Insights

Cagongjok, Coffee, and Collaboration: Make More Of Your Office

13.08.25

Author: James Thomlinson

13.08.25

Absolutely love this story – made me laugh.

In South Korea, Starbucks has had to ask people to stop bringing in printers, desktop computers… even desk partitions. The trend is called cagongjok (working from cafes) – and some have basically been running full-blown offices between the lattes and lemon drizzle.

It did make me reflect on the importance of having an office.

Since setting up Sprint Partners Consultancy (and not having one), I’ve definitely missed the buzz of being around other people – moments to joke around, stress-test ideas, solve problems together, and stumble into unplanned collaborative brilliance.

I don’t miss all the internal meetings though – so here are a few quick tips to make the most of them (or not):

✅ Ask first: Does this really need a meeting?
✅ Check yourself: Do you need to be there?
✅ Trim the list: Only invite who’s essential.
✅ Come prepared: Agenda, priorities, timings.
✅ Keep it tight: Shorter meetings, richer discussions.
✅ Don’t be late!

For now, if I need a spot to get my head down between meetings, JOE & THE JUICE is my go-to. Hit me up if you’re ever struggling to find one 🙂

BBC story here: https://lnkd.in/eUEbUKWF

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