Vent: I thought working from cafes was a waste of money until I tried it in Medellin

For the first six months of my nomad life, I was super strict about only working from my apartment to save cash. I told myself paying for coffee just to sit was dumb. Then last month in Medellin, I hit a major creative block on a client project. A friend literally dragged me to a spot in El Poblado called Pergamino. I got a coffee, which was about $3, and camped out for four hours. The background noise and people moving around somehow flipped a switch in my brain. I finished the proposal that had been stuck for days. Now I budget for two cafe days a week as a productivity tool, not a treat. Has anyone else found a specific city or type of spot that just makes your brain work better?

2 comments

2 Comments

elliotw379d ago

My apartment in Denver has been my office for three years now. I tried the cafe thing a few times and just found it too loud and full of people asking to borrow chargers. For me, the total quiet lets me actually focus. I guess my brain just works the opposite way.

the_nathan9d ago

That exact thing happened to me in Lisbon. I was stuck on a project for a client and just staring at my apartment wall. Went to a place called Fabrica Coffee Roasters near the Time Out Market. The mix of tourists and locals, plus the smell of the beans, just cleared my head. I got more done in that one afternoon than the whole week before.