Otherwise titled: “Everyone needs to get out of the home office and get some social interaction once in a while, so here’s where I go and why I do it.”

Being a web worker surely has its perks: you get to set your own hours, you get to pick projects that mean something to you, you get to decide where you do your work, and you get escape the horrors of cubicle dementia.

But being a web worker also has several downsides, one of them being the lack of colleagues with whom to interact and socialize. While working in an office is often quasi-claustrophobic, and while your coworkers can be annoying at times, there is definitely an appeal in having someone to talk to and run ideas by from time to time.

Which is why it’s no surprise that many web workers pack up their Macbooks and head outside their home office to the wild outdoors—into the bustling world of coffee shops, restaurants, and bookstores—in order to find a working environment which perfectly balances all their noise, interaction, privacy, and ambiance concerns.

The perks of working away from home

I have a perfectly great office set up (and once I get my new iMac, it will be even better) in my apartment: all the tools I need for my work at my disposal, a window beside my desk, flowers bringing some color to the room, a strong wifi connection, and a kitchen (with a stocked fridge) a short saunter away.

What my office doesn’t have, however, is people. I consider myself good company, but occasionally, I need to stop talking to the mirror and engage in some random and meaningless conversation with strangers. Plus, the little home office setup isn’t all too great for meetings either.

Working in a coffee shop is the ideal environment for someone that thrives on human connections; in the worst case scenario, at least you’ll be able to talk to the barista as you order your drink. Most locations offer the perfect people-watching environment, and for those in the creative industries—designers, writers, musicians, filmmakers—having access to the hustle and bustle of everyday street life is imperative.

I’ve learned that people in coffee shops, bookstores, or any other place where it is common to do your work, are more likely to strike up a conversation with you when you seem to need a break. My Macbook has a pretty elaborate skin on it, so I regularly get people asking me about it, and have made several new acquaintances that way. These people are often web workers as well, and eventually end up becoming like colleagues: people you can throw new ideas against and who are always willing to share best practices and feedback.

The challenge of finding a good mobile office

Finding the right place to work is not an easy task. While I may ascribe to the simple requirements as outlined by Web Worker Daily—“wifi, food/beverages, power outlets and no one expecting you to leave the minute you finish whatever you’ve ordered to eat or drink”—each person has their own preferences that need to be accommodated.

I, for one, can not work in complete silence; I need the hubbub of a crowd or at least some decent background music in order to feel productive. Matt Villano says that “the key to being productive outside of a traditional office is finding a spot that’s conducive to creativity:”

People who do their best work in complete silence, for instance, probably wouldn’t be able to concentrate at a Starbucks. Alternately, for people like Henn—those who need hubbub to feel alive—the public library likely would lead to frustration. Other places, such as bookstores, offer the best of both worlds—a constant buzz of chatter but relative quietude.

Cost can end up being quite a big issue as well: not only do some places charge for wifi access, but if you’re going to be spending considerable time taking up space at a private establishment, there is some expectation that you will be offering that place some kind of compensation—most often, by making sure you’re buying a constant stream of coffee.

I’m partial to Starbucks (mainly because of the fact that they offer fantastic coffee, great music, and the best people-watching environment) but with wifi access hitting $10/day and my coffee bill for three hours adding up to that same amount, working at the popular coffee shop can get expensive. In Toronto, popular restaurants like Richtree Market and Lettuce offer free wireless to their patrons, but your food spending will generally still play havoc with your wallet.

One cost-effective option, especially if you plan to be spending a considerable amount of time each month working outside your home, is using coworking facilities. Coworking spaces are often excellent places for the web worker community, offering quiet work areas for independent endeavors and meeting spaces for group collaboration. If you’re in Toronto and are interested in coworking, I’d check out places like the Linux Caffe and Indoor Playground.

The best option in Toronto, at least, is to become a member of Wireless Toronto and enjoy free wifi access in many great locations around the city. These locations include coffee shops, pubs, restaurants, parks, and even public spaces like Dundas Square. If it’s not raining, there are few places in the world as exciting and calming to work in as the rooftop garden at 401 Richmond.

The necessity to focus on work rather than play

Even if you do find the perfect office-away-from-office, one fact remains: there’s still work to be done. It is remarkably easy to forget that fact when you’re surrounded by like-minded individuals in a coffee shop, or staring at passers-by on a patio, or even browsing through graphic novels at a bookstore. The ubiquitous availability of wifi makes it even easier to squander your time instead of doing any real work.

So how to keep focus? Well, everyone has their own ways, but there are a few tips I have to make sure that working in public stays as work rather than play:

• Invest in a good pair of headphones. Not only do good headphones keep unwanted noise out, but they’re a great indicator to other people that you’re not to be disturbed.
• Close your web browser. If I left Firefox open all day, I’d never get anything done. If you’re a writer, fire up your favorite text editor in fullscreen mode (Photoshop for designers, Final Cut Pro for filmmakers, etc.) and block out the web for forty minute at a time, at least.
• Get up and move around. You’ll get restless sitting in the same place all day, even if that same place is a rooftop garden. Stretch your legs and get the blood flowing through your body—it will make sure your body, and subsequently your brain, doesn’t get tired.
• Eat well. It might be easy to subside on a diet of Sumatran coffee and biscotti when you’re sitting at a coffee shop, but you need some protein and some vegetables too. Make sure you’re well nourished, and your concentration won’t be stolen by your grumbling stomach.
• Make it clear that you’re working. It might be nice to say hullo to everyone that passes your table, but that also invites people to come and start conversation. While there is a place for pleasantries, when you’re in work mode, don’t let your wandering eyes invite other people to come disturb you.
• Smile. Chances are, if you’re a web worker, you love your work. Show it. Not only will that help your creative processes, but every now and then when you catch your smile in the reflection of your glossy screen, you’ll be spurred on to keep doing what you’re doing.

Okay, so not all of those tips are necessarily just for working away from the office, but they all come in handy. There are many other things you can do to keep your focus—and websites like Lifehacker and Web Worker Daily are great resources when it comes to finding more tips of this sort—but the important thing to remember that, no matter where you end up taking your work out with you, is that you’re enjoying not only where you are, but what you’re doing.

If that’s the case, then the world is your office.