As work-from-home jobs are becoming more and more prevalent, many people are looking for new ways to keep the experience interesting. This has resulted in an interesting new trend: the backyard office. Quite literally an entire office space set up in your own backyard. The outdoor office offers a number of benefits over simply working inside your house, but there are also a number of considerations to ensure you keep things running smoothly. Take a look at our top 7 tips for backyard office!
1. Solve the Noise Problem
The main drawback to an backyard office space is the noise. Unlike an indoor environment, it’s much harder to control the ambient noise level, and loud. Sudden sounds will be much more frequent. If you just go outside with your laptop and set up shop, you’ll likely become frustrated as these noises break your focus. So you’ll need to figure out a way to counteract it.
If you want to keep it simple, just invest in a pair of noise-canceling headphones, earbuds, or earplugs. They’ll stop any outside sounds from interfering with your work, and can be easily moved to different locations if you want to move around the backyard as you work. If you want something more permanent, though, you can invest in an outdoor cubicle or work shed and soundproof it by hand. (More on that later!) Either way, once you’ve solved this problem, you can move on to designing the office itself.
2. Make Yourself Comfortable
If you really want to work productively in your backyard office, you need to establish an environment where you can feel relaxed and comfortable. This is another shortcoming of just working outdoors with no prior preparation. Oftentimes, the environment isn’t going to cater to your needs, and that can mean a less fulfilling outdoor office experience overall. If you’re going to work outdoors, be sure to pick up a well-built office chair that’ll support your back. It allows you to work for long periods of time without aches and pains.
In addition, be sure you have a way to adjust the temperature of your outdoor area, whether you need to warm up or cool down. Finally, keep other amenities like food and water nearby so you don’t have to run back inside whenever you need something.
3. Protect Against the Elements
As mentioned above, you can’t exactly control the elements. So in the event that they aren’t playing nice, you need a way to protect your work from them. Important papers and technology aren’t known for their resistance to rain. So be sure that if you’re working outside, you have a way to keep them safe. This may be in the form of a windscreen or even a tent, but whatever you decide on, it’s important that you have it readily available at all times.
4. Get Set Up for Longer Workdays
Though we touched on it earlier, it’s worth delving further into the details of an outdoor office that you can work in for long periods of time. Long workdays can be a slog sometimes. So if there’s anything you can do in your backyard office to make them a bit more palatable, you absolutely should. Whether that’s the food and drinks we mentioned above, a corner you can use as a break area, or something else entirely. Be sure that you have a way to make it through the tougher workdays without burning out.
5. Add More Standard Office Elements
If you have trouble getting into the work mindset while working from home, all you have to do is make your outdoor home office seem more like an actual office. Work in design elements that you’d see in a standard office, taking cues from the layout of an office desk, standard office decor accessories, and the like. From there, you should have a far easier time getting to work from your outdoor office.
6. Invest in an Outdoor Cubicle or Work Shed
As we mentioned near the beginning of the article, many people with work-from-home jobs choose to invest in outdoor cubicles or work sheds. Just as you’d expect, these are small shelters that can easily be converted into a compact home office. It allows for the efficiency of an indoor environment with all the perks of the outdoors. While they tend to be a bit on the pricey side, they’re a solid investment if you can afford them.
7. Make the Space Your Own
The most important part of decorating an outdoor home office, though, is that the space is yours. As long as you’re comfortable and can work effectively in your environment. Your home office environment is perfect, so just do whatever best meets your needs and suits your tastes!
Looking for more great tips, tricks, and products for home and office décor? Feel free to shop with us at HomeLoft today!
