Rant: I used to swear by coworking spaces, now I think they're a waste of money

For the first year on the road, I paid for fancy coworking spots in every city, thinking it was key for focus and networking. Then I got stuck in Lisbon with a broken laptop and had to work from a quiet park bench for a week. I got more done there than in any loud, overpriced shared office, just using my phone as a hotspot. The constant chatter and 'community events' in those spaces were actually distracting me from deep work. Now I save that cash and hunt for free library wifi or chill cafes with good coffee. Trust me, you don't need a membership to be productive, just a bit of creativity and noise-canceling headphones lol.

3 comments

3 Comments

anderson.jason1mo ago

Honestly, paying for noise when a bench works.

gray_roberts1mo ago

The Lisbon bench worked because I had zero meetings that week. My current setup uses a local library study room for calls, which solves the privacy issue @anderson.jason. A bench is great for focus, but it falls apart when you need to talk without bothering people.

barbara_brown391mo ago

Think back to that week in Lisbon. Beyond the quiet, what made the park bench so effective for deep work? I'm curious if the lack of social expectations played a BIG role. Also, how do you handle meetings or calls now without a dedicated space? That's always my hangup with ditching offices.