Deep Work Hack: Cafe Hopping - One Task, One Cafe
Should deep work be under Lifestyle/Wealth/Business or Self Development or Mentor Box?
I feel like incorporating deep work into your life is a lifestyle so I am putting it here.
Associate each cafe with a single task to get in the mindset of single-tasking and focus.
Reward yourself with the novelty of a new cafe after completing every task.
Preparation and Planning
- Objectives and To-Do-List
- Prepare a list of objectives and tasks required to reach each objective
- Make sure it's clear how each task contributes to an overall objective
- Preferably, each task should be between 15mins to 1 hour long
- Prepare a list of favourite cafes with power plugs and relatively conducive environment for working
- Ensure each cafe is not too crowded so you don't waste time finding seats
- Prepare the location and how you get to each cafe in advance
- Get cafes close to one another for easy travelling
- Map each task to a cafe
- You can loop your favourite cafes. Have 3 cafes and keep looping between them as you finish your tasks.
- Or make it super simple. Get 2 cafes next to each other and assign tasks to these 2 cafes.
- Get all the equipment you need
- Laptop
- Paper notebook for planning all the relevant objective and tasks
- Stationeries
- Earphones to listen to audiobooks or videos
Execution
- Go to your first cafe and execute the task planned at that cafe.
- When finished with the task, reward yourself by hopping to another cafe.
- The novelty of a new cafe with new types of coffee/tea is motivating to me.
- Gives me a reward for completing a task.
- Keep going from here till you are done for the day
Possibilities
- Bring a friend or partner who values deep work along
- If with a partner, reward each other between tasks with a kiss, etc
Matthew, I love this.
I had never done the "working at a cafe' thing" and never understood it... Until I tried it.
And it always ended up with very productive sessions.
Depending on people and level of backgorund noise/environment, working at cafes can lead to full immersion and deep work.
This system you describe is a next-level approach for milking that deep work session and extending it to the full day, very cool.
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I had never done the "working at a cafe' thing" and never understood it... Until I tried it.
Neither did I! Until I tried it and realised that it really worked.
I did some research on why cafes bring about productivity.
In short, our brain rewards us for novelty.
Slight noise is apparently quite good for creativity and focus.
Together with the stimulus of coffee and bread scents.
An article that explains why:
Why Working From Coffee Shops Makes You More Productive
Interesting, thank you for sharing.
I think it also depends on the interaction between the type of task, the level of sensitivity of the individual, and the noise / background simulation.
I've also experienced cafes that were too lively, or too noisy, and that broke down the "deep work spell" sometimes.
From "Ultralearning":
Complex tasks may benefit from low arousals, such as no noise whatsoever, but simpler tasks may benefit from a place like a workshop. But ultimately, you need to test it for yourself
I think anything that you have the skills to do it, and it's more about doing it, can work well in a cafe.
So, as a rule of thumb, a cafe that is not extreme in its noise and stimuli, is generally good for most tasks / most people.
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I've also experienced cafes that were too lively, or too noisy, and that broke down the "deep work spell" sometimes.
Happened to me as well.
I needed to change cafes to re-focus.
Cafes that focuses my mind are a gem.
From "Ultralearning":
Complex tasks may benefit from low arousals, such as no noise whatsoever, but simpler tasks may benefit from a place like a workshop. But ultimately, you need to test it for yourself
I think anything that you have the skills to do it, and it's more about doing it, can work well in a cafe.
When going for intense learning and thinking, I go for places with complete silence and no people.
A side plus with no stimulus is that I can do meditation between sessions of deep work.
I have checked out your book reviews on Deep Work and Ultralearning.
Thank you very much for writing and sharing them.
Very useful, and I would like to listen to the books to get more out on this topic.
So, as a rule of thumb, a cafe that is not extreme in its noise and stimuli, is generally good for most tasks / most people.
From my personal experience and talking to others, I find this to be true as well.
Ongoing Process of Experimentation
I am going to continue to experiment more on deep work.
Always loved this concept.
I like coworking spaces on weekends because no one is there. Peace.
I love this too Matthew 🙂 Especially for us nerdy boyz who are perpetual students.
Another benefit is for those of us in relationships especially in these WFH daze of the last couple of years of enforce togetherness. It could help to:
- change things up (introduce a little scarcity)
- hide the process (i.e. present your partner with the wins - ' that's just who I am' and hide the grinding)
- add some flavour to the day - I saw this interesting thing at the cafe rather than I saw four walls 🙁
Only thing is I'm going to have to learn to love herbal tea or I'll be too too too hyper.
We are nerdy boyz who are looking for nerdy girlz to do deep work with :).
I can see how cafe-hopping can make oneself more interesting with the points you mentioned.
It can also be a fun activity with a woman.
Oh yeah, after drinking one or two cups of coffee, I switch to herbal tea or chai latte or hot chocolate.
Sometimes, the cafe lets me drink water there too.