If you are a young entrepreneur bootstrapping a start-up in Boston your last thought should be about finding office space.  Personally, thanks to a lack of funds for renting an office or getting a desk at a co-working space, I’ve spent my fair share of time finding the most productive spots around town to get work done.

A few quick notes before we get to the work hot spots.  I judge every place based on a few things… WiFi access, energy level and tolerance.

WiFi - There had better be a connection and it had better be free

Energy Level - I go to these locations because I want to be surrounded by other motivated people

Tolerance - How many hours can I park myself at a table, only having purchased a small coffee, before I’m given the boot?

So here are my Favorite 4 (yes, I love alliteration).   Now because I’ve lived in the Back Bay/South End for the past year they are pretty much located within a 10 minute walking distance of my house.  I would love to hear where everyone else goes… Brighton? Cambridge?

Starbucks Boylston
Now many people might be saying, ‘Cort, there’s no free WiFi at Starbucks, how could you possibly even put this on the list?’  Because I usually buy a coffee to get my caffeine high on before hammering the keys, there is a way to get ‘free’ WiFi for a month by buying a small coffee.  Just grab a gift card at the counter, throw 5 bucks on it and use it to buy a coffee.  Once you use the card you can activate an account through AT&T’s network to get a month’s worth of WiFi access.

So now that we have that out of the way, the Starbucks on Boylston offers a ton of space, tons of people constantly pouring through the doors and lots of friendly conversation.  There are always students hanging out getting work done and even better, I’ve met several people working on their start-ups at their antique dinning room table.  Plus let’s face it, you can park yourself at Starbucks all day without buying anything.

Trident Cafe
If you have never been to Trident you need to get over there.  I think it’s a fantastic night owl location to hammer out work.  Aside from great diner style food (for the times when you need to eat something during your 6 hour work stint) and awesome wait staff, the bar offers the perfect work location.  There are mounted power strips under the bar to plug your computer into, there’s free WiFi for as many hours as you can stay focused and I’ve gone there many times only spending a couple dollars (yes I leave a good tip) and have never gotten the evil eyes.

Cafe 939
This is possibly my favorite spot.  Cafe 939 is owned by Berklee so the food is super cheap, the setup is conducive to getting work done and students are always in there rocking out on their instruments (these kids have talent!).  Make sure though if you do go to sit in the front of the room so you can access the Hynes WiFi, otherwise you might be in trouble.  The only downside to this place are the hours.  It’s usually closed on the weekends and when school isn’t in session.  But when it is open I recommend getting in there.

Boston Public Library
There is nothing better than sitting in the reading room at the BPL.  It could be one of the most beautiful settings in Boston and it’s free for all of us to use.  There are always a ton of people in there studying, working and reading which is motivation enough for me to get myself in gear.  Naturally the WiFi is free and you can stay there for as long as you want.

So there are the spots where you will find me working.  Where does everyone else go to be productive?