Unpopular opinion: coworking spaces are a waste of money for most nomads

I spent $400 last month on a fancy coworking spot in Chiang Mai and got less done than working from my hostel lobby. The constant networking chatter (like, do we really need to talk about SEO for 20 minutes?) kills my focus. Anyone else find cheap cafes or libraries work way better for actual productivity?

3 comments

3 Comments

charlescraig3d ago

That $45 story hits because it's the same pattern everywhere now. I noticed it at my local grocery store where they pushed a "premium checkout lane" for an extra dollar and it actually took longer than the regular one. Same thing with those "optimized" workout plans people sell for $200 that just make you feel bad about doing normal pushups at home. We've convinced ourselves that paying more equals working better when really most of the time we're just buying a nicer story to tell about how we spent our day.

rubyk263d ago

Think you're onto something there @ruby_jones but I gotta push back a little on the premium checkout lane thing. That's not really a premium service, that's just a gimmick they slapped a price on to test if people are dumb enough to pay extra for the same thing. The real problem is when people pay for stuff that actually does cost more to make but still gives you less value... like that $45 story. I've seen it in construction too where clients insist on the most expensive materials thinking it means better work, but half the time the mid-range stuff holds up just as good and doesn't bankrupt everybody. We've all just gotten so used to the idea that price tags equal quality when really it's just marketing telling us what to want.

ruby_jones3d ago

My wallet is still crying over the $45 I dropped on a "premium" space in Lisbon just to realize I was paying for the privilege of listening to someone's entire crypto portfolio story. Meanwhile I nailed three deadlines at a random pastry shop with sticky tables and wifi that cut out every 30 minutes. Maybe the real productivity hack is just needing enough discomfort to make you focus so you don't starve.