complete turnaround in terms of our productivity. And is definitely to another place that is totally outside of our office, that can be more comfortable, where it can emerge even better for concentration, in which we can be more relaxed and get out of the feeling of confinement. Yes, like everyone else, you need a radical change to improve your moods.
At first the idea of working outside the office or as it is called “virtual work”, which means working from your home or from a café, restaurant or bar, was not very well accepted, since a part of the employees showed resistance from the employees, yet they preferred not to have to go to the offices and be able to spend more time at home with the family.
The possibilities are almost endless, just take your lap top, find a place with plugs and a Wi-Fi connection. According to studies conducted by ShoreTel, it revealed that one in four US employees works outside the office to avoid the usually long transfers long.
What are the advantages of working outside the office versus working at home? There are many, we could mention reducing the stress, improving your productivity or saving your time and money since it avoids the expenses that implies — these are just some of the reasons why working outside your usual office is better.
These days, one of the alternatives to work away from home is in a cafe, restaurant or a bar, and has many benefits which you should take into account.
1 — A coffee, a drink or a dessert after lunch, can give a little air to the mind and help you to think of a better ideas for your work.
2 — Working in a cafe helps you relate to people who may have similar jobs and who are in the same working fields.
3 — Freelance work can be a very solitary work especially if it is done from home. Working from a cafe, bar or restaurant allows us to interact with people, listening to conversations that could be helpful.
4 — Many times the household chores are very distracting. Being in the same place with your family, especially kids, can influence on your concentration. Therefore, in those cases it is much better to work outside from the home.
5 — Another good thing about working outside the office is your way to your work. Not having to worry whether you are going to be late or whether there is going to be traffic on the roads will reduce your stress. It will be no longer your problem to worry about driving somewhere far.
6 — In spite of everything, the offices tend to have many distractions, conversations with colleagues, talking loudly, people passing by constantly or slamming doors. Many cafés, bars and restaurants are usually very quiet, created to give their customers the peace which they need.
7 — While it is true that there are certain trades or professions in which it is inevitable for the worker to be present, there are many jobs that can be done from anywhere and even more so with the technological facilities available to us today which make possible for us to connect with the world in a matter of seconds. That translates into quick answers, agility at work.
8 — From an ethical or ecological point of view, the type of virtual works could contribute to sustainability by reducing pollution levels in large cities, avoiding the heavy traffic that usually occurs in large cities, slow progress, if not it is the total immobility causing a substantial increase in contamination levels.
9 — Without a doubt, it would be better to have a meeting with a coffee in your hand, or a drink, than to be sitting in those meeting rooms, which are usually very unwelcoming and stressful. A café, a restaurant or a bar can be a more welcoming, warmer and more fun space where the work time will be better used.
10 — If you do not want to work only from one place, you can find yourself searching for the coffee place that suits you the best. You can move to a restaurant or a bar. You can choose your own office and your own menu depends on your wishes. As you are not tied to an office, you have the freedom to work in different places every day that help to make work more dynamic.
11 — Many studies have confirmed that working in different spaces activates the brain even more, a constant change of workplace could give more fluidity to our work. It could help you get out of the routine and the feeling of typecasting. Moving around will make you more active and help you clear your mind.
12 — There are cafés and restaurants that have very good music ambient, which you may not have known. You could find a nice place where you can listen to your favorite genre of music which you listen all the time on your computer and be relaxed while working.
13 — Are you one of those people who like to work alone, without anyone around you? Well, there are cafes and restaurants with tables for just one person, thinking precisely of those who tend to be loners and who prefer privacy spaces which give them more freedom to their creativity and productivity.
14 — The costs of working in a cafe, restaurant or bar can be much lower than renting a private office. Not only would you have the benefits of a private office such as electricity and Wi-Fi connections, but also that you would be available to have a coffee, meal, dessert or a beverage of your choice which in your office you can have it only in your break time.
The Times change
It is inevitable that organizations will increasingly tend to be virtual, due to the speed and agility in the works, lower costs, a greater increase in employee welfare and increased productivity.
Working from a café, restaurant or bar has become the most attractive alternative for those who feel that a cubicle in an office is a very heavy limitation for the creative process, for their freedom and their motivation. Beyond a simple change in the routine of an office, it is also an opportunity to see our own work in a different way. The alternative to work in another space that is not our office is a good idea, especially in environments that have even been made thinking precisely of those who are looking for an alternative to their work space.
So moving your office to the nearest café, restaurant or bar is, without a doubt, a great idea.