I work from home, I have for almost two years at my present job, for about three years working for php|architect, and for a few years before that for eDonkey. At this point I’ve probably spent more of my professional life working from home than from traditional office space.

Last summer I spent some time working from a few different places in search of air conditioning based shelter from hot Montréal days. I enjoyed the air conditioning, and got solid work done. Once the heat broke I moved back to my desk, with the larger screen, faster machine, etc. etc.

Lately I’ve been having a harder and harder time being productive at home. Distraction and motivation have both become issues in the past few months in ways I haven’t experienced before. I don’t have an underlying reason for the problems, but I needed to solve it quickly: clearly my day job still expects me to get work done (and my startups have needs as well).

I decided to try working from some of the same places I worked last summer: Starbucks, mall food court, libraries, diners, other cafés. I feel bad leaving behind my newly equipped work desk, with its larger screen, decent chair, foot rest, etc. But it’s not really a “work desk” if I can’t get work done there.

I resisted this trend at first, trying to spend as much time at home as possible. After further reflection I stopped resisting and embraced it. If I’m working, I owe it to my employer — and to myself — to be as productive as I can. I’m already not working in a traditional office, why should I feel any more tied to my home office? I use a VPN connection to protect my networking, a security cable to protect my laptop, and the Starbucks app to “earn” free drinks :).

You owe it to yourself, and your employer to figure out where you work best. Once you find that spot, work there!