Tired of your desk decor? If you have the option to move while you work, consider shifting scenes by setting up shop at a local cafe. Working from a cafe can help you generate better ideas, bring your focus in when it has gone astray, and work with productive people around you (sometimes this can be motivation).

The only problem with a cafe setting is public WiFi, which is (to say the least) not reliable, fast, or wonderful. What can you do if you've made the trek to a cafe already, and you desperately need to work (but can't thanks to a slow connection?

A Trick That Works

If you have the right phone and the right carrier, you can turn your phone into a personal hotspot. I know that this isn't the newest or most earth shattering idea out there, but a lot of you probably aren't sure how to turn your phone into a hotspot, right? So, let me break it down simply for you.

iPhone HotSpot Setup:

1. Go to your 'Settings' app
2. Choose 'hotspot'
3. Select the name of your phone from your WiFi connection options.
4. Enter your password.
5. Voila! You now have a super fast connection that's secure and all your own.

What if you have an Android phone?

Android Setup:

Some Android phones can turn into helpful little hotspots, but it does depend on the type of phone that you have. But, the setup here is basically the same.

1. Find your settings option.
2. See if you can turn your phone into a hotspot.
3. Enter your password and go to work.

What About Your Carrier?

If you can, technically, turn your phone into a hotspot (if it's possible to do so), you'll also have to have a carrier that allows you to suck some data by using your phone as a secure Internet connection. If this isn't allowed by your carrier, you're out of luck, and you'll have to go for that public WiFi. Sorry.

How much data does setting up a personal hotspot consume? This depends on what you're doing. If you're just typing out a really great and helpful article (yes, like this one!), you probably aren't taking a ton of data. If you decide to start downloading files like mad, you're going to consume a lot more data.

Keep Watch Over Your Data

Even though your hotspot should be locked down with a personal password, be skeptical if someone else suddenly appears on your network. In that case, make sure to change the password right away, and make double sure that your hotspot isn't public.

Now that you have your own little network, you can go about your work. This is a tip that isn't new, but it's one that's often forgotten in the face of being extremely frustrated by a really slow public connection. Got any other public WiFi tips for people suffering from very slow connections? Who know, those people could be reading your comments right now!