After making the transition to working from home a number of years back I had few regrets. What’s not to love about a flexible work schedule, more home time and being your own boss?
If you agree, you’re not alone. Upwork estimates that 22% of the entire American workforce will be working remotely by 2025. That’s a staggering number. People want to change their work-life-balance to better fit their needs and the needs of their family.
Another great reason to work from home is that you can get outside and enjoy the sunshine whenever you want. You can even take your office outdoors if you want to.
Fresh air and a cool breeze can really improve your mood and that’s bound to make you more productive. With young children in the house it might be the only quiet space you can find to get some work done.
If working outside in your own backyard sounds like a good idea, here are 21 tips for creating an outdoor office at home.
1| Keep Your Outdoor Office in the Shade
When I first started working outdoors our gazebo seemed like the ideal solution. It provided plenty of shade and protection from the worst of the sun’s direct rays. So I’d definitely recommend a good gazebo for your outdoor workspace.
If you want to reduce the budget a bit, even a large patio umbrella can do the trick. You do need something large enough to provide reasonable cover while you work though — a small umbrella won’t cut it.
2| Use Outdoor Fans to Keep Your Outdoor Office Space Cool
Even with some decent shade it can be hard to keep cool on those hot humid days with little or no breeze. I know from experience, it’s almost impossible to concentrate and stay productive when working outdoors in these conditions.
One simple solution I came up with was to drag my stand-up fan from my indoor office outside to create my own breeze. When you put it on a gentle setting it provides just enough relief to cool you off and it allows you to concentrate on your work.
If you have a hard top gazebo or a sunroom you might even want to consider a ceiling fan. That way the air’s pushed from overhead instead of directly in your face. You still get cooled off, without having to worry about eye irritation.
3| Reduce Glare in Your Outdoor Office Space
In the mid to late afternoon it can be a challenge to find a shady spot — even if you’re working in a gazebo. That makes it harder to keep the glare off your computer or tablet screen. You do have some options to deal with this though.
Around our gazebo we have a set of gazebo curtains. When the sun gets too much, we just close the curtains on that side. The only problem with this solution is that it can get quite hot inside those curtains. Another option is to purchase an anti-glare screen cover for your laptop or tablet.
4| Create a Private Working Space Outdoors
It isn’t easy recreating the privacy of an indoor home office outdoors, but it is possible. Gazebo curtains can help here as well. When I’m working I just draw the curtains on the sides and leave the front open. It provides me with plenty of privacy, but it still allows some air to flow.
Another option is a privacy screen. The great thing about privacy screens is that they still allow air to flow around them and they’re easy to fold away when you don’t need to use them. They can really spruce up the look of your patio workspace as well.
5| Choose Comfortable Ergonomic Furniture for Outdoor Work
The first thing I noticed when I started working on my laptop in my backyard was that it just wasn’t comfortable. My patio chairs were good, but the pillows were getting old and they weren’t providing enough of a cushion. It might be great to work outside, but you still have to worry about ergonomics.
If you’re going to create an outdoor office space where you can do your best work, you can’t forget about your personal comfort. You’ll want to look for high back patio chairs with comfortable cushions. A quality lumbar support pillow is a good idea as well.
We’ve written a recent article all about creating a comfortable backyard office you can check out if you’d like some more helpful tips on setting up a cozy workspace.
6| Waterproof Furniture is Important in an Outdoor Office Space
It’s hard to keep the elements out completely when you’re working outside — unless you’re in an enclosed sunroom of course. They’re great, but they’re also expensive.
A more affordable solution is to make sure you have a good set of weatherproof patio furniture. Traditionally most patio furniture was metal with a rust proof coating. The problem is, that rust proof coating will wear off eventually. Alternatively you may want to consider a wicker patio furniture set.
7| Choose a Good Working Surface for Your Outdoor Office
You might not be able to take your office desk outside, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a good work surface in your outdoor office space. There are some great options that you can use outside and none of them are expensive. Here are our three main recommendations:
A Folding Desk
These are ideal when you want a full traditional desk setup. They’re also lightweight and easy to carry. When you’re not using it, you can just fold it up and store it in the shed.
A Mobile Standing Desk
If you’ve been thinking about making the switch to a standing desk, you can, even if you’re working outside. Mobile standing desks are a great solution. These are height adjustable, they’re on wheels and they’re lightweight. There’s no reason you can’t use one both indoors and outdoors.
A Lap Desk
Perhaps the simplest solution when working outside is a lap desk. Most of them have a wrist rest for comfort, a spot you can slide your tablet or phone into and enough surface space for your laptop and mouse.
8| Use Lighting to Work in an Outdoor Office at Night
At times you may want to extend your outdoor work session into the evening. I do it at least a couple of times a week. Instead of struggling to see your screen in the dark and wondering what creatures might be lurking under your feet you can simply add some outdoor lighting.
