Mastodawn

I was struggling with the isolation of working from home, so decided to add a few hours a week at a coffee shop into my normal routine. I am fortunate to have a community coffee shop closeby, so go there with my iPad, and do a few admin tasks. I can only drink so much coffee, so I also buy a Pay-It-Forward, which allows someone else to have a free hot drink, no questions asked.

It might only be a short time, but the change of locale, exercise in getting there and mild socialisation really helps!

@andycarolan Good on you Andy doing what you need to do to look after yourself, and your kindness in paying forward a hot drink.

@ctt Thanks David. It's a great spot!

Nathan Dyer Mar 13

@andycarolan I've had the same issue, and have also found that going to a coffee shop a few times a week has really helped my mental health. 10/10, can recommend.

@nathandyer That's awesome! Glad to hear that you've found somewhere that works well for you!

BinaryDigit 💾Mar 13

@andycarolan Thank you for writing about this, because even though I know I'm so fortunate to work form home, I get really bad cabin fever and can't really explain it well! Isolating feels right (even though my partner is here most of the time). I need a change of scenery and to body-double with people!

I think I'll work a coffee shop day into my routine twice a week for like 4 hours on days I don't have meetings and it's sunny out. I also bought a co-working game "On-together" that feels nice since it's remote body doubling 😆

@binarydigit Agreed! I feel fortunate to work from home too. I do understand about the cabin fever. A change of scenery definitely helps!

That sounds like a great plan! Especially with the weather that's [hopefully] on the way!

On-together looks very cute! I might get myself a copy :)

BinaryDigit 💾Mar 13

@andycarolan Please do! Let me know what server you join. I might even make a hashtag here and post where I'm seated in game each morning (I'm on Eastern time zone but still) 😊

@binarydigit Will do!

@andycarolan The perfect solution to your isolation and good for you with the pay it forward aspect too.

@alexandra It works well for me! I mix it up with the occasional visit to other places too :)

@andycarolan I love doing the art museum and art galleries too. They're great spaces, relatively quiet, but with plenty of people and of course, all that art too.

@alexandra Ooh yes! That's a great idea!

@andycarolan I've done nearly all the free spaces and then some. Libraries can be a challenge for noise funnily enough, while outside terraces are great in summer.

@alexandra Libraries are bustling places now... never quiet. I tried to work in one when I first got my iPad. But the place has a glass roof, and it was like trying to work in a greenhouse lol.

@andycarolan Also, university campuses are great too. Slipping into their libraries and classes is great fun. I do it all the time.

MacPsych 🏳️‍🌈Mar 13

@andycarolan I've just come home from a couple of hours in a local cafe, where I went specifically to complete a (work) blog post I'd been procrastinating about. A change of scenery was just what I needed.

@macpsych That sounds great! I find that sometimes being in a different place helps unblock a stuck idea!

Jim Mock Mar 13

@andycarolan This is a really great idea that I need to steal. I’ve been full-time remote since 2017, but I definitely still struggle with the isolation at times.

@jmock It just shows you how much more community spaces we need for freelance workers and others to hang out in.

Jim Mock Mar 13

@alexandra For sure. I currently live in a really small, really poor, really shitty ex-coal mining town and we only have one coffee shop that isn’t a Dunkin inside a gas station. We definitely need more places.

@jmock There's a new project for you to think about, create your own space maybe?

But yeah it sucks when you live in a teeny tiny place with no amenities.

@jmock That's a fair chunk of time! Almost ten years!

Jim Mock Mar 13

@andycarolan Yeah, it definitely doesn’t seem like that long. When I told my job I was moving across the country in 2017, my boss said “please tell me you aren’t quitting and are gonna work remotely” and I’ve done so ever since. I’ll be with them 17 years at the end of the month lol

@jmock Whoa, that's a long time to be in one job! Awesome!

Jim Mock Mar 13

@andycarolan For sure. It definitely has its advantages and disadvantages. I mostly don’t mind the job but am really starting to despise the tech industry in general and wish I had the skills to go do something else. I could go back to school I guess, but I’m old and that sounds annoying 😂

@jmock I feel that the tech industry is getting a bit tiring for a lot of people. But maybe it's just because of big-tech rather than small pockets of resistance like Fedi :)

@jmock @andycarolan was actually just thinking of doing the same, as we have a new coffee shop a few blocks from my house. Been working remote since like 2014 and need a change now that the kids are older and going off to college. Many of those years got me out of the house enough between getting kids on/off the bus, dealing with sickness, etc. that it wasn't as pronounced as it's feeling now.

@endonend @jmock Ooh yes! Do it! Go to coffee shops... especially if it's new and shiny ☕

Jim Mock Mar 13

@andycarolan @endonend The one we have here in town is really pretty cool. We’ve got a huge opioid problem here (where doesn’t really), and they hire folks that are in recovery to help them stay on their feet. https://hopeandcoffee.org

Hope & Coffee – A Recovery-Friendly Oasis in Tamaqua

@jmock @andycarolan oh that one sounds awesome. What a great cause!

@jmock That's a great cause! Looks like a cute place too! @endonend