Trains, local parks and even bars can all double as workspaces.
If you haven’t noticed, the world beyond your window has recently acquired a sheen of normalcy not experienced since the halcyon days of early-2020. Go roll your eyes at “The Batman” and you’re bound to scarf popcorn astride a legion of maskless neighbors. Head to your neighborhood dive, and you’re liable to recognize a few people by face, some of whom you literally haven’t seen in decades, or at least since mid-2021. It’s truly wild, this dance with nostalgia.
And yet.
And yet more than a few things (remember menus?) won’t revert to their pre-COVID ways any time soon, particularly those in which we work. For folks with the means and inclination to clock in via laptop, the benefits of remote work — no commute and greater flexibility to perform one’s professional and/or parental obligations — have been widely reported. Conventional wisdom suggests our new definition of work/life balance will long outlive the pandemic.
That’s why we thought we’d compile a brief list of places to work remotely to power you through the rest of 2022. If variety really is the spice of life, you’d be well-served to refresh your office setting every now and again.
1. Coffee shops
Let’s go ahead and get the obvious choice out of the way. After all, it’s more than plausible that every (sane) person you know loves a good coffee shop. Many cafés have the decency to open far too early, which lets us delude ourselves with thoughts of getting an early start tomorrow morning.
They also — duh — serve pastries and other savory breakfast staples. Some even sell doughnuts. And then, of course, there’s the reason we bother in the first place, the perennially-necessary caffeine itself, a drug not merely sanctioned but beloved, and the very fuel which makes possible the nascent growth in WFH policies. Combine these elements and you have a near-perfect work environment.
2. Bars and breweries
Here in Portland, you can’t pass a Heart Coffee or retail weed shop without also passing a brewery. It’s honestly one of the most compelling reasons to move here (not that all of us are suggesting you do so). What folks may not know is that beyond offering a rotating list of delectable concoctions and locally-hopped collabs, a good brewery makes a stellar office.
Think about it. Breweries gift us with spaciously-placed water stations and a variety of pub food, not to mention an array of long wooden tables and reliable Wi-Fi (often with kitschy network names!). Although unique, it’s definitely one of the best places to work remotely. Trust us: a laborer in modern-day America could do far worse than whichever brewery is nearest their home.
3. Parks
OK, hear us out on this one. Yes, the Wi-Fi in your local park is usually atrocious (and often non-existent). And sure, you’re not going to finish that project from atop whichever tree stump just ripped your shoelace, causing you to collapse in an awkward, moss-strewn heap. But before you dismiss the idea that these saintly spaces can, and often do, double as places of productivity, remember what you are likely to accomplish with a traipse through a public wood.
Our guess is that you’ll find inspiration in all that clean oxygen circling your senses, a little motivation tucked beneath the varied scents and burrows bordering your every step. Writers much smarter than yours truly have educated us on the many cognitive benefits of walking outside. We take them at your word, which is why this article was written (i.e., dictated) in a narrow tree hollow somewhere in Forest Park (pictured above).
4. Planes, trains and…well, just those two
Late last year, while in the throes of some such variant, I discovered that trains and airplanes are fine places to conduct business, so long as the project entails light, ideally Internet-free work. Experience has proven that railway travel through the countryside doesn’t provide the most reliable signals.
Except for the world whirring beyond or beneath your window, there’s little to distract you while working aboard a train or plane. Unwanted conversations are easily avoided thanks to handy pair of noise-canceling headphones. The fold-out trays in front of your seat double as effective enough desks, providing you don’t bend them to the other side of their limits. Plus, the overhead light helps those COVID-weary eyes better identify the maddening number of typos littering your work. With snacks at your service and multiple bathrooms in either direction, you may find that your best workdays are those spent barreling across or above the country.
5. Libraries and bookstores
Libraries and bookstores are an excellent choice for those looking for a new work environment. And they’re quieter than their coffee shop brethren. The Wi-Fi is strong and almost always free. In either case, one has at their disposal an immense collection of hard copy productivity boosters (i.e., books). On those rare days in which you feel like socializing with a coworker in person, it’s more than likely that your local library offers private conference rooms to help you brainstorm (i.e., doom-scroll and catch up).
If you go the bookstore route, it’s a safe bet you’ll have an espresso bar on site. One that may even feature a light collection of sugary treats and an unsettling amount of bottled kombucha. All of which is to say, one simply can’t go wrong when hauling their laptop to a library or bookstore. Within the comfy confines of a space dedicated to learning and curiosity, one immediately feels calmer, smarter and far more responsible than one might when working in, say, a bar or brewery (not that there’s anything wrong with that).
You do you
Daily life is shifting back into a gear we sort of, kind of recognize, but many things remain forever changed. If you’re one of those people who have no problem brandishing the term “digital nomad” in public, it’s time to embrace our new reality and find new places to work remotely. Much like the world beyond your laptop, this new work/life paradigm is your oyster. Go forth and Slack.
Source: rent.com