Good Places to WFH Other Than Your Actual Home
With housing costs currently sky high, it’s understandable that you’d want to make sure you’re getting your money’s worth by spending as much time there as humanly possible. I mean, that isn’t a particularly hard task to accomplish, especially when you have a job that requires you to work from home (WFH) 7 or 8 hours a day.
After working from home since 2020, I have found that the benefits of working from home definitely do outweigh the cons. However, I would be lying if I said that I didn’t feel the isolation and monotony of being in my home all day long from time to time. Even though I don’t tell you all the time, it is something that I do find myself struggling with behind the scenes. Especially during the dark Winter months where the grey skies, strong winds and drizzling rain aren’t luring me outside from the moment I wake, like the blue sky, sunshine and tweeting birdies do in late Spring / Summer.
It may surprise you (or maybe not) to hear that spending too much time indoors combined with feelings of isolation can weaken the immune system, making the body more susceptible to bacterial infections. As you may have personally experienced, our mental state can also be impacted.
If you’re here reading this, chances are you may already be feeling mentally unwell. So, naturally the next step of looking for solutions on how to feel mentally well again, without trading the flexibility of a work from home job for an in-office job, has led you here. Right where you need to be. I am so excited for you to begin feeling how you felt at the start of your work from home career all over again.
With just one change to your routine, the transformation will be huge! That one small thing, you may wonder? Choose to WFH in places other than your house.
And now you may find the question has become, where other than your home can you work remotely? The answer to this question is truly limitless, but also depends hugely on your circumstances — like where do you live? and how much money do you earn working from home? Since you’re here reading this, I’m guessing you’ve drawn a blank and haven’t been able to figure it out on your own. Don’t worry, I’ve spoken to everyone I know that works from home and compiled their answers into this very article.
So without further ado, grab a notepad, pen and your calendar, and let’s dive right in to the best places to WFH other than your home.
1) Quiet coffee shops
I know, I know, coffee shops are the most super predictable answer. In fact, if I read all of the articles that have been published in a similar vein to this one, I can almost guarantee that coffee shops would be listed in them all. But it’s for a good reason! Coffee shops make a great second location to work from home from, instead of your home. Have you given it a go? They really can be gold!
My best memories of working from a coffee shop have all involved me and my laptop propped up on one of those high tables (I think they are called high bars) and of course, a coffee (duh)! Oh and when the sun is shining through the big glass windows? Perfection! I don’t know what it is about that particular set up — whether it’s the background chatter that I don’t have at home, or simply the fact that I’m not at home, the place where I also rest — but when working in a coffee shop flow state is accessed with ease. So easy in fact that coffee shops have become my ‘power hour’ sessions where I spend a time block of around 2 or 3 hours getting most of my to-do list done.
Depending on where you are in the world, there might be limitations on how long you can work from the coffee shop. During my recent trip to NYC, I ventured into a coffee shop in West Village who had a max stay of 45 minutes for laptop users. I didn’t anticipate this as the Starbucks in the next town over from where I currently liev here in the UK allows you to stay for as long as you want, as long as you buy a drink.
If you’re someone who can’t focus with any kind of background noise, you might find it worthwhile if you were to bring along your headphones so that you can listen to some white noise or similar to make the chatter fade into the background. Alternatively, you might just choose to work from a quiet coffee shop — not one of the popular chains, but instead, somewhere low key and pretty unknown.
2) Hotels
Not the first, second or third place you’d think to go to work remotely, right? Same! But maybe that’s because there isn’t an appropriate hotel where I live that I could actually work from.
If you live somewhere that has a boutique or large hotel with a spacious and inviting lobby, cafe or lunch hall, or working space set up like at Arlo Soho, why not switch things up and work from there a few times a month? Think of all the new people you might meet from all over the world.
One of my friends, the founder of Adora Design, has made it part of her weekly routine to head to a hotel restaurant every Friday to work on her business (instead of in it) whilst indulging in their freshly made soup of the day.
3) Different countries
One of the huge benefits of working from home is being able to work from anywhere you want. And more specifically, anywhere in the world.
If you’re anything like me, you worked hard to escape the traditional 9-5 office life for a career that’s fully remote to unlock enough freedom to become a globe trotter. Due to comfort zones, costs and other excuses I can’t think of on the fly, I haven’t become the digital nomad I once thought I’d be. And by the way, I’m completely okay with that. As I’ve gotten older I’ve realised that I like travelling for leisure — though with that being said, I wouldn’t turn down a work or work from a different country remotely trip!
In digital first world, we are so lucky to be so rich in tools and resources that make working from another country easy. Think: Airbnb — an online tool that enables you to book a month long stay anywhere in the world within budget. Or Outsite — a global network of coliving spaces for location independent professionals.
4) Green places/parks
The UK is a beautiful place to be between April and September when the sky is (mostly) blue and the sun is shining. One of my own personal favourite ways to take full advantage of the gorgeous weather, on the days where we’re blessed with it, is to take my fully charged laptop into the garden with me. If you don’t have a garden, you might decide to venture out onto your balcony or down the road to your local park instead.
A pro tip for those of you heading to the local park: Remember to take your phone with you so you can hotspot your internet connection.!
5) Your local public library
You don’t have to buy anything and it’s quiet, what else is there to say…
6) Co-working spaces
Co-working spaces are nice because everybody is working, and there's no pressure to clear out after a few hours or to worry about if you're impacting the vibe in a bad way. Plus they usually have private areas for meetings, perfect for taking client calls.
I’ve had the pleasure of working at Soho Works’ Shoreditch House on several occasions and couldn’t recommend it more. Inside is always such an immaculate vibe — the people are friendly, drinks are great and I always get home feeling more motivated than when I arrived.
7) Someone else’s house
When you’re sick of being in your own house, why not head to someone else’s?
When I’m feeling really lacklustre at home and don’t fancy another coffee, usually only a few times a month, I venture to my mum or aunt’s house. I know this isn’t possible for everyone, but for me and my family it’s a win win. I get a new environment to work in for the day, and they get a free pet sitter for the day.
If going to your families homes just isn’t possible, arrange to work from home with your fellow WFH job friends. I imagine this would work best on the days where you don’t have any team / client calls.
I can’t lie, this sounds like so much fun! Brb will I go and grab my phone to actually make this happen. ;)
Seven great places to WFT from later and it’s a wrap! What location will you be trialling first? If you have a recommendation that I’ve not mentioned that should be included, feel free to detail all in a comment below. Can’t wait to hear all about it!
If you’ve realised you actually prefer working from home due to your productive WFH office set up or have to work from home because of security reasons, try to get out the house before work, during lunch or after work to nourish your body with plenty of sunlight and movement. This will not only ward off depression by getting you out into your local community, but will also improve your sleep. While you might find it hard to wake up slightly earlier to begin, in the long-haul it really is worthwhile — promise!!
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