For getting a lot of writing done in a little time, I’m a big fan of the vast (two city blocks long) Rose Reading Room in the New York Public Library’s main branch on 5th Avenue/42nd Street. As well as the library advantages already mentioned of enforced quiet, unreliable wifi, and being surrounded and supported by the collective concentration of dozens (or in this case, hundreds) of other people, large, lofty spaces like this (it’s also several stories tall) make it easy to relieve the eyestrain (and concomitant brain strain) engendered by staring at computer screens simply by looking up into the middle distance for a few minutes. Looking out the window into the distance–especially at nature, as opposed to buildings or streets–has the same refreshing effect on the eyes and brain, so it’s worthwhile to consider the location and layout as well as the noise level of wherever you go to work.

I find that bars are often emptier and quieter than coffee shops during off-times like mid-afternoon, and sometimes have wifi.

If I’m doing work on paper (reading books for research, editing manuscripts, etc.) and it’s nice weather, I go to the park.

One place I’m never able to work is bakeries, as the relentless hum of the refrigeration units in their display cases drives me crazy.

As for getting work done at other people’s houses, that depends on the house and the circumstances. I can’t focus when I’m surrounded by clutter, no matter who it belongs to, and if I’m somewhere I’ve never visited before, I’m surrounded by too much new information to process to settle down and do much else. But a pleasant space I’m already familiar with and comfortable in but not responsible for can definitely be far less distracting than working at home.

That’s genius, Elizabeth Judy! I hadn’t thought of the family room at our church, but I have a key, so that could be just the ticket.

I rarely utilize the library, because all the books are a huge distraction to me. A less trafficked coffee shop in town during non peak hours is better for me than the library, because I feel the pressure of not taking up their space too long – that helps me focus.

When at home, we have a farm office detached from our home – and I have my own portion of that space. It’s only a short walk across the back deck, but it’s far enough from home to keep me from getting distracted…as long as I have a timer. I take a break every 45 minutes (timers are incredibly helpful when working at home). It dings and I run back in the house and switch out laundry, etc., before heading back to the office for another rotation.

Great post! Really enjoyed reading everyone’s comments, too.

@Ekaterina- thank you so much! I’m glad you found the books and blog helpful. I really appreciate that.

Makes a lot of sense – a forced offline state :))) Library wifi would be sorely tempting though… And i want to use this opportunity to thank you for your books and blog, helped me a lot through a really tough career/life spot to view things in terms of limited time and internal locus of control. Thank you.

Heathrow also hired Alain de Botton to write a book about the week one summer he spent living at Heathrow.
http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2009/aug/18/alain-de-botton-heathrow-airport

The tucked away tables were the BEST.

@Chrissy- this is a good idea. I imagine in a hotel lobby with a bar, if you order a drink, you can stay for quite a while.

Yes. I clicked through to comment that I’d much rather organize someone else’s basement. Ours is a disordered pile of model train gear (no functioning layout, just pieces), 3-D printer parts and old cabinets.