Cafes are my offices — It’s where I get my writing done

I always get asked why I spend so much money on tea and coffee. Surely I could save a small fortune if I just made my own.

Yes, that’s true. But what’s the point? The reason I work hard is to be able to afford to live in a nice condo, eat healthy food and enjoy coffee (or tea) in different cafes every day. My life would feel stagnant if I just stayed at home and made my own coffee.

It wouldn’t be great for my creativity either. Working in different cafes, different cities, different countries, and different continents helps me come up with new ideas and new topics to write about. It keeps me feeling fresh and motivated. It’s how I’ve worked for the last ten years.

Right now I’m sitting in a cool café in Bangkok’s Bang Rak district. It’s my favorite district in Bangkok and is always where I stay when I’m in the city.

An interesting aside is that Bang Rak is Thai for Village of Love. The district is a popular place for Thais to register their marriages, especially on Valentine’s day. It’s also where I met my wife. How’s that for a romantic story?

Today I’m here with my wife. Our coffees cost us $7. That’s a small price to pay to be able to sit and work in a peaceful environment. I can get more work done here than I can at home. The more work I do, the more I get paid. Spending $300 a month on coffee will result in more than $300 in extra earnings.

If this article earns $7, the coffee will be free. How’s that for a bargain? I sit and write in order to get free coffee.

In reality, I’m getting paid to drink coffee.

Tomorrow, which is Christmas Day, we’ll be driving to Nakhon Ratchasima, which is 280 km northeast of Bangkok. I’ll get up early to have a coffee, some breakfast, and do some work. It might seem odd to be working on Christmas day, but it’s just another day in Thailand. Life will go on as normal. I already have another café chosen.

I’m so grateful to have this life where I can sit in cafes and make money working online. I think this is something anyone can do if they really want to. There are so many opportunities out there these days.

Instead of sitting at home making your own coffee, get out there and explore your city. Work from a different café every day and see if you feel more motivated. It works for me, so it might also work for you.