Coworking space vs coffee shop for getting work done

I spent three months bouncing between coffee shops in Chiang Mai and another three at a coworking space. The coffee shops look great in Instagram photos but I got maybe 4 hours of real work done there. At the coworking space I was hitting 7 to 8 hours consistently. The difference was mostly noise level and having a proper desk setup. My back stopped hurting too. Has anyone else found coworking spaces worth the extra money over free wifi spots?

4 comments

4 Comments

wade_kelly772mo ago

Coworking spaces usually have better chairs, but 7 to 8 hours of work might still wreck your back.

wright.leo2mo agoMost Upvoted

Whoa, I gotta push back a little on that. I mean yeah, chairs can be a problem anywhere, but it's not really the chair's fault most of the time. If you're sitting wrong or not taking breaks, even a fancy chair won't save you. I found that the real difference for me was actually standing up every hour and stretching, not the chair itself. But also, a coworking space actually made me get up to refill my water or use a proper break room, which forced me to move around more. That alone fixed most of my back issues, way more than the desk setup honestly.

williamw752mo ago

Standing up every hour is the real fix. Coworking spaces force that habit better than home does. Always thought my cheap chair was the problem until I started walking around more. Turns out moving around helps way more than padding.

young.ryan18d ago

Actually, standing up every hour is great but coworking spaces usually have better chairs too, not just the break routine. The real trick with coworking spaces is that the environment subtly pushes you to move around more without thinking about it. Wade is right that 7 to 8 hours of sitting can still mess you up, but the combination of decent chairs, walking to refill water, and changing desks makes a huge difference.