Hot take: Coworking spaces are making digital nomads less productive, not more

I had a chat with a guy named Dave at a cafe in Medellin last week. He told me he switched to working from libraries and coffee shops because coworking spaces felt too much like an office with all the small talk and distractions. At first I argued with him, but then I thought about how I spend half my day socializing at these places instead of actually working. Do you think coworking spaces help you focus or just give you the illusion of productivity?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_wesley25d agoMost Upvoted

emma_flores said "if you can't ignore someone asking about your weekend then maybe the issue is you" and honestly that hit me right in the gut because it's totally true lol. You're basically saying I'm the problem and yeah you're probably right, but here's the thing - I still think coworking spaces are designed to make you feel productive while actually stealing your time with all the forced community stuff. Like yesterday I went to one and spent 45 minutes in a "networking coffee break" that was supposed to be 15 minutes. The whole vibe is "hey we're all working together" but really it's just office culture with a cool paint job and kombucha on tap. I'd rather take my chances with the barista yelling "extra hot vanilla latte" than feel guilty for not chatting up the guy next to me about his crypto portfolio.

emma_flores26d ago

Stop overthinking this whole coworking thing. It's just a room with desks and wifi, not some magic productivity pill or a trap. People act like the small talk at these places is ruining their entire career, but honestly, if you can't ignore someone asking about your weekend then maybe the issue is you, not the space. Libraries and coffee shops have their own noise and distractions too, like people shushing you or the barista yelling out orders. I've seen digital nomads waste just as much time scrolling on their phones in a quiet library as they would chatting at a coworking spot. It really just comes down to how well you can manage your own focus, not where you're sitting.

wood.faith25d ago

Went to one of those "networking coffee breaks" last week and ended up hearing a guy's whole theory about why squirrels are government drones. Sometimes I wonder if coworking spaces are just places where lonely people pay to pretend they're busy. But honestly, I'd take the squirrel talk over a library where the librarian glares at you for crinkling your granola bar wrapper.