Why café & library make you feel productive and motivated
I imagine you might enjoy reading this article at the café, where you stay up-to-date with some newsletter updates along with work on crossing off a few tasks from your to-do list.
Since March 2020, I’ve welcomed remote work. Although I primarily work from home, visiting cafes and libraries has become a ritual that I simply cannot resist.
Despite the fact that the seats may not be comfortable and the aroma of coffee may be strong, I experience a significant boost in motivation and productivity in those places. Interestingly, I am not particularly fond of coffee due to my caffeine intolerance, yet I still enjoy going to those places to immerse myself in the authentic presence of others, even if I'm not actively participating in conversations.
Over the past two years, I’ve developed fondness for public library. My week includes mandatory couple of times visiting the nearby libraries. Fortunately majority of libraries in Japan offer free Wi-Fi and more comfortable chair compared to café, as it is more designed to sit longer periods of time to do concentrated work.
There is something make us lead to visit to café, library, and co-working spaces frequently. Perhaps the welcoming and cozy ambience, bustling interactions among strangers, the enticing aroma of coffee and social belongings that draws us in.
I was curious enough to start reading articles on the topic of why certain places give the sense of accomplishment, productivity and motivation. Usually we leave those places after clearing if not all TO-DO list tasks but at least a few, which evoke the satisfactory feeling. However, these feelings significantly depends on the places we are in. Some cafés are mainly designed to encourage social connection and quick catching up with one another, hence the seats are less cushiony and tables are smaller. Certain places provide designed area for smoking, that can result in the scent of tobacco lingering if you happen to sit nearby.
Social psychology behind our “productivity” feeling can be explained with below points.
social facilitation: subtle level of motivation around people in public spaces
social identity: part of community and belongings as we seek identity from groups we belong to
need for affiliation: communication with others even as brief as ordering drink and get seated
environmental psychology: physical environment affects our mood and behavior including background music and white noise
the mere presence effect: Simply being in the presence of others can have an effect on our behavior, even if we're not interacting with them directly
All of them certainly affect our motivation and productivity. I’ve noticed ‘the mere presence effect’ influences me stronger than others. For some evolutionary reason I like to be surrounded by certain number of people (not overcrowded nor empty) whom I don’t interact at all. Their presence influence in a way to feel as if I am part of community which motivates as the result of social mirroring.
You might hear about “mirror neurons” which are specialized brain cells that fire both when we perform an action and when we observe someone else performing the same action, allowing us to understand and empathize with others. In other words, human nature is automatically ‘mimic’ people around them, even strangers can influence our life in subtle way who happen to be around us for a brief amount of time.
If people are deliberately reading, we like to be concentrated too. If people seem work hard, naturally we tend to apply those characters on ourselves. I think it is one of the reasons why I feel what I feel. No wonder we are average of five closest people we spend most of our time with.
About the library, it creates an environment where people are inclined to engage in focused research. Hence it is designed to provide quiet, organized, and dedicated surroundings. My personal preference has shifted, with the library now taking first place and the café coming in second, primarily because of its quieter atmosphere and good lighting.
Let’s little dive into environmental psychology as we read about surroundings and design thinking factor about these establishments. Physical space seems to influence our decision, mood and behavior heavily. In the collection of study and research on the impact of physical space on human behavior "The Social Psychology of Space" by Michael Argyle, it shows:
personal space: unnegotiable space which belong to each person’s own space
physical environment and behavior: open space and enclosed space create more social interaction and feeling of isolation respectively
environmental psychology: nature, parks, natural lighting uplift the mood, create positivity compared to artificial lighting
designing environments: cultural difference about designs and colors of surrounding and interaction
Essentially, we are shaped by our environments, and our “productivity” directly correlates with multiple factors. The combination of internal and external factors plays a role in determining our level of productivity, which is not solely dependent on being extremely diligent or completely idle. Next time if you notice yourself little dull, try to change your environment.
Short walk from home to café or library, give us certain sense of purpose and direction as we dedicate some amount of effort and time to do “something”. With such a mindset, the possibilities of unleashing inner creativity are greatly enhanced by finding a comfy seat and enjoying slight background music.
If you find yourself feeling sluggish, unmotivated, and unable to do anything at home, consider taking a short walk while listening to your favorite music or podcast, and then visit a nearby café. You never know, this change of scenery might inspire you to create something amazing.
P.S: Don’t forget to carry notebook and pen or your beloved notetaking app 😉