Home, office or somewhere in between? A better way to work remotely

Sometimes you simply need another place to work

Working from home offers freedom and removes the commute, but household distractions can quickly find their way into the working day. Going into the office provides more separation, although the journey takes time and costs money. A café can offer a useful change of scene, but noise, limited seating and the search for a power socket can make it difficult to stay for long.

Sometimes, what you need is simply another place to work.

Think about the work before choosing the location

A 2026 review brought together findings from 82 studies on working from home and productivity. It found a small positive effect overall, but the results differed depending on people’s circumstances and working environments.

The truth is that this distinction matters. Working from home is not automatically productive or unproductive. The important question is whether your current environment supports the work you need to complete.

Home might be ideal for calls, emails and lighter administrative work. Somewhere quieter may suit you better when you need to write, study, prepare an application or finish something you have been carrying from one day to the next. Instead of asking where you are supposed to work, ask: what does today’s work need?

Notice when home is making the work harder

A change of location may help when household tasks repeatedly interrupt your attention, work and personal time start blending together, or you keep moving between rooms without properly settling. You may want some company without entering a busy office, or simply need your working day to have a clearer beginning and end.

Changing location will not complete the work for you. It can remove some of the smaller distractions and decisions that make starting more difficult.

Create a working pattern that fits your life

Using a workspace does not have to become a daily commitment. You might book one for an important deadline, make it part of your weekly routine or use it whenever working from home stops being useful.

Before you arrive, decide what you want to leave having completed. Bring the files and equipment you need, then choose whether an accountability check-in would be helpful.

Some people appreciate stating their intention at the beginning of the day. Others simply need a suitable desk and a place to get through an ordinary 9-to-5. Both are valid ways to use the space.

A different place to get your work done

LOCKED IN by TWOSC offers a small Birmingham workspace with four customer places. Your desk includes a monitor, fast Wi-Fi, power and noise-cancelling headphones.

A full workspace day costs £7, with optional accountability support available when you want it. View the available Birmingham workspace days and choose a date that fits your work.