I worked from coffee shops for 6 months as a solo founder. Being a solo founder was incredibly lonely, and sitting at home made that worse. Going to coffee shops and being surrounded by other people working on their own gigs was energizing.

Now that I'm working at a 2 person startup, I still work from coffee shops ~2 days a week. It's a great change of scenery from the office. I plug in headphones, get a caffeine buzz going, and can be very productive without being distracted.

The coffee shop matters a lot. I disagree with the author's opinion that national chains are best. Starbucks tends to have terrible WiFi, average coffee, and feels soulless. You have to explore your city to find the right balance of WiFi, ambiance, coffee, and power outlets. I was spoiled living in Seattle - I imagine that search takes a bit more effort somewhere like DC :)

GeekAtSea has an excellent post about Seattle coffee shops: http://www.geekatsea.com/best-coffee-shops-in-Seattle