I Just Found a Way to Make Any Study Spot Feel Like a Cozy Coffee Shop (It’s So Soothing!)

I love so much about being a student — learning about topics I find fascinating, working hard to earn my degree, and exploring new study spots — and I’ve found that the more I romanticize studying (or really any kind of work), the more motivated and productive I am.

That usually looks like trying out new cafes for my study session, but doing that on a regular basis can get pretty expensive. So, when I saw this Tiktok video from @mathrilled introducing me to the website IMissMyLibrary, which creates a cozy, virtual study environment right on your laptop, you can imagine how excited I was. After trying it out, I can say it’s one of my new favorite ways to romanticize studying — all without leaving my home.

The IMissMyLibrary website has a minimalist, calming aesthetic that makes it easy to focus. According the site, it was coded by Ellie Xiang, a software engineer at Google, and it was inspired by similar sites, like IMissMyCafe. Despite its name, IMissMyLibrary it doesn’t only mimic being in a library, it has major coffee shop, cafe, and bookstore vibes, too.

The site recommends you use Chrome for the best experience, and when you go to the page, you’ll see it has just two sections: 

• A to-do list section where you can add tasks, check them off as you work, and watch them move from “Not Completed” to “Completed” as you progress through your list 
• A list of six sounds that you can play all at once to create a mix of background noise. You can also adjust the level of each sound or mute sounds entirely to create a relaxing romanticized work environment

Once you’ve made your plan of action by typing in tasks for your to-do list, it’s time to curate your soundscape. On the right side of the screen you’ll find six adjustable background sounds that let you recreate the atmosphere of your favorite library, cafe, or bookstore. You can turn them all on, and then figure out what you like best. You might really love exactly how it sounds with the preset levels, but you can also customize it. Whether you want a soft crackling fire, pages turning, or birds chirping, you can play around with the sounds and volumes to create your ideal study environment. 

When I sat down at my desk, I opened the IMissMyLibrary on my browser and started by adding all of the things I wanted to get done to the list on the left side of the screen. Things like: study Spanish, plan my next trip home, and even write this article. As I typed them out and hit enter, they were automatically categorized as “Not Completed.”

Then, I tested each background sound on its own at full volume. I wanted to hear each one individually before mixing and matching them, and my favorites ended up being “Rainy Weather” and “Typing on a Keyboard.”

I turned the rain up pretty high — I’m a sucker for those pitter-patter sound effects. Then, I added some “Fireplace Crackling” in the background, along with the sound of someone typing on a keyboard. Together, they made me feel like I was tucked away in a cozy cafe on a rainy afternoon.

After checking a few things off my to-do list — and satisfyingly seeing them move to the “Completed” section — I decided to switch up my soundscape. I turned on “Sunny Weather,” which features beautiful birdsong that reminded me of studying on my college’s grassy green quad. To make it feel even more like a college library, I added the subtle sounds of turning pages and writing on an iPad. It genuinely felt like I was back on campus studying with friends between classes, even while working from my apartment desk during summer break.

This was such a fun way to work through my to-do list without ever leaving my bedroom. The custom soundscape helped me stay focused without being overly distracting, and I loved how easy it was to tailor the atmosphere to match my mood or adjust to the task I was working on. As someone who loves spending hours studying in cafes, the only thing I’d add is the sound of a coffee maker brewing in the background. 

I especially loved marking my tasks as completed with the built-in checkmark feature — it made working through my list even more rewarding. I’ll definitely be using IMissMyLibrary again, whenever I need a productive (and cozy) study session at home.