As someone who works from wherever I set up my laptop I end up spending an exorbitant amount of time working out of cafés.

I don’t have a home office space or coworking arrangement regularly so unless I can land a decent desk at a hosts house, the coffee shop around the corner usually gets six to eight hours of my time on a regular basis.

How do I survive and still manage to get work done?

1. Choose the Right Cafe

Finding the right café is a task of great importance for me.  Everyone has their favorite coffee or tea shop in a city but that doesn’t mean it’s your favorite working spot.

Decide on what kind of atmosphere and features you need to get your work done and make your own decision.  Being comfortable in your working space is essential, even if that working space is a public, high traffic, bustling coffee shop.

For me that list includes: clean, quiet, modern, good free WiFi, high quality tea and coffee, small food items, personable staff, desk sized tables, local establishment, and power outlets.

If you’re new to an area I highly recommend scoping out new coffee shops on Yelp.com.

2. Get Headphones

I can’t stress this one enough.  Whether you actually listen to music or not when you work isn’t the issue.

Wearing headphones helps isolate you from the flurry of distractions and bustle that occur in a café.  Not only that but it’s also far less likely that anyone is going to approach you and interrupt your work flow when you have headphones on.

As for jams to work to, well I like my RJD2 or Ratatat Pandora stations, but whatever helps you work and focus.  Generally lyric-free tracks are the best to keep you in a flow.

3. Order An Extra Glass Of Water

While I do love my espresso, coffee and chai tea, an extra glass of water keeps me hydrated and cool.

It also keeps my budget in check by reducing the impulse to immediately go get another fresh $3 chai when I finish the one in front of me.  That glass of water gives me another 8-16 ounces of liquid to keep my hand-to-mouth habit in check for at least twenty minutes.

One additional benefit, that not everyone would call a benefit, drinking a lot of water while I work gives me a good reason to get up every once in a while – to go to the restroom.

4. Sit At A Desk In A Chair

There is that image of work at home writers propped up in bed with their computer sitting on their lap, or of a freelancer at a coffeeshop lounging on the couch doing their work.

However, it isn’t very good for your body or your work.

Sitting at a desk or desk-like table provides enough workspace for you to spread out a bit, keep notebooks, pens, phone or whatever other accoutrements within quick reach.  Try to find a desk or table that is about 28 to 33 inches in height with a correspondingly fitting chair (the taller you are, the taller the table should be).

You may almost feel like you’re working instead of chilling out in a café.

5. Have Good Posture & Breathe

To add to the anti-couch argument, slouching over your work or in your chair isn’t an ideal position for your body or your brain.

Think about maintaining the three natural curves of your spine while sitting up.  Weight should be resting equally on both of your sit bones, your feet should be resting flat on the ground.  Your shoulders should be wide (i.e. not hunched forward or unnecessarily pinched backwards) and your upper body relaxed.  Make sure your work is at an adequate viewing distance and not too elevated or close (I prefer my computer screen to be about arm length from me).

Lastly, make sure to check in with your breathing every so often.  I find by focusing on my breath for even 15 seconds relaxes my whole body and clears my mind–work can be stressful.  I prefer using a combination of diaphragmatic breathing and lateral breathing when I focus on my breath.

6. Look Like An Idiot

And by that I mean: stretch, exercise and move around.

Sometimes it’s completely acceptable to get up and just shake around a bit.  It may even be fun and silly – you could laugh.

Exercise helps your blood flow.  Including to your brain.  And while you’re working you’re hopefully using that.

Some exercises and stretches that help me survive eight hours in café are:

• Pushups: Yes, not your usual out in public activity but knocking out 20 pushups for a break is a great way to get the blood flowing.
• Forward Bend: I find holding this for 30 seconds helps relax my spine (which is often crunched from sitting for so long), reduces fatigue, and stretches the hamstrings and calves (which are in flexion while sitting).
• Triangle Pose: Sitting for leaves your hips in flexion for long periods of time and I find this helps me stretch out my hips.  For those less inclined to go all out, standing side bends are also an option.

7. Eat Healthy Snacks

Rather than stuffing your face with sugary pastries for eight hours, and it can be tempting, focus on healthier snacks.

Eat foods that are less processed and have little or no added sugar so you don’t have the buzz and crash and the lack of focus that will inevitably result in. This also means don’t pour half the sugar bowl into your cup of coffee.

A short list of snacks that help me survive in a café are:

• Raw Almonds: These are one of my all time favorite snacks.  A handful of these staves off hunger, keeps my energy levels from crashing and they taste great.  If you aren’t an almond fan, try other varieties of nuts although stay away from the salted and sweetened ones.
• Fresh Fruit: Really, how could you go wrong with an apple, banana or bowl of berries?  They are delicious, appease that sweet tooth, and give you a little rush of freshness.  A lot of cafés have fresh fruit, if they don’t suggest that they add it to their menu, or just go to a little grocery and pick up one yourself.
• Yogurt & Granola: Should I explain this one or can you guess?  It’s healthy, filling and you’ve got so many options for flavors.  An old standby.

8. Befriend the Staff

If you’re anything like me, you end up going to the same café over and over again.  Once you’ve found the right one, you’re going to be there a lot.

So play nice with the staff, tip well if you do that in your country, and clean up after yourself.  They are there supporting your work environment so you should support their work environment in return.

Say “hello”, make small talk, and don’t slam your money down on the counter and stalk back to your computer.  If you keep coming back they’ll recognize you, and if they don’t like you, well, you might as well find a new right café.

Some of my favorite experiences are when I arrive at a café that I frequent often and they know my name and what I normally order.  Sometimes they’ll even start making it as I walk up in.

9. Don’t Slam Espresso

This is my last tip, don’t slam espresso like you’re doing shots on your birthday in Thailand.  Caffeine is a great stimulant, don’t get me wrong, but like any drug, it is still a drug.

Relying on caffeine to get you through the day is going to burn you out eventually.  You’ll be craving your next hit the moment you wake up–and we’ve all seen those people or been one, zombies until they’ve had one or two cups of coffee.

If you’re not trying to join the living dead, use moderately.  If you’re already addicted, I highly recommend breaking the habit.  I did over the summer and my energy levels are far more even than they used to be.  Include a little stretching and exercise, drink a glass of water or have a healthy snack when that urge for another cup of coffee hits and you may find that it’s not as scary as you think it would be.

What are your café survival tips?

Flickr photo by lulugaia.