Hit 50 coffee shops in 3 months and still can't decide if loud or quiet is better

I've been tracking every cafe I work from since April. 32 of them were packed with people and noise, 18 were almost empty and dead quiet. The weird thing is I got more code done in the loud ones. But my focus felt better in the quiet ones. So which actually wins for productivity? Has anyone else noticed a pattern with background noise and how much you actually get done?

2 comments

2 Comments

sarahhart1mo ago

Totally agree, my experience is almost identical. I cranked out way more work at the loud place near my old apartment even though it felt like chaos. Quiet spots always made me feel more focused but I actually got less done because I was too aware of every little sound.

mark7311mo ago

Wait, you said you were "too aware of every little sound" in a QUIET place? That's honestly blowing my mind a little. I always figured quiet was the ULTIMATE for focus, no distractions at all. But I guess when it's dead silent, your brain starts LISTENING for stuff, like a pin drop or the AC clicking on. I never thought about it that way until you said it. It makes total sense now, like you're hyper-focused on the absence of noise instead of the work. That's a really weird twist on productivity I never considered before.