Working From a Cafe All Day? Sort Out Your Pockets Before You Decide What to Wear

The table by the power socket finally frees up. You rush over: laptop under one arm, coffee in hand, charger cable looped around your wrist. Half an hour later, a video call with a client is five minutes away, and your earbud case is nowhere to be found.

It turns out the case is still down the side of the sofa at your old table. That sofa has since been taken over by four uni students working on a group assignment, and you have no choice but to apologise and fish around between them.

Plenty of people assume that choosing what to wear for a day of working from a cafe comes down to one thing: whether it looks presentable. The small stuff? That's what the bag is for.

Every Time You Get Up, Your Bag Stays on the Chair

Working from a cafe rarely means sitting still until late afternoon. You get up to order a second drink, go to the toilet, take a call out on the terrace, or move tables because the sun has started coming in through the window. Your bag and laptop usually wait for you on the chair.

Yet what you need on all those trips back and forth is the small stuff: your phone or card to pay at the counter, your earbuds for the call that comes in while you're still in the queue. These are also the things most often left on the table when you move.

So here's the rule. Whatever you need on your feet goes in your pockets. Whatever you only use sitting down can stay in the bag.

Phone in One Front Pocket, Card in the Other

Put your phone in one front pocket of your trousers. Your card and car park ticket go in the other front pocket, or in the small coin pocket inside it if your trousers have one. The earbud case can share the card pocket. Leave your back pockets empty. Sitting on your phone for three hours is no fun, and a back pocket is the quickest way for a phone to end up on the toilet floor.

Before you head out, try sitting back on your sofa at home with your phone in a front pocket. If it's already poking halfway out, that pocket is too shallow for a soft cafe sofa. A round, slippery earbud case will slide out even sooner.

If you don't like bulging pockets, a small sling bag works too. There's just one condition: it stays slung across your body every time you get up.

Jacket Pockets Only Work While You're Wearing the Jacket

Cafe air-con is often too cold, especially if your table sits right under the vent. A denim jacket is enough to keep the chill off, and its chest pocket is just the right size for an earbud case. The black denim jacket from the Work Denim Jacket line, for example, has a flap over its chest pocket, so the case won't easily fall out when you lean over your laptop.

It's a different story once you take the jacket off and hang it on the back of your chair. Move whatever's in its pockets into your trousers first. A jacket on the back of a chair is no different from anything else left on the table: it doesn't come to the counter with you.

Chinos Are Comfortable for Sitting All Day

When it comes to trousers, chinos are a safe choice. Made from cotton with a diagonal twill weave, they're comfortable through long hours of sitting and still look neat when you stand up to shake a client's hand. The navy blue chinos and the coffee-brown version are both easy to pair with a denim jacket, a plain T-shirt or a button-up shirt.

One more habit: pat both front pockets every time you leave the sofa. It's a lot easier than apologising to four uni students.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I wear a T-shirt or a button-up shirt to work from a cafe?

Either is fine. Go for the shirt if you have a client meeting or a video call that day. If it's just you and your laptop until late afternoon, a plain T-shirt will do.

Can I wear shorts to work from a cafe?

Yes, most cafes won't mind. The bigger issue is the air-con, because bare legs get cold quickly when you sit for hours. If you're meeting a client, trousers are the safer choice.

Won't a phone in my front pocket get uncomfortable after hours of sitting?

If it starts pressing into the top of your thigh, just leave it on the table while you're sitting. What matters is that it goes back in your pocket every time you stand up.

Where should I keep a thick wallet?

In your bag, with your laptop. Take out the one card you usually pay with and keep it in a front pocket. Sitting on a thick wallet for hours tilts you to one side, and your lower back soon starts to ache.

What kind of bag is most practical for working from a cafe?

Either a backpack or a tote works, as long as it fits your laptop and has a small separate pocket for your charger cable. When you move tables, the cable goes straight into that pocket, so nothing gets left behind under the chair.