I love working at coffee shops. I’m that guy — sitting at a corner table, laptop out, earbuds in, cappuccino at arms reach.

But it’s not the coffee that brings me. I have coffee at home. And it’s a lot cheaper.

What makes the cafe such a nice treat is the simple change of scenery. As much as my home office setup is dialled in, I’m always there.

A cafe is different. It’s a breath of fresh air. And even though my interactions with people are limited, there is a social benefit to being around others. It’s a sort of collective energy you subconsciously tap into.

Whether I’m working on design projects, writing code for a website, or an article for a blog post, I often find I am more productive when in this environment.

Would the same thing happen elsewhere, say at a picnic table in a park or a table in a bar? It’s hard to say. There is a relative calmness at a cafe that may not be present elsewhere.

I suppose I should experiment with this as soon as possible.

An afternoon of work at a wine bar may be in my future.

So if you regularely work from home and are looking for a productivity boost from time to time, get out of your normal space and give yourself a change of scenery.

It works.