Outdoor Office Setup A-Z: 17 Tips Must Have

Outdoor offices have been gaining popularity since the pandemic started. People had to get used to working from home and realized that being home all day could significantly affect their productivity. Therefore, they've started looking for ways to make their working days more enjoyable and found out that an outdoor office setup was a fantastic way of staying relaxed and focused throughout the whole day. 

However, if having an office in your yard sounds strange to you, don't worry, as not many people are familiar with this concept. Nonetheless, that doesn't mean you can't try it, which is why we created this guide that's meant to teach you the best way to create your own home garden office. Let’s learn how to work outside with us!

Why Should You Work Outdoors?

There are scientific reasons why you should try working outdoors. It was proven that being trapped in our homes has made us develop a "nature deficit disorder," which translates into emotional distress, depression, and anxiety caused by not spending time outside. 

In addition, spending time outside can do wonders for your physical health. It is fantastic for your heart, as it lowers your blood pressure and boosts your immune function. Additionally, it has been proven to make you more productive and enhance your focus and creativity. 

Being outside can feel like "a drop of morphine for your brain," says Eva M. Selhub, a Harvard physician. She explains that being outside stimulates the reward neurons in your brain and lowers your stress and cortisol, which causes all the previously described benefits. 

When you deal with less stress in your everyday life, you have much more enjoyable working hours, as it allows ideas to flow freely, and you fight back fatigue and creative blocks. Something as simple as spending only 20 minutes outside can boost your brain to be much more productive. Can you imagine the benefits of having an outdoor office setup? 

Best Outdoor Setup Tips for You

If this sounds appealing to you and you want to incorporate an outdoor office setup into your life, you've come to the right place, as the following steps are meant to show you how to create the best outdoor desk setup and increase your happiness and productivity. 

1. Reduce the Glare

Something that can cause home office workers to be unproductive is the stressful eye strain caused by staring at a screen for too long. Moreover, when you have an outside office, you're also going to be fighting against sunshine, which may reflect on your eyes or computer screen. 

If you want to avoid this, the best thing to do is to find a place without direct sunlight or where you can enjoy a nice shade. However, