The WMF Archives: Tips for Writers: Writing in Coffee Shop Boosts Productivity. No...Really!

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Tips for Writers: Writing in Coffee Shop Boosts Productivity. No...Really!

6:00 AM

By Pam Houghton

I went to a coffee shop the other day to get some work done. I usually work on the computer in our home office in the basement. But since it's right across from the laundry room, I usually get distracted by the laundry buzzer (amongst other things) and the 15 or so minutes it takes to fold the laundry and carry the danged basket upstairs.

So I had romantic visions of working from Caribou (something I never do) - updating my blog, doing a little Internet research, catching up on e-mail, working on this post. It had a nice atmosphere, with a little bit of that ski lodge feel. Too bad I couldn't connect to the Internet.

After wasting at least ten minutes trying to figure out how why I couldn't grab the Caribou connection (even though the handful of peeps around me were studiously using their laptops) I discovered a little wireless switch in front of the laptop that needed to be in the "on" position.

Good thing I'm technically proficient!

Once connected, do you think I got right to work? Nah. I checked MSN's review of Dancing with the Stars to make sure Kate Gosselin looked as stiff and terrified as I thought. Sure enough, we agreed!

Then it was onto Facebook and LinkedIn and Twitter to check status updates and other nonsense before I logged into Blogger to do some "real" writing.

Trying to look like a pro (or someone who writes at Caribou and Starbucks ALLZ the time) I started typing. I felt strangely comfortable in spite of the real distractions around me: the three businessmen chatting at a nearby table; the latte machine that sounded like a dentist's drill; and background music that reminded me of sad kittens.

Maybe because I didn't feel as isolated as I sometimes do in the basement (next to my nemesis: the laundry) I was pretty darned happy to be there with my caramel tea latte (yum!) - and once I settled in, I got a lot done.

I just may make a habit of it!

If you are a writer who works primarily from home, do you find it helps to get out of the house and work somewhere else? How do you handle the distractions of working in a public place? Ever meet anyone interesting?

Feel free to share your experiences in the comment section below.

photo by flaivoloka/stock.xchng

Labels: avoiding distractions, Pam Houghton, the writing life, writing in a coffee shop

20 comments:

Alyssa Ast said...: I have always wanted to try this. You have inspired me to find a baby sitter so I can. Great post!; April 3, 2010 9:51 AM
N.T. said...: I've never tried writing in coffee shops (too scared to spill something on my laptop), but I have other found going to coffee shops the best way to get other kinds of work done; for example, grading papers, studying languages, or reading. I particularly like going to coffee shops when I have something boring that I have to read because being in a public place helps me to stay awake.; April 3, 2010 11:53 AM
Nicole said...: I've tried it...yet I tend to get distracted and people watch.

The one place I always did fantastic when it came to writing? School. Right in the middle of class.; April 3, 2010 12:55 PM
Pam Houghton said...: Now, now, now, that's not what class is for! :-); April 3, 2010 1:50 PM
Liza said...: Once a week I leave my house and spend an hour an a half in the coffee shop before heading to the library. The coffee shop has no internet connection, not to mention tiny tables. I forgive them for this because the coffee and the croissants are to die for, but as a result, there I (happily) write by hand. Afterwards though, I head to the library where I plug in and write my brains out.; April 3, 2010 8:02 PM
Lynn Fisher said...: I'm with you Pam. Home is where the loud people I have to pay attention to are. And coffee shops...you never know who will be there but I don't have to "care" about them. I discovered a few years back that I get more work done in coffee shops than libraries...much too quiet. : ) I write by hand in a journal, then read what turned out well into my voice activated software when I get home.; April 3, 2010 9:16 PM
Carol Tice said...: My sister finally rented a bedroom space from a friend so she could go out of her house and to somewhere else quiet to work. I personally would find a coffee shop environment too distracting...but certainly there can be plenty of distractions at my house also...; April 4, 2010 12:22 PM
Brian V. Hunt said...: There is actually a large park in Redmond, WA (near Microsoft's many campuses) where you can get wireless for free. On a warm day, it's a lovely place to work. The downside is getting so focused on work that I forget I'm outside in a nice setting.; April 4, 2010 10:35 PM
Anonymous said...: Since I saw an episode of "Family Guy" where two pretentious characters with over-inflated views of themselves...sat in a coffee shopnyelling at each other.."Oh look at me!! I am writing a screenplay..right here in the shop....Oh ME TOO!! are we wonderful....look at me write my screenplay!!" I thought, Oh my God, that is me! If it was in Family Guy, we have been found out and targeted as pretentious and have become a cliche'! I haven't had the nerve since then. Seth mcFarlane or his cohorts maybe watching! Oh dear!!; April 5, 2010 11:21 AM
Pam Houghton said...: Now that's funny. Family Guy's one of those shows I laugh at in spite of myself.; April 5, 2010 5:44 PM
Lynn Fisher said...: Oh no! I'll have to find a new place to write.; April 5, 2010 8:51 PM
Petermcc said...: I haven't tried writing from McCafe but I use it to review my todo list and think up new solutions.

I think it works for exactly the same reasons you mention.

Incidentally, I don't use the wireless option while I'm there and I think that is why it is so much more productive.; April 7, 2010 6:57 PM
Tari said...: Yes, yes and yes! However, I'm probably older than you, and have been writing since before laptops, so I do most of my drafts with a pen and notebook....I love writing with a pen and paper. There's a little coffeehouse down here near the beach that's very cozy and ....well...beachy, and I love to go down there to write, although I'll go to the beach and write, or the botanic gardens (very peaceful there)sometimes I go to the library to write. And, yes, I have met interesting people. Very often the distractions can be inspiration. Yep, a 10 cent blue bic pen, and a spiral notebook.... no technology required.....; April 8, 2010 6:26 PM
Pam Houghton said...: Hi Tari - I'm probably not as young as you think. I almost always start with pen and paper. And I think you're right about the distractions sometimes providing the inspiration!; April 8, 2010 7:57 PM
Marla Rosner said...: I get cabin fever in my home office at times. One task I find easy to do in a coffee shop or library is proof read long manuals that I write. I find that reading a print out is the only way I can effectively proof read something I've written despite the fact that I'm guilt-ridden using up the trees. I've yet to find a better way.

Anyone have proof reading tips?
Best,
Marla; May 17, 2010 2:36 PM
Pam Houghton said...: Marla - I print out everything I proof read too. I can't do it looking at a computer screen. I just don't feel I will catch everything unless I can mark it up on paper. Maybe it's a generational thing. So no tips from me unfortunately!; May 17, 2010 2:57 PM
SusanArlene said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; July 11, 2010 10:49 AM
SusanArlene said...: I have tried it once and really liked it. I need to do it again and make it more of a habit, perhaps after my long, grueling workouts at the gym. I am trying to lose weight so will have to keep the calories to a minimum. I am single, so of course I get somewhat distracted looking for eligible bachelors. I have yet to meet a fellow writer, though. But then again, I've only tried it once.; July 11, 2010 10:53 AM
Pam Houghton said...: Glad you liked it Susan. Congrats on the work-outs - may you soon find love and weight-loss while writing in a coffee shop! :-); July 12, 2010 7:46 AM
Anonymous said...: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APATLrEte9s; January 6, 2012 3:57 PM