I’ve been working from a coworking café recently. On my first day, I carefully chose what I thought was the perfect table. But over the next few days, I noticed something strange: I was putting pressure on myself to arrive early just to claim that same spot.

One morning, I had another commitment and couldn’t make it there until late. By the time I arrived, only one seat by the window was left. I had always assumed it would be too distracting since the café sits on a busy street. But the experience turned out to be quite different from what I imagined. The window seat had its own charm. It was tucked into a small alcove, sheltered from the airflow that used to bother me at my usual spot. Watching people pass by wasn’t distracting at all; it was actually pleasant during breaks. And there was more natural light.

Following this experience, I made a deal with myself to approach my time at the cafe with curiosity. I was going to be open to sitting in different sections of the coworking space, with the intention to observe positives and negatives about each part. I was going to approach it with curiosity. As I started to experience different seats, I’ve started to notice differences in temperature, desk size, seat comfort, lighting, and noise. This mindset shift made the whole experience more playful, and took away the pressure of getting there early.

In the end, clinging to one seat felt like winning the battle but losing the war. My real goal wasn’t to secure the same spot every day — it was to relax and enjoy my time during this trip.