How to Work on a Laptop in a Coffee Shop Without Attaching Importance
Through the coffee shop, I noticed a gentleman who came in with a computer. Not a laptop, mind you. With both hands, he held a full-fledged desktop, including a monitor and console. Of course he didn’t … I thought to myself, but I was wrong. He put the equipment on the table, turned it on, and ordered coffee while we all watched in horror.
I understand that there are no hard and fast rules for using coffee shops as a remote office, but there are some unwritten rules that we must all follow if we don’t want to be jerks.
More employees than ever do their business remotely , and many cafes support this lifestyle wherever you work, with fast and free Wi-Fi and large communal tables with power outlets. Other cafes completely defy this trend by offering no Wi-Fi at all. Instead of banging on the keyboard, you are encouraged to relax with a book or (groan) chat with other people.
Therefore, the first task is to find a coffee shop in which, first of all, it is appropriate to work. Of course, you can do your business anywhere; This does not mean there is a law prohibiting you from using your laptop in a quiet cafe where there is no Wi-Fi. However, if you care about courtesy, you will want to find a coffee shop that is willing to become your part-time office (here are some tips ). Once you’ve done that, follow a few simple rules of etiquette.
Don’t be a curmudgeon
Not that companies don’t want you to be there, but if the space is crowded and you occupy the space, in theory they are losing money from customers who might be sitting in your place. If you need to stay, at least order something extra to make up for it. Typically, most insiders advise ordering drinks every 2-3 hours .
“I actually like to think of it in terms of the total dollars spent, not the frequency of purchases,” said Claire Murdo, writer and former barista. “For example, you plan to spend four hours in a cafe. This does not mean that you have to order $ 2 coffee every hour. Just plan to spend $ 10 (or any reasonable fee). It may take more than a couple of hours or all at once. “
I like this option more, because sometimes I just don’t feel like drinking coffee every two hours. So the coffee shop is still profitable, and you can still sit and work.
“Consider this an admission fee. And if you think there should be no admission fees, keep in mind that coffee shops – especially independently operated ones – need to make a profit to stay in business, ”said Murdo, whose mother has owned a coffee shop for 20+ years. “Help them with this.”
Remember: This is not really your office.
If you work in the same coffee shop day in and day out, you will likely feel like your office is away from home . But this is not the case; this is a cafe. For most of us, it goes without saying that you probably shouldn’t take your desktop computer with you (I’ve also heard someone bring a printer to cafes!), But there are a few more habits too: many baristas, patrons, and coffee. Shopkeepers would prefer you to avoid:
- Long, high-profile meetings
- Stay all day
- Loud phone calls
“While I don’t have to care [about meetings] as a barista – after all, it usually means more business – but sometimes it makes me upset when I’m a patron,” Murdo said. “Large meetings can easily add a lot of noise and distraction.”
It’s hard to find a place to meet clients, hold presentations, meet or interview if you work from home. I have seen several cafes with separate meeting rooms set aside for such events, and you can book them in advance. This will take some searching, but you can find meeting places in your city, for example, on Yelp.
Coworking is another option. Some of them will allow you to rent conference rooms for the day, even if you don’t rent an office regularly. Likewise, most libraries have conference rooms that visitors can book for free.
If all else fails, set a limit on the length of the meeting and the number of people who will join it.
Don’t overload wifi, electricity, or desks
Remember Wi-Fi is for everyone, so don’t waste your bandwidth. This means that you should probably give up watching movies in the background or downloading or downloading a lot of things. This is a good time to remind you to keep your data safe on public Wi-Fi as well . Make sure your sharing settings are turned off, your firewall is on, and you only use Wi-Fi when you need it (you might even consider switching to VPN while you work).
But it’s not just about Wi-Fi. You also don’t want to waste electricity. Plan to charge your laptop, phone, and any other devices you bring with you before leaving home. Once you get there, the only thing that might require fuel is you, and that requires caffeine.
“For the most part, I think it’s okay to stay connected for as long as you need to when the cafe is empty or if you’re the only one working,” Murdo said. “That changes when others may need to charge or the cafe is full.
If you really need to recharge your battery, charge it enough to get through your time and then unplug – someone has to pay for that electricity, so don’t worry about that.
“I would suggest assessing the environment and reacting accordingly,” added Murdo. “Self-awareness is of great importance. A fairly general rule of thumb, though, is that you don’t carry your own extension cord or stretch cords across the aisles. This is dangerous!”
Keep it quiet
It depends on the cafes – some of them are really noisy and noisy – but as a rule, you should respect your fellow customers and remain silent. This means using headphones for listening to music or watching videos. It also means you take your phone and Skype conversations outside, although some are fine for short conversations. Here is the general opinion of some of the baristas and owners surveyed by American Express:
However, if you are going to take calls indoors, the rest of our interlocutors emphasize: do not shout. Dunning elaborates:
“You’re looking for a sweet spot by being in a busy enough café where most people won’t notice, but not too busy for everyone around you to hear your conversation. As a manager, my general rule was that all types of phone calls were allowed as long as they did not disturb other clients. But use headphones. These conversations are doubly disturbing for other people, because a different voice is coming through the tiny speakers of your computer / phone. “
When talking about using libraries as meeting places, keep in mind that you can use them for work too! Most come with free Wi-Fi, plenty of seating, and are quiet so you can focus (sound helps you focus on certain tasks, but silence may be better for tasks that require a lot of cognitive demand). What’s more, libraries are great, and patronizing them is an easy way to offer your support.
Finally, as reasonable as these rules are for most of us, there is always someone who equates politeness with a violation of human rights. As one remote worker put it :
“If I spend $ 10 or more on a sandwich and coffee, I can stay there as long as I want.”
In most cases, you can. But you’re some kind of jerk.