I’m sitting comfortably in a chair at a cafe opposite the Nespresso store at Chadstone Shopping Centre. I see no pictures of George Clooney and wonder is he still the face of Nespresso? Opposite me are four little elderly Asian women all with short greyish hair. The ladies are having a good chat and a laugh. I feel that they have all been friends for years.
To my left are two blond women. I wonder, are they friends, sisters, cousins or lovers? I will never know. One of the women has long straight hair; the other is rocking an Annie Lennox style do. I hear fragments of their conversation; they are talking about another woman who is purposely gaining weight to make themselves unattractive for their partner. Their discussion is intriguing, but, they lower their voices, and, I can no longer hear the remainder of their conversation.
To my right is another woman sitting alone sipping her cafe latte and scrolling through her phone. A tall male waiter with short black hair approaches her. The waiter arrives at her table, and she eagerly puts her phone to the side. He then places a plate of crapes in front of her. The waiter turns his back and walks away, and the woman devours her meal.
Me, I’m at this cafe alone drinking a chai tea from a big red teacup.
Why am I even here?
I have come to this cafe as I need to start writing a blog. It is my goal to write more blogs about professional organising.
Now you might be wondering.
What does this blog about me sitting in a cafe, describing my surroundings have to do with professional organising?
The answer is a lot.
You see, sometimes for me to get things done, I need to change the environment in which I do them. I find I’m more productive at drafting blogs at a cafe rather than writing them at home. The simple act of changing my environment has helped me to focus on a task and get it done.
Why?
I’m not 100% sure but it could be due to:
- Going to the cafe keeps me more focused on the task I came to the cafe to do.
- The cafe staff are acting as body doubles.
- The coffee/ tea is something I look forward to while doing my work.
Again I am not 100% sure, but I know it works for me and has helped me to complete many tasks such as:
- blog writing
- social media planning and content writing
- business planning
- business administration
However, there are some tasks that I don’t do at a cafe as I prefer to do them in my home office but where I feel I will get more done by leaving my office and sitting in a cafe, then I will.
I encourage you to give this a go. If there is a task, you are putting off, then schedule in some time with yourself and go to a cafe and spend an hour doing it.
Don’t like coffee?
There are many other places you can go if you are not the cafe type, for example:
- the park
- a food court
- the foyer at Crown Casino
- even the car (yes the car, I have a client who does this)
Now, you might be wondering.
There are some tasks I can’t do outside of the home or office. Yes, you are right it would look strange to do your ironing in the foyer at Crown Casino, but there are many tasks you can do:
- paying bills
- doing a budget
- writing a book
- reading a book
- checking emails
- writing a blog
Good news!
After 40 minutes of sitting at this cafe, I have now drafted this blog. Being able to do this draft in 40 minutes is an excellent result for me as I am a slow writer.
So, if there is a task that you struggle to get done, consider doing it in a different environment. It’s worked for me, and maybe it can work for you. I encourage you to give it ago and let me know how it went and what locations you choose. Need support getting organised why not send me an email at joey@creatingpositivespaces.com.au.
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