I skipped work all day at the cafe, and my boss praised me for having an idea.

"

A little noisy, but not noisy

There are many people, but they are independent of each other

"

"it was a cozy cafe, warm, clean and friendly. I hung my old raincoat on a hanger to dry, put my weather-beaten old felt hat on the shelf above the bench and ordered a cup of milk coffee. The waiter brought coffee, and I took a notebook and a pencil out of my coat pocket and began to write. "

Hemingway-"the Feast of flow"

Some people say that if there were no lilac Garden Cafe in Apolinel, France, there would be no great writer Hemingway. Although this sentence is a bit of an exaggeration, in fact, those famous writers seem to be eager to stay in the cafe. Paul Sartre is a regular at the Le Procope Cafe on the Seine; Najib Mahafuz, the Nobel laureate for literature, often writes at the Fesavi Caf é in Cairo; Goethe, Byron and Dickens especially like to spend time in Roman cafes.

Now, more than half a century later, cafes are still a popular workplace for young people. For many people in deep cities, the strong fireworks smell of modern society in cafes seems to inspire their sleeping artistic cells.

So what is the magic of cafes that continuously attract literati, bachelors and even business white-collar workers to write and work for more than half a century? To solve this mystery, I asked a lot of writers, freelancers and business white-collar workers, and that's what they said.

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1.

The inexplicable attraction of the third space

"the coffee shop is a typical third space. It is less lazy than the bedroom, less lonely than the study, more free than the office, and unlike the library, it does not dare to make a sound. Working here is more comfortable and interesting than a sense of task and restraint. "

In 1989, Ray Odenberg, an American sociologist, formally defined the concept of "third space" in his book The Great Good Place. "the first space is living space, the second space is work space, and the third space is leisure and entertainment space." The quality of the third space and the length of people's stay determine a person's quality of life. ]

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two。

Follow that sense of ritual.

"it seems to me that it has become an indispensable sense of ritual in life to do homework at McDonald's when I was a child and write in a cafe when I grow up."

"sometimes, I feel tired when I look at the computer. When I look up, I suddenly find that everyone around me is quietly around me, and this space is running in an orderly and orderly manner. It's a really fascinating feeling. "

"at home, I can't help surfing the Internet, watching dramas, browsing Zhihu, watching the sun rise and set, and the day goes by. But not in a cafe. I'll put myself in that atmosphere. As soon as I walked into the cafe, I felt that I was possessed by a writer, and I couldn't help turning over the books. "

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3.

A safe distance

"in a cafe, which allows only shallow social interaction, there may be a lot of people like me, but we are independent of each other. I can order a cup of coffee and become a member of this group, or I can take my notebook and leave. I don't need to say hello to anyone. "

"in fact, the coffee shop is a relatively spacious place, unlike people in the library next to people. Here, within a foot of the side, it is my territory, and others will tacitly avoid it. This safe distance is very important to me. "

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4.

Unreplicable white noise

[an article in the academic journal Consumer Research pointed out that just the right noise (70 decibels) is the best volume environment for focusing on work, while extreme silence actually weakens your attention. hinder abstract thinking that is most needed in writing. ]

"the coffee shop is a very special place. It's a little noisy, but it's not noisy. The roar of coffee machine work, the sound of serving meals, the crash of coffee spoons and mugs, the sound of people talking and eating, the sound of tapping the keyboard. These sounds are mixed with the aroma of coffee in the air, which is a fatal temptation for me. "

"it seems that as long as I sit down at the table and order a mocha, I can write hard and finish the manuscript that has been dragged on for no less than a week."

"I have a problem. I'm not used to working in places that are too quiet. That kind of quietness will distract me unconsciously."

"the office is too noisy and the house is too quiet. The coffee shop has struck a good balance between the two. I can think quietly, but not too lonely. "

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5.

Potential competition

"in the public area of the coffee shop, knowing that no one would pay attention to me, there was still a feeling of being supervised, like an invigilator during an exam, forcing me to concentrate."

"in the coffee shop, everyone around me is typing the keyboard seriously. The sound is really exciting. If I were alone, maybe I would check my phone from time to time, pour myself a drink, or go out for a run. Naturally, work efficiency will not be high. "

"No matter what task I accomplish, I will be more expressive if an audience or competitor is present, which I don't have when I am alone."

"I believe that it is impossible for everyone in the deep city to be careful alone. Everyone is used to being supervised and watched, and I am no exception. "

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6.

Not to be disturbed.

"in a cafe, although I am in an environment full of strangers, in fact, I have no responsibility to any of them. Most importantly, no colleague will suddenly stop at my desk to interrupt my ongoing work, and no family will need me to stop my work and go downstairs to buy a bottle of soy sauce. "

"really. Whether working in the office or at home, it is inevitable to be disturbed, and in the cafe, the most serious disturbance is when the waiter gently puts the coffee I ordered in front of me. "

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7.

Cure the disease of "house"

"as a freelancer, I have nothing to do with clocking in from nine to five and endless department meetings. I can sleep until I get up in the sun every day. But over time, I became a typical otaku, more and more untidy, and my social skills deteriorated. "

"Cafe is different. I will at least spruce up a little before going out, take a bath, wash my hair, grab a handsome hairstyle with hair wax, change into casual and handsome clothes, wear hundreds of shoes, and spray some perfume."

"in addition, I can look up at the people around me from time to time, increase my writing inspiration, or meet some interesting people."

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8.

Pyrotechnic gas

"when there is a lot of pressure at work, I go to cafes, listen to strangers talk about their ideals, listen to ambiguous conversations between men and women, and watch movies for people who stay out late at night. This kind of atmosphere can make me really feel my own existence."

"once I stayed up late to catch up with the plan in the coffee shop on the triple building, and before I knew it, it was closed, but the soft-looking waitress didn't interrupt me until I finished my work."

"I prefer the fireworks in the coffee shop to being alone, where I can feel connected to the world. I see all kinds of people coming in, pushing the door out and passing through the window. this feeling is more comfortable than being alone."

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9.

A rooted concept of consumption

"generally speaking, go to a cafe and order at least one cup of coffee. In a city like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, a cup of coffee costs as little as 40 yuan, which may be caused by the consumption concept rooted in my heart. I will remind myself that I am here to finish the work, so the office efficiency has unwittingly improved. "

"perhaps under the influence of imported culture, I always feel that going to a coffee shop for coffee is a very petty bourgeoisie, while working in a coffee shop makes people feel comfortable, at the same time, there is more or less a sense of superiority."

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10.

Caffeine

"as a 9-to-5 office worker, I can't live without caffeine, and working in a coffee shop has become my habit, which is the same as going to work with a cup of coffee in the morning."

"the smell of coffee in the cafe is a good pick-me-up. It allows me to concentrate and do a lot of cumulative work efficiently."

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11.

There is WiFi.

Having said so much, in fact, the most important thing is that the coffee shop has WIFielding!