With the sun shining and temperatures starting to rise, why stay indoors all day? Whether you have a tiny balcony or a huge yard, moving your home office outside will provide you with a welcome change of scenery, beneficial to your physical and mental health.
Here are eight tips to help you create an outdoor home office that will be comfortable, functional, and weatherproof.
1. Set up a workstation
An open-air office requires outdoor furniture that is both comfortable and practical. Muskoka chairs and hammocks are probably great for weekends, but your posture is sure to suffer during a day’s work. Set up your workspace with a sturdy wood or metal table that wo n’t rust over time and an ergonomic chair with supportive cushions (including a lumbar pad) in weather-resistant fabrics that will resist dirt, to water and exposure to the sun.
2. Add Shade
Hours of direct sunlight are not good for your skin or your computer equipment. High temperatures can drain the battery life of your devices and lead to overheating and long-term damage. Use curtains, a large umbrella or awnings to create some privacy and provide shade, essential to protect you and your technology from the sun’s rays.
3. Boost Your Technology
Whether you’re working on a tablet, laptop, or multiple monitors, your outdoor office needs a power source to keep your electronics charged and ready for whatever your workday throws at you. . If possible, locate your outdoor workstation near an outdoor outlet. You can also use an outdoor extension cord or buy a portable power station that you can use to power yourself throughout the day.
4. Reduce Glare
Computer screens can be harsh on the eyes and are especially difficult to see in a sunny environment. Squinting at an overexposed screen for hours on end can lead to eye strain and headaches – not to mention wrinkles! Protect your eyes by investing in an anti-glare cover for your laptop or desktop monitor, which will help reduce glare significantly.
5. Give your Wi-Fi a boost
Depending on the location of your internet router, your outdoor wireless signal may not be reliable or strong enough to support video streaming and conference calls. If your garden is a bit out of range, give your bandwidth a boost with a Wi-Fi range extender or mesh network system.
6. Keep Bugs Away
Working outdoors means sharing your workspace with flies, ants, mosquitoes , wasps, and other annoying insects. Keep unwanted coworkers away with citronella candles or mosquito coils and use a desk fan to create airflow that will keep pests away. If your outdoor space is particularly heavy with insects, consider protecting your workstation with a mosquito net.
7. Decorate your workspace
Decorative accessories can define your outdoor office and make it feel like an extension of your indoor living space. An outdoor rug, lanterns, brightly colored cushions and colorful hanging flower baskets will create a welcoming environment and provide a beautiful backdrop for your video calls.
8. Build a Permanent Outdoor Office
If you plan to work remotely for the foreseeable future, consider investing in a pre-fabricated office shelter or weatherproof module for your backyard. These innovative and environmentally friendly structures can be customized to meet your needs and provide homeowners with a compact indoor-outdoor workspace that is convenient for long-term use.