It’s 2 p.m., and time is ticking away at snail speed. But all you can seem to do is watch the clock, waiting for 2:01… and then 2:02… Seriously, where is 5 o’clock?
When productivity starts to wane and those cubicle walls just aren’t inspiring you anymore, get out of the office. Leave. And go somewhere else, somewhere you can focus, do your best work, cross off tasks on that ever-growing to-do list hovering over your head like an annoying gray, drippy storm cloud.
So where should you go? Here, nine entrepreneurs from the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) share their productivity-boosting places:
1. Your Apartment
As ZinePak has grown, I’ve found that working from home one day each week is incredibly helpful. Not only do I gain an extra 90 minutes of productivity by not having to get ready or commute, I also get to spend time focusing on issues that require more time and attention, since I’m able to work uninterrupted by drop-ins or meetings.
—Brittany Hodak, ZinePak
2. Co-Working Spaces
Co-working spaces are the best places for me to get all I need in one spot. They’ve got fast Wi-Fi, amazingly intelligent entrepreneurs, quiet spaces when needed or social areas in which to socialize. Even if you’re a one-man band, you can still feel like a team when plugged in next to multiple other startup peeps around you. You honestly never know who you’ll meet.
—Andrew Vest, Preferling
3. The Library
Yes, they still exist! It takes me back to my college days when I knew it was crunch time and I had to produce. So if I’m ever in a rut, being in the library helps me to concentrate and focus on the task at hand. Plus being surrounded by students and books reminds me of why I studied in the first place: to get ahead and be successful.
—Nicolas Gremion, Free-eBooks.net
4. An Airplane
I find that my most productive email clean-up time is on the plane. Shutting off your phone can be terrifying but also very beneficial for knocking out those pesky emails. Rather than shutting my eyes for three hours, I see how many of those “non-high priority” tasks I can knock out.
—Vinny Antonio, Victory Marketing Agency
5. Another Country
I find that I feel so rejuvenated, re-energized and re-inspired when I work from another land. It allows me to clear my head, disengage from my routine and familiar surroundings, and see my work through a new lens. I’ve done some of my best work for clients from places that are literally thousands of miles away from home.
—Steven Le Vine, grapevine pr
6. A Coffeehouse
My favorite place to get away from the office and still remain productive is a coffeehouse. I like to work far enough away from my office that it’s unlikely I'll be interrupted by people I know. Ironically, I find that the constant flow of noise from customers, coffeehouse music and espresso machines makes for a great environment to be productive!
—Kristopher Jones, LSEO
7. Hotels
I have found that I have very few distractions when I’m in a hotel. I don’t have the everyday responsibilities that I would usually have. There’s no grocery shopping, cleaning or household to-do lists to get through. They can wait until I’m home. I also believe in making my time away from home worth it; each minute is dedicated to lightening my load when I get home.
—Maren Hogan, Red Branch Media
8. The Park
The office is a great place to work and collaborate, but when you need to get really creative, it can be somewhat stifling. When I run into these roadblocks, I like to grab my laptop and head to the downtown park. There’s no Wi-Fi, so that means no distractions. I can focus 100 percent on what needs to get done while enjoying a radically new work environment in nature.
—James Simpson, GoldFire Studios
9. The House You Grew Up In
While it may seem strange, there is something so nostalgic and refreshing about working from the house I grew up in. From term papers to now multimillion-dollar term sheets, the ability to remember where I’ve come from helps to inspire me about where I could be next. It also doesn’t hurt that the snacks are much better than any office or coffee shop!
—Kim Kaupe, ZinePak
Check out 4 brain hacks to become more efficient.
Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only organization comprising the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, YEC recently launched StartupCollective, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses.
