If you're a freelance worker of any kind, chances are you work from home. Working from home can be wonderful, but it can also get lonely and it's full of unique challenges like staying out of bed or getting dressed if you've got nowhere to go.
Many people turn to cafes for a place to work. They have coffee, a nice ambiance, people milling about, treats, and Wi-Fi. The only two major downside of working at cafes is that you may be overstaying your welcome if you're there every day for several hours only ordering a coffee, and that even if you only get a daily coffee, the costs really add up.
The best way to deal with this issue is to make your home office into a cafe-like haven. We've got some great ideas to help you do so.
1. Get a decent coffee maker. You don't have to shell out $1,200 for a fancy espresso machine. A Moka pot works just as well, and they only cost around $30. They're clean and super-easy to use. Take a look at this guide on how to choose the espresso coffee maker if you want to get your own model.
2. Freeze a batch of cookie dough in an ice tray. When you're craving a little sugar to fight your writer's block, pop a couple out of the tray and bake. Fresh-baked cookies in 10 minutes, even better than the sometimes-stale ones you'd find at a cafe.
3. Use Coffitivity to recreate the sounds of a cafe. This noise generator works like a white noise generator, and it's backed by extensive research that explains why many work so well with the noise of a cafe.
4. Add a splash of color or new decor to your home office, living room or kitchen, wherever it is that you like to work. Recreate the aesthetic of your favorite cafe. It doesn't have to be expensive- try bringing in a plant, new curtains or a great tablecloth.
5. Stock up on good coffee and tea options. Learn to make lattes with a simple milk foamer, and keep your tea box stocked. Don't worry about the "start-up" cost- a box of good ground coffee, like Lavazza, costs about as much as one latte at a cafe.
