I stepped away from my usual Home Office format to try something different. I decided to run an experiment: stop renting a dedicated home workspace and try working from cafes — taking my laptop, looking for spots with Wi-Fi and air conditioning. The goal was simple: to understand what’s better and more effective — a private home office or working at a table in a café.
The lease on my home office — which cost 10,000 baht per month, plus about 500 for utilities — came to an end. I decided not to renew it and run a little experiment instead. Maybe I’d find a working style that fits me better? Maybe this option would even help me save some money? I rented a motorbike for 3,000 baht a month, bought insurance for another 3,000, and started riding around to different spots where I could work with my laptop.
How Comfortable Is It Really to Work from Cafés?
After a few days, I realized this experiment was worth sharing — so that’s what I’m doing now. The first thing I noticed was a drop in productivity. Sure, working from a café looks great in photos: coffee cup, laptop, bright atmosphere.
But the reality turned out to be different. Loud music, chatty people, constant foot traffic, and surveillance cameras pointed directly at your screen — all of this made it harder to concentrate. I often found myself unable to work comfortably with confidential information, especially when it involved money, private data, or sensitive conversations.
What About Calls, Voice, and Privacy?
The second major issue was the inability to hold proper voice calls. In a café, it’s either too noisy, or you just don’t feel comfortable talking out loud, especially with strangers nearby. And since many of my calls involve people from the US, Canada, or Europe — with time zone differences of up to 12 hours — most meetings happen late at night. Sitting alone in a café at 11 PM just isn’t an option. This makes international work from cafes almost unmanageable.
Food Becomes a Side Effect
The third aspect was food. When working from cafes, I was basically forced to buy something — not because I was hungry, but just to be able to sit there. Sometimes it was convenient: breakfast, laptop, work. But more often, I found myself drinking coffee or grabbing snacks simply to justify my presence. Over time, I consumed way more caffeine than I wanted to, and my meals became inconsistent and less healthy.
When I rent a Home Office, food simply isn’t a concern. I eat breakfast at home, go to the office, work, come home for lunch, and have dinner at home. Occasionally, I might grab a coffee or snack on the go — but that’s the exception. In a café-based setup, food and drinks turn into a constant expense. And it’s not real nutrition — it’s a workaround to “rent” the table through a purchase.
Financially, the experiment wasn’t as cost-effective as I expected. I ended up spending over 10,000 baht for the month — on cafes, fuel, and insurance. That’s roughly the same as my former home office setup with utilities. Meanwhile, productivity dropped: cafes made it difficult or impossible to hold calls, maintain confidentiality, and stay focused. And costs didn’t actually decrease — they just shifted from rent to endless small purchases like coffee, smoothies, and breakfasts, all just for a place to sit and work.
I don’t regret trying. This experiment taught me a lot: that I really need the sense of focus and safety that a separate workspace gives me. I realized how subtly your productivity can slip when your environment is chaotic and your rhythm is broken. I also understood that cafes are great for relaxing, eating, or meeting friends — but not for working. Just imagine: if you’re talking to an AI voice assistant in a public space — can you really say everything? Or only part of it?
Final Thoughts and One Unexpected Outcome
Still, there was a pleasant bonus to the story. I discovered a new hobby — motorbike trips. For the first time, I felt what it’s like to not just ride around town but use the bike to explore places most tourists never reach. I’ll share more about that in an upcoming post.
