You might want to do more things in your backyard if you’re lucky enough to own such an outdoor space. Bringing your work outdoors has a lot of benefits for your health and productivity. Many employees these days are working from home and this can solve to open more space indoors, especially if you have children who still take their classes online. This could lessen your distractions.
Before you finally decide to build your office outside your house, you want to consider the cost you might have to spend because working outdoors requires things you don’t usually need when you work indoors. But the best thing about working outdoors is you get to spend more time with nature.
This brings us to the list of what is required in building an outdoor office in your home.
1. Get weatherproof furniture
There are pieces of furniture that are designed indoors that can’t last outdoors, such as indoor recliners and tables, and velvet sofas. Indoor furniture is not designed to tolerate direct sunlight and weather and temperature changes, so opt for things that are meant to stay outdoors to stay away from damages and prolong the life of your furniture.
2. Prioritize your comfort
There is nothing more important than your comfort when you’re doing your work since it can impact your productivity and physical well-being as well. Having uncomfortable seats or a desk that isn’t the proper height can affect your focus and give you back and neck aches, which can lead to improper posture if extended.
Invest in the most comfortable chair for you and a table that is of appropriate height and width without neglecting to weatherproof. This way, you can concentrate on your work and prevent body aches, eye strain, and improper posture.
3. Protect yourself and your equipment
Aside from weatherproof furniture, you also want to think about how you’re going to protect yourself and your belongings from the sun. With both the screen and the sun being in your face all day, you can damage your eyes and your skin. Consider buying a laptop shade or an anti-glare screen protector. For your eyes, you can get a pair of glasses with both sun protection and blue light protection to prevent you from eye strain.
Have your designated work area roofed to protect you from the weather and the wind, whether it’s too much sun or the rain. You want to make sure that your space has the proper amount of shade and sun to get proper lighting during the daytime since you might still not see your laptop screen properly despite its maximum brightness setting. This can just strain your eyes and drain your battery quicker. One important reason that you decide to work outdoors is to save energy.
4. Don’t forget electricity and Wi-Fi connection
Power can be the last thing you remember since there’s a lot to do when building an outdoor living area and having electronics involved. You’re going to need an outlet near you to plug in your laptop and your other gadgets like your phone, tablet, and wireless headphones. It’s also important to remember to protect from too much heat exposure and getting it wet from the rain.
Outdoor spaces can be an area in your house that your Wi-Fi cannot reach if the connection isn’t strong enough. If this is the case, you can get a Wi-Fi extension or mesh network to keep your connection at the speed you need.
5. Consider adding proper lighting and heat
This is most applicable if you tend to work in the evening. You want to set up proper lighting to maintain your mood and focus, as well as your productivity. Even in the daytime, the sun shifts from time to time, so you want to get a ring light or a desk lamp if you often have video calls.
Especially if you’re living in a cold area and your nights are getting longer, you want to open a space for your outdoor heating to keep you warm. Besides, the sun isn’t the only weather problem. Well-built outdoor fire pits can also be used for family bonding time or entertainment whenever you have guests over.
Finally, arrange your furniture strategically
You can’t just place your furniture wherever you want. Consider the area where you want to place your workspace, whether an area has too much sun and wind exposure. Place your workstation in a spot where you’re most protected even when you already have proper roofing and walling, and whether you’re close enough to an outlet that your wire extension can reach.
You also want to the spot where there are the least distractions. Creating an outdoor workspace is supposed to improve your way of life so you should make it a place that you would love to be in every day.
