As someone who spent the better part of the last decade working remotely, and having read tens of rants about open office floor plans with which I agree 100%, I think that the problem here is that there is no Silver Bullet. Those of us who prefer a results only work environment will never thrive in an open office, and those of us who need human contact will not thrive in a results only work environment.
More likely if you're reading this, you're somewhere between those two extremes. I'm an introvert when I need to get things done, but I'm an extrovert everywhere else. I have seen just as many people crash and burn trying to motivate themselves while working remotely as I have seen people go quietly nuts in an open office.
I am going to be working from a co-working space in the near future, but I suspect that I will still need to spend significant amounts of time on my own in my home office if I want to stay productive. I don't expect that solution to work for anyone else, but after nearly two decades in the software industry, I know what works for me.
I like traveling, so working remotely from Australia for a couple of months, then switching things up in Japan for a while works well for me. I haven't been able to do that for a few years though, since my current employer likes to see everyone in the office at least once a week.
More likely if you're reading this, you're somewhere between those two extremes. I'm an introvert when I need to get things done, but I'm an extrovert everywhere else. I have seen just as many people crash and burn trying to motivate themselves while working remotely as I have seen people go quietly nuts in an open office.
I am going to be working from a co-working space in the near future, but I suspect that I will still need to spend significant amounts of time on my own in my home office if I want to stay productive. I don't expect that solution to work for anyone else, but after nearly two decades in the software industry, I know what works for me.