Coffee Shops Are My Office of Choice—Here’s How I Make It Work

Working from coffee shops has become my favorite way to stay productive. But if you are thinking of making a coffee shop your office, having a few basics sorted first is essential. A single technology-related hiccup can ruin your productivity streak.

While there are plenty of laptop cafes, not all tables will be close enough to a power outlet. I speak from experience here. You should always prepare for the worst, and in addition to fully charging your laptop, it’s wise to bring a portable power bank with you.

There are many ways to charge your laptop without a chargerbut a power bank is the most reliable way. It’s worth noting that not all power banks have the ability to fully charge your device, but it’s still a good way to make sure you don’t run out of juice in the middle of your work session.

2

Use a VPN when connecting to public Wi-Fi

In the modern era, being paranoid can go a long way in protecting against cyber security threats. Hackers often target public Wi-Fi networks to spy on unsuspecting cafe dwellers and steal their passwords or other personal information.

Always connect to public Wi-Fi with a VPN. This service encrypts your data, hides your IP address, and protects you from malware, pretty much everything you need to stay safe when working outside of a coffee shop.

Not sure which VPN is right for you? I recommend Mullvad VPN because it does not require personal data to register.

3

Consider a Mobile Hotspot

I like to use my own internet. Even if I insist on this it doesn’t help offset the cost of all the coffees and croissants I have throughout the day, I really believe it’s worth it. For starters, it completely eliminates the cybersecurity risk, but I also never worry about the quality of public Wi-Fi.

Again, I’m relying on years of remote work experience. Applying Murphy’s law to work from coffee shops, you should always wait for the connection to drop at the most inopportune moment, leaving only two choices: pack your things and find a new place or discuss with the barista how to restart the router more often.

The best way to avoid this problem is to rely on your own connection. At the very least, you should turn on a hotspot on your phone, although this is not a permanent solution. Tethering will drain your battery quickly and leave you with another problem. Instead, I suggest you get one dedicated mobile hotspot or a dongle.

4

Bring headphones

A quality headset should always be in your remote work arsenal. I don’t suggest this because it will allow you to discover your favorite tunes (although this is certainly a viable option). Rather, you never know when a surprise team meeting or friendly Slack meeting might happen, so you really don’t want to use “I’m at a coffee shop” as an excuse.

Finding a good headset can be hard, so read our list of the the best bluetooth headphones if you need help.

5

Connect remotely to your main computer

If you are a freelancer or employee in a company that does not use the cloud, working from a coffee shop can be a problem if you need to access a software or a file that is on a second computer.

For example, I edit all the photos and screenshots for my articles on the main desktop computer because I don’t have Photoshop installed on my laptop. Despite my best efforts to plan ahead, there were still situations where I had to make quick edits while out of the office.

The solution was simple: I use NordVPN’s Meshent to connect my laptop to my main computer, allowing me to access Photoshop remotely. If you only need to access the files, it is much simpler to upload everything that is working in Google Drive or another cloud-based storage service.

With these tips, your coffee place will start to look (and behave) a little more like a regular office, and you will never have to argue with the barista about the Wi-Fi.