Working from home isn’t really remote work. Why there’s bigger benefits elsewhere.
Ideal remote work has to do with how our brains work. History and science says so.
Illustration by Radhiah Anis
This isn’t about me – but for context, coming from having an office and studio spaces for my company to multiple coworking memberships and plenty of experience finding the best cafes to work from, like many, I’ve never worked from home this much in my life. I’m not the type of entrepreneur who’s goal is to work from beaches in Bali, either. But working anywhere but home has been a great driver of my performance as a creative entrepreneur over the years.
Remote work doesn’t have to mean working from home – though in this exact moment, depending where you live, it may have to by law, temporarily.
But that doesn’t have to be the plan, and neither does returning to long office commutes.
Here’s why.
“The retreat to eccentric near-home workplaces has been a common experience… and we’ve learned that performing useful cognitive work is a fragile endeavor, one in which environment matters.”
There’s a great case for separating our jobs from where we live again, like many great writers in history have always done.
From renting empty hotel rooms to floating in a boat, it’s worked wonders for them.
From the associative nature of our brains to distractions, it’s worthwhile considering this perspective as parts of the world plan a return to the office.
Cal Newport does propose a solution: Organizations that can allow remote work should encourage employees to find professional spaces near (but distinct from) their homes, but go as far as directly subsidizing these “cognitive escapes”.
If you’re already 100% productive, creative and healthy at home and the positives are better than the alternatives, congratulations – I do hope you can continue to maintain this long-term.
For the rest of us, here’s a refreshing read in the New Yorker that makes the case.
Throwback to trying the endless coffee shops options in Brooklyn and New York City pre-pandemic.
Thanks for reading. Feel free to visit me at
