Headphones on vs. speakers off: how I finally left my solo coffee shop bubble

Used to sit at Blue Bottle in San Francisco with noise-canceling headphones on from open to close, basically a hermit with a laptop. Switched to no headphones and speakers off about 4 months ago, and now I chat with at least 2 strangers every visit, even traded playlists with a barista named Jess. What pushed me was realizing I'd gone 3 weeks without a single conversation, which felt weird for a place that's supposed to be social. So which side are you on: full isolation mode or open to the room? Has anyone else made that flip and actually stuck with it?

1 comments

1 Comment

the_eric10d ago

Man that hit hard. I did the same flip and now it feels weird going back.