Tried working from a beach bar versus a co-working space in Lisbon

I spent a month in Lisbon and for the first two weeks, I tried to work from a cool beach bar in Cascais with free wifi. The view was great, but the connection dropped every 20 minutes and the noise was a killer. For the next two weeks, I paid 80 euros for a co-working space pass downtown. The reliable internet and quiet area let me finish three client projects. Has anyone else found that paying for a proper workspace is just non-negotiable after a certain point?

3 comments

3 Comments

oscarc531mo ago

Remember trying to join a video call from a cafe patio because the sun was nice. A garbage truck showed up for a twenty minute pickup right next to me. My boss asked if I was building a spaceship. That was the day I decided free wifi isn't really free, you pay for it in stress. Now I just find a library or rent a desk if I need to get real work done. The background noise tax is too high.

terry6771mo ago

People make it sound like working outside is a war zone. Just get some good headphones and download your files ahead of time. A lot of cafes have fine wifi now, and the change of scenery can actually help you focus better than a sterile office. Paying for a desk is a choice, not some required step for being a real worker. Maybe some folks just have a lower tolerance for normal life happening around them.

river32029d ago

Yeah the cafe wifi gamble is so real. I was trying to send a big file once and it just...stopped, right in the middle of a crowded place. Had to do the walk of shame to the counter to ask about the password again. Felt like @oscarc53's garbage truck moment, just a different kind of background noise tax. Sometimes the "vibe" just turns on you and you're stuck there with a dead laptop and a half-finished latte.