Using Melbourne CBD as an Office

I've had a last minute meeting called in the city this morning, due to some problems with a TV sponsorship we're running. Since I have to be back in the CBD at 4pm for a check up, I thought I may as well use the city as an office.

 

A recent study "found people who work from home start earlier, work up to three hours longer and get more done, while they felt more energised, less stressed and had fewer distractions." Is it the same when you're working from the city? Let's put it to the test. 

Commute

So far so good. Traffic is piled up on the freeway due to a spot of rain. Meanwhile I cruise by them all and find plenty of parking at Williams Landing train station. I even find a seat on the 7.10am train, so it's a relaxed and comfortable journey into Melbourne. Not so for my colleague who sends me an email saying she's parked up bumper to bumper on the Westgate. I reckon I saved myself around an hours travel. 

Diary Management

I've emailed the office to cancel a few appointments. No big dramas. But I do need to approve some video files online from a meeting I missed, so connectivity will be important.

Responsiveness

I've already received an urgent request for a funding pitch, and a request to re paginate a catalogue. It's 8.20am. Can I get both done before most people get to the office? I get the deck and pagination done but...

Internet Connection

Melbourne doesn't have free wifi across the city. So I'm reliant on cafes. My usual favourite, the C&B (Cafe e Biscotti, 41 Block Place) lets me down. First deadline missed. I foolishly try to connect my laptop to my iPhone to use Bluetooth. There's 20 minutes lost. Classic failure on all counts. I've got an ipad, an iphone and a laptop with me. Shame windows and apple still don't talk to each other - I can't get the PowerPoint file onto the apple devices. Grr. Have a meeting in South Melbourne, so thankfully use their wifi. 

Food & Drink

Spoilt for choice in the CBD but wow, $4.40 for a peppermint tea? Daylight robbery, its free in the office. My second stop was Fugazzi, off Equitable Place, where I had a bowl of Broccoli and  Zucchini soup and a bottle of water for $10. Both stops were al fresco in Melbourne's famous back lanes, which was great. Beats eating at my desk. But costs twice as much.

Distractions

9.30am and I've not spoken to a soul. However a two hour meeting overruns by an hour (my boss, who is alledgedly on annual leave decides to dial in) which is a major distraction! Still away from the meeting I don't get interrupted at all, bar the occasional urgent email. 

Stress Levels

Apart from paying $4.40 for a peppermint tea? I definitely enjoyed not having half a dozen interruptions on relatively unimportant issues or crises. Tick in the box for remote working. 

Productivity

Well I wanted to finish two important documents. With the meeting overrunning, and an impromptu half hour conference call, I manage to do just half of one of them. Still, had I been in the office, I probably wouldn't even have got so far. So all things considered, a little more productive. 

Conclusion

Overall, definitely added a few extra hours of productivity. And far less stressful. Next time I'll try it from home, and I'll consider whether it becomes a regular thing. Wifi across Melbourne is an issue though, and would stop me using the city as a base.