Wasted $400 on a co-working membership I barely used

I signed up for a premium co-working space in Chiang Mai back in March because I thought it would make me super productive. Turns out the internet was slower than my favorite cafe and the noise level was way worse. I ended up working from my apartment 80% of the time after the first week. Anyone else throw money at a fancy workspace and regret it?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_wyatt13d ago

Yeah "throw money at a fancy workspace" really hits home. I've noticed this pattern where we convince ourselves that buying a SPECIFIC thing or space will suddenly fix our productivity problems. Like people who buy expensive standing desks or those fancy office chairs thinking it'll make them actually want to work. Good lighting and a solid chair help but they don't change your work habits. You probably learned faster than most that your apartment setup works fine and that 400 bucks could have bought you a lot of coffee at that cafe with the better wifi.

vera_palmer13d ago

Funny how nobody talks about the opposite problem though - people who think a terrible workspace will somehow motivate them to get out and be productive. Seen folks deliberately work from uncomfortable coffee shop chairs or noisy co-working spaces thinking the pressure will force them to focus. Usually just ends up with them buying overpriced lattes and getting half as much done. There's a sweet spot between buying a whole home office makeover and punishing yourself with bad ergonomics. Your average apartment setup with a decent kitchen table and a chair that doesn't hurt after an hour is probably the Goldilocks zone most people miss.

the_hayden13d ago

Read somewhere that buying productivity gear is just a way to procrastinate on the actual work, which feels painfully accurate.