Yeah, my productivity would take a hit if I didn't have a quiet space and a good monitor setup. I've always assumed that coffee shops were more for meeting people than actually getting work done.
I have a very different experience. I’ve often found sitting in a coffee shop helps things click and helps me get into a flow when doing development. It’s the right level of background noise for me and the little bit of public observation helps me get less distracted. A few hours of focused work can go by in a flash. When I worked in an open office I would sometimes spend an hour or two at the coffee shop knocking out some development tasks so that a big chunk of my days work was done, then when in the office I could focus more on collaboration, helping others, socializing a bit, without the big struggle to regain focus after the natural interruptions that happen at work.
themarkn|5 years ago