Why is planning ahead essential for successful coffee shop workdays?
We have all been there, on the spur of the moment, we head off to our favorite coffee shop on a wing and a prayer, with the desire to do some productive and useful work.
We end up chatting to fellow customers, looking at the latest horror show from the news and doom-scrolling Instagram on the big screen. Once again, we have not made the most of our time, and it's been a bit of a waste.
Working in a coffee shop and making use of your time in a coffee shop are two very different outcomes. Both are entirely dependent on how you plan ahead for your trip to the coffee shop.
Planning ahead matters when it comes to working from a coffee shop or other third space.
Let's dive into how you can plan ahead to make the most of your time at the coffee shop.
- Know which days you are in the coffee shop
- Take breaks
- Have a coffee shop 'To-Do' list
- Have a coffee shop daily schedule
- Have a home time
Know which days you are in the coffee shop
Being organised and productive is also about making sure that you are planning ahead for the week, not just the next day or the next couple of days. Knowing which days of the week you are going to work from the coffee will defend your days from whimm and chaos and free you to work effectively.
It also allows you to work ahead of yourself and ensure (to the best of your abilities) that you are free whilst working at the coffee shop to work on tasks and projects that are most productive for the coffee shop.
It also frees you from the tyranny of too many decisions in one day.
Take breaks
Taking breaks is vital. It helps to keep us in shape in our work, healthy, and focused. One of the drawbacks of working from coffee shops and other third spaces is that they can lull us into a false sense that we are not working.
This non-traditional way of working is still work, and will require breaks.
Just think, you could even dub these breaks 'coffee breaks'.
Have a Coffee Shop 'To-Do' list
Having a specific list of tasks that you want to complete whilst working at the coffee shop will help you to make the most of your time and will erase the nagging "what do I do next" feeling that comes from not having a 'to-do' list.
When it comes to having a coffee shop-specific 'to-do' list, following a set of principles ensures that the work you do is focused on the environment and the constraints that come with working at a coffee shop.
Deep diving and knowing what is suitable for your job is something that you would have to do separately.
Stay up-to-date with Home Working Henry
Have a coffee shop daily schedule
Pairing a schedule with a 'to-do' list will help make the most of your time at the coffee shop by creating a set os smaller deadlines that you can work towards each day. An example of this might look like the following
09:00 - 09:30 - set up, get coffee, check emails
09:30 - 10:30 - Work on the administration 'to-do' list tasks
10:30 - 10:45 - Take a break
10:45 - 12:00 - Work on Marketing project
Although this is a simple schedule it helps to structure and put guardrails on your day. Adding even the simplest structure will increase your productivity and destress your work.
Have a home time
Home time was my favourite part of the school, and frankly, it is still my favourite part of the day.
Knowing when it is time to call it a day and ride off into the sunset is certainly a skill that everyone should cultivate, especially if they are working in a public space. The nature of the environment can trick us into staying longer than we need because we feel that the location makes it less like work and more like we are not working but hanging out.
Having a fixed home time will help you balance your life and work.
It also has an added productivity benefit: It creates a deadline that we will have to work towards, which can help spur us to action and complete more tasks while we are working.
Final Thoughts
Working from a coffee shop is a blessing that the 21st century has bestowed upon us. Making sure we make the most of this though effective planning and scheduling will help you to make the most of your time.
As the cliche goes Fail to prepare, prepare to fail.
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