Unpopular opinion: coworking spaces kill productivity for me

Everyone raves about coworking spaces but I tried three different ones in Chiang Mai last month and got maybe half my normal work done. The constant background noise and random people wanting to chat just destroy my focus. Has anyone else found that a quiet coffee shop or your own apartment actually works better for getting real cleaning business emails sent out?

3 comments

3 Comments

val94913d agoTop Commenter

Did you try noise cancelling headphones?

jesse_green5513d ago

And actually, noise cancelling is a game changer for more than just blocking out loud neighbors or street noise. I got a pair for working in coffee shops and now I can't go back, it's wild how much mental energy you save when you're not subconsciously processing every little background sound. The trick is finding ones that are comfortable enough to wear for a few hours, because the cheap ones can pinch your ears or feel heavy. If you're gonna get some, don't go ultra budget, spend a little more for the ones that actually filter out human voices and not just drone sounds. It's one of those things where you don't realize how stressed you were until it's gone.

joseph_ellis8513d ago

@jesse_green55 hit the nail on the head about the mental energy part. I got a pair of Sony wireless ones a couple years ago after my neighbor started doing construction at 7am, and it changed my whole work day. The trick is definitely comfort, I tried a cheaper brand first and they gave me a headache after an hour. Spending a bit more for the ones that actually cancel voices is worth every penny, and it's true about not realizing how much background noise was wearing you down until it's gone.