We use rope lighting around our gazebo. They provide plenty of illumination and they blend nicely into the background. You can find them in lots of different colors to match your decor and at different lengths to fit your gazebo, shed or other outdoor structure.
9| Keep Bugs and Pests Away from Your Outdoor Office Space
One thing you can’t avoid when you’re working outside are the bugs and other pests. Patio lights can help to keep the animals away when you’re working at night, but they won’t stop the bugs.
Bug zappers can help keep the flys away, but in the hot humid summer months mosquitoes are usually a bigger problem. There are some great mosquito repellents to choose from these days and they’re relatively inexpensive. If you’re planning on working in the backyard at night, it’s a good solution to a common problem.
10| Improve Your Wi-Fi Connection While Working Outside
When you’re working outside on your laptop a good Wi-Fi signal is crucial. It’s hard to be productive if you can’t access the information you need when you need it.
If you’re working near your router you may not need to do anything special to get a good signal. If you’re having trouble though, a Wi-Fi booster should do the trick. This really helps if you’re working in a converted shed office located at the back of your yard, away from the house.
11| Protect Your Outdoor Tech from the Weather
When it starts to rain I don’t automatically pack up the laptop and head inside. Instead, I draw the curtains on the gazebo and move my chair a little closer to the center away from the edges. If you don’t want to invest in a gazebo you can actually buy a hood shield that works pretty well. They help with glare reduction as well.
12| Choose a Waterproof Backpack for Your Tech
While it probably isn’t a good idea to test how waterproof your laptop is by working in the rain, it is a good idea to have a backpack or laptop case to store it in that is waterproof. You may only be working in the backyard, but it comes in handy when a quick rainstorm moves in. It also helps to keep everything organized.
13| Consider a Backyard Shed for Your Outdoor Office
If you’re willing to invest in the ideal outdoor office, you can convert an existing shed or build a new one designed for use as an outdoor workspace. There are even Garden Igloos that provide full protection from the elements while allowing you to soak up the sun while you work!
14 | Use Patio Heating to Extend Your Backyard Office Working Months
As fall approaches in Northern climates, it can get a bit too cool to work outside comfortably. If you’re not willing to head back indoors just yet, you could always invest in a patio heater. There are some nice ones that will add a bit of style to your patio as well.
15| You Need a Reliable Power Source for Your Backyard Office
One of the strangest things about our backyard is that there’s no outdoor outlet. It’s a pain when you need to plug in your laptop or tablet. For a while, we were using an extension reel with four outlets and that worked great.
Recently, we’ve switched over to a small portable generator that can also be recharged using a solar panel. Either one of these works well if you need a creative solution as a power source for your backyard office.
16| Create a Quiet Zone When Working Outside with Noise Canceling Headphones
As nice as it is to work outside in your own backyard, you can’t always control the noise. The neighbor’s dog doesn’t care that you’re working on an important project for a client. When it feels the need to bark at a squirrel, it will.
The easiest way to deal with noise you can’t control in an outdoor environment is to get yourself a decent pair of noise canceling headphones or earbuds. Believe me, they come in handy if you want to work outside and the neighbor’s having their roof replaced.
17| Find Safe and Waterproof Storage Solutions for Your Outdoor Office
If you’re going to make your outdoor space your main office in warm weather you don’t want to be hauling all of the tools of your trade in and out whenever you take a break. It’s inconvenient and time consuming. The simple solution to this problem is a waterproof storage box for your patio. Ours gets a lot of use in the summer!
18| Don’t forget to take Breaks and Stretch
While it isn’t a tangible tip for your outdoor office space like most of the ideas on this list, taking a break once in a while is important. Scheduling regular breaks to get up, walk around and stretch your legs. It’s good for the body and good for your mental state. When you’re creating your outdoor office space it’s something that should always be in the back of your mind.
19| Deal With Feelings of Isolation When Working from Home Don’t Ignore Them
Another problem many of us have to deal with when working from home are feelings of isolation. We might not miss the boss looking over our shoulder, but we do miss our coworkers.
A great way to deal with the loneliness associated with working at home is to reach out to clients and partners from time to time via video calls. You can do this with an app on your laptop, tablet, phone or a stand alone device such as the Echo Show.
20| Make Your Outdoor Workspace More Comfortable With an Outdoor Rug
Ambience and comfort are both important for your outdoor workspace. Adding an outdoor rug to your patio helps with both of these. It’s much nicer having the feel of a comfortable rug under your feet instead of those cold, hard concrete patio stones.
21| Save Money on Your Outdoor Workspace With Budget Friendly Solutions
Creating a great outdoor workspace doesn’t have to cost a fortune. There are tons of budget friendly solutions you can use to set up your outdoor workspace such as folding patio chairs and folding tables. You can always upgrade your outdoor office furniture later when there’s more room in the budget.
