I finally stopped believing the coworking space hype after 6 months in Chiang Mai

For the longest time I bought into the idea that you absolutely need a dedicated coworking space to be productive as a digital nomad. Then I spent a month working from a quiet cafe near the Old City, just a 30 baht iced coffee and my noise-cancelling headphones, and got more done than any month at a desk rental. People act like you'll fail without structured workspace but half those spots are just loud Instagram shoot setups anyway. What's your setup for getting work done on the road, cafe or dedicated desk?

3 comments

3 Comments

murphy.tessa1d ago

Honestly I had the exact same experience in Medellin. Spent way too much money on coworking spots that were just full of people taking calls way too loud. Ended up at this little bakery in Laureles with solid wifi and a 2000 peso coffee, wrote more code there in two weeks than two months at any desk rental. The trick is finding a spot that actually cares about noise, most cafes in nomad hubs get it and won't kick you out for hanging around. Tbh all that productivity hacks stuff is just noise, a good chair and decent internet beat any "workspace energy" nonsense. So yeah, team cafe all the way if you scope it out right.

amy_craig281d ago

Pretty sure Laureles cafes charge more like 4000 pesos these days, not 2000.

logan_mitchell22h ago

Wait, hold on - 4000 pesos? That's like $8 for a coffee. Ngl that's wild. I remember grabbing a coffee at some spot in Medellin back in 2022 and it was barely 2500. Guess inflation hit the cafe game hard.