If you’re a freelancer, or someone who works from home, the idea to work not just outside but at the beach might pop in to your head at some point in the summer. Should you do it? Obviously we here at Brokelyn are never ones to argue against a beach trip, but given that it already takes discipline to work at home and get things done, surely there are drawbacks to working at the beach that surpass the usual challenges one finds working from home or at a coffice. As a public service, we’ve spent the day at Beach 86th Street compling the pros and cons of a beach office.
PROS
-You’re outside! It’s lovely outside, because it’s summer and if it’s hot and you’re kind of sweaty, don’t forget that it feels like it was merely a few days ago you were complaining about how cold it was.
-Much more eye candy at the beach. There are so many butts. How many butts do you get to see on the average day at home or at a coffee shop? Not as many as you do at the beach.
-A Narragansett michelada is just $5 at Rippers, and instead of having to make your own sad, watery michelada, you can have a professional alcohol slinger make one for you.
-You can hang out and work without a shirt. Try that one in a coffee shop, even if you explain to them that you’re just real comfortable with your body and it’s too damn hot to even wear basketball jersey.
-Screeches of the seagulls are still a more soothing sound that horrible grinding construction noise going on outside your apartment, that you have to hear because your window is open because you don’t have an air conditioner.
-Reward for finishing a task is a refreshing dip in the ocean as opposed to nothing at all usually.
-Lack of outlets means you’re hyper-focused on getting your work done before your battery runs out, instead of wasting time micromanaging you’re fantasy baseball team.
-Fewer people on the beach on a weekday means the fun police (aka life guards) are much less active with the whistle blowing.
-Rippers picnic table set up provides shade and a coffee shop-like atmosphere without being quiet, and there are so many people in bikinis and with their shirts off, as opposed to that one barista you have a hopeless crush on.
CONS
-Definitely a little hard to focus because you’re outside and it’s beautiful and all the butts.
-That Rockaway beach wifi? Yeah, you can either get three ten-minute passes for free or you have to pay a dollar for all-day access. It’s free at home.
-Actually trying to work on the beach is very hard without one of those laptop glare hoods. And if you throw something on your head to see the screen, it gets real hot under there real quick.
-Sand in your laptop. That can’t be good for it.
-The sense that the rest of the world is definitely still working harder than you and you’ve probably missed something important.
-Green flies. Obviously can be a bother even if you’re just on the beach on a normal day, but still terrifically annoying.
-Lack of outlets definitely means there’s a cap on your productivity that day
THE VERDICT
What are you kidding? Of course working at the beach is an AWESOME idea. We wouldn’t recommend doing it every day, unless you have incredible discipline and battery life. On a slow day, or late in August when the summer is running out anyway though, you should definitely take the time to work, or “work,” from the beach. What’s the worst that’s gonna happen if you miss something, a nuclear war breaks out? If that would actually happen because you missed something at work though, we question why you’re working at home to begin with.
Follow Dave for more sage beach life advice at @DaveCoIon
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I live in and work from my van using 4g internet. For the past month I’ve been in San Francisco working from Baker Beach. Granted, I’m used to working in varied environments but I must say, it’s been really nice and the weather is incredible!