Friday Favorites - Coffehouses

I love coffeehouses.  Because about 75% of my job can be done on my computer, I can complete the majority of my work from just about anywhere.  My preferred place of work?  In a coffeehouse.  I love the aroma of fresh coffee brewing.  I love the mini-breaks for people-watching.  I love that a fresh pot of coffee (or a chai latte if I really feel like living it up) is just a mere few feet away.

Working inside a coffeehouse doesn't make work feel like actual work.  It's like tricking myself into believing that what I am doing is fun because of the awesome atmosphere.  It's amazing.  Want to increase productivity in the workplace?  Design office spaces to mimic a coffeehouse.  Make the office look like it and smell like it.  Make it feel like a coffeehouse.  Provide your employees with an enjoyable space and they will be happier as they work.  If people are happy while they work, then they are more likely to get things done.  No, I don't have data to support this theory, but I am pretty sure that I am correct and that someone out there has the data to prove this. 

The only downside of a coffeehouse is the bathroom situation.  I often find myself waiting a long time for a person to come out of the bathroom...and we all know what's probably going on when a person spends more than 5 minutes in there.  Especially when we are talking about someone who is on their fourth large coffee of the day.  Today, I actually left the line because I knew that I didn't want to be the next person to use the bathroom after someone just spent their entire lunch break in there.

Sorry, I know this conversation just took an ugly turn, but anyone who goes to coffeehouses knows exactly what I am talking about.  And I am not criticizing those I am describing because this is all just a part of being human.  All I am saying is that I just want to wait a few minutes (or a few hours) to enter the bathroom after this human behavior is performed.

Anyway, I don't want to end what was supposed to be a post on a fun topic on a yucky note.  Let me go back to the original reason for my thoughts about coffeehouses.  What makes my experience in a coffeehouse even more fantastic is when I am in a new coffeehouse.  Today, my husband had a meeting in a town a few hours from our house.  Because I have the luxury of working from a location of my choice - as long as my choice includes a computer and WiFi - I packed my "office" in my bag and joined P for the road trip.  I found a charming coffeehouse about 5 minutes from P's meeting and so I was as happy as a lark for the rest of the day.  (By the way, why are larks known for being so happy anyway?)  Happy I was, as I sipped hot coffee on a chilly fall day and worked away.  I even took a little work break...