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Tips for Writing at a Coffee Shop · The Daily Writer

• 0:23
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Daily Writer Podcast.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna forego the usual weekend podcast intro for these next couple of episodes, and instead of doing a Saturday interview and a longer Sunday episode, I'm doing two short, very practical episodes this weekend.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_00: A few months ago, I left my job as a full-time college professor after doing that work for 17 years.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_00: Even though I had a fair amount of discretionary time in that job, and I also worked from home during the summers, it's been a big switch to go from having a college office to now being able to work from anywhere at any time.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_00: And I found myself working a lot more in coffee shops over the last few months, which is enjoyable, but it does have its challenges.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_00: And I as I consider whether to rent a co-working space, I'm going to be spending more time in coffee shops because I'm more focused and I'm more productive whenever I'm not working from home.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_00: And even when I do get a co-working space eventually, I'll probably still write in coffee shops once in a while.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_00: So I thought it would be fun on this episode to share a few tips that have been helpful to me as I have learned to navigate some interesting dynamics of working in coffee shops, which is a location where a lot of writers do their work.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_00: So if you're listening to this, chances are pretty good that occasionally you go to a coffee shop and do some writing.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_00: So I want to share with you a few tips.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: Uh the first tip is this choose a coffee shop that fits your style.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: The one that I visit most often is called La Belle V in St.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: Charles, Missouri.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_00: And it's about a 20-minute drive from my house.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: La Belle V is a spacious coffee shop that is only crowded typically on Saturday mornings and on Sundays.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: And I love this place because there's a variety of seating and it doesn't feel crowded and cramped like most Starbucks and other coffee shops seem to feel.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_00: So again, it's not right next to my house, but it's not super far away.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_00: And I like the idea of getting in the car and driving a little bit of a ways to somewhere else that is a sort of a workspace.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_00: Now, there's a lot of coffee shops in my area, and there are some that are honestly really close, but this one is my favorite because most of the others just feature one single space.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_00: It's kind of like one open space, and they just feel kind of cramped to me.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_00: I don't really like going to a coffee shop where it's kind of just one space and there's a bunch of tables in there, and it just feels like you're sort of in this warehouse kind of a deal.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: Even if it's small, it still feels, I don't know, it just feels weird to me to sit in this big open space with a bunch of tables.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, for whatever reason, I just don't really like that.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_00: And I like this coffee shop, LaBelle V, because it's a large segment in space where I'm around people, but I'm not super close to them.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: So there's like three or four main areas in addition to an outside space, which is kind of cool.
• 3:01
  SPEAKER_00: So what you've got to do is find a coffee shop that kind of suits your style.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_00: Whether it's a small cramped space, maybe you like that.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_00: Whether it's a larger open space, figure out what you like and then try to find places that really fit what you're looking for.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_00: So that's tip number one.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_00: Tip number two is choose the right kind of table for working.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: Personally, I like sitting in a booth, but most coffee shops don't have this.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_00: I'm lucky that Labelle V does have a couple of booths next to the front window, and I really, really enjoy that.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: But sometimes those booths are taken, like this morning when I went to work there.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_00: People were sitting in those booths, so they weren't available.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_00: So I had to pick somewhere else to sit.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_00: So what I did is I went all the way in the back.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_00: They have sort of this backroom area that leads out to a patio, and I sat in the corner at a table that had enough space for me to kind of pile all my junk on the table because I like to slop all my stuff over the table.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I've got my computer bag, my computer, something to eat or drink, typically.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_00: I've got my phone there, a notebook, my AirPods case, and I almost always take my watch off and set it on the table.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_00: So I like to kind of slop my stuff all over the table.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_00: Now, when I went in this morning, they also had some of their high tables.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_00: I don't even know if that's the right term.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_00: It's kind of like uh it's a raised stool, and it's the kind of table where you can actually stand and it's at exactly the right height, or you can sit at this elevated chair.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_00: And if you like those, that's great.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_00: I don't personally like those because the chairs don't have a back on them, and it I find that it kind of hurts my back after sitting there for a couple of hours.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_00: So I like this place because it has a variety of seating, it has different spaces for you, and I have some options there.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_00: So, whatever kind of place where I sit, I like a space where I can spread my stuff out.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not sitting like right next to somebody, and so forth.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_00: One of the cool things that they do have here is that when you walk into this coffee shop, on directly on the right hand side, they have a couple of booths, then directly on the left hand side, they have the same size of a window, except it's like this long desk with four seats that sits and you can basically sit at the window, but you're facing you're facing toward the window, and I like that because there's a lot of natural light, but also because I'm not looking at anybody else in the coffee shop.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_00: And I find that whenever people come in and they're they're kind of talking loud or there's a big group, that's kind of distracting.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_00: Now, I know you're probably thinking, well, Kent, if you don't want to be distracted, don't go to a public place to work.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_00: And that's very true.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_00: But I like the idea of going somewhere where I can sort of be alone, but I can be among people.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_00: And maybe this is just my introvertedness talking or whatever, but I really like the Bell V because it gives me some option, some options for doing that.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_00: I think the type of table where you sit and the workspace does make a difference.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_00: So if you're not comfortable, you're not going to be very productive.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_00: So make sure and choose a seat in a table that suits what you're looking for, that's comfortable, and where you can spread out your stuff.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_00: Tip number three is bring your headphones.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_00: When I was writing this episode, I was sitting obviously at the coffee shop.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, I'm recording this in my home office right now, but when I was writing this, there was a table of seven ladies sitting a few feet away from me having lunch.
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_00: And naturally they were talking and and having fun and all that stuff.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_00: But because they were kind of loud, uh, as any table of seven people is, I had to put in my headphones to block out the conversation so I could focus.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_00: There are some times where I have forgotten my headphones, and I use Apple AirPods, and I absolutely love those things.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_00: They're kind of expensive, as most Apple stuff is, but I find that they're so worth it because they're high quality, they're wireless, and they sound really, really good.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_00: So I put my AirPods in and cranked up a playlist and uh was good to go.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_00: So don't forget your headphones.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_00: I've done that before, and I always regret it when I do that.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_00: Tip number four is make sure your computer is fully charged.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_00: And I made this mistake earlier last week because I went to a coffee shop to work, but my computer only had about 30% of its charge left.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_00: I had forgotten to charge it, I guess.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_00: And this seems like such a simple thing, you know, to just charge up your computer.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_00: But with devices running our lives these days, I think it's critical to make sure that you have battery life on your phone, that your if you have wireless headphones, that those are charged up, obviously that your computer's charged up.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_00: Now you might say, well, yeah, but you can always plug your computer in, which is true.
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_00: But what if there's not an outlet nearby?
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_00: So if there, if there is, that's great.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_00: If there's not, then you're kind of hosed if your computer loses its battery life.
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_00: Uh tip number, what number are we on here?
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I didn't number these.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_00: One, two, three, four.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_00: Tip number four is use a great writing playlist.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_00: There are a couple of music playlists that I use when I'm working and when I'm writing on my computer, and one is called Lo-Fi Beats, and it's available on Spotify.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_00: It's kind of this mellow instrumental music.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_00: Some of it is a little weird for my taste, but that's okay.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_00: I like something that doesn't distract me with lyrics or with with heavy melodies.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_00: It's just kind of like background-y type of music.
• 8:01
  SPEAKER_00: So I listen to that quite often, and I also use a playlist consisting of movie scores, like stuff from Marvel movies and superhero movies and Batman and James Bond and you know, all kinds of other stuff, uh, classic movies.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_00: So I will put links to both of those in the show notes.
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, I use those all the time, and I would be thrilled if if those are of value to you as well.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_00: Tip number five is know what you want to accomplish before you start working.
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's really easy in a coffee shop environment to just kind of zone out and not be very productive.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_00: So before I sit down, I always know what I want to get accomplished in those couple of hours, and that helps me stay motivated and to work pretty quickly.
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_00: I always try to keep in mind the words of the legendary basketball coach John Wooden, whenever I'm writing or working.
• 8:49
  SPEAKER_00: He said, be quick, but don't hurry.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_00: And I think there's a lot of value in following that advice.
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_00: We've got to work with speed and intention, but not rush and not get sloppy.
• 9:00
  SPEAKER_00: So whether or not you write in coffee shops or wherever you get your work done, I hope that these tips can help you be more successful and productive in your writing.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks so much for listening to today's episode.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_00: I want to take a moment to let you know about our daily writer membership community.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_00: You know, one of the very best ways to develop better habits and impact more people's lives with your writing is to spend time around other successful writers.
• 9:25
  SPEAKER_00: So if you're tired of feeling isolated and chasing success on your own, then I know you're gonna love the Daily Writer community.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_00: For years, I searched for the kind of writing community that I would want to join, but I can never find what I wanted, so I created my own.
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_00: Some of the features include weekly writing sprints, monthly community calls, book discussions, calls with guest experts, and much more.
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_00: For more info, you can visit dailywriterlife.comslash community.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks, and I'll see you tomorrow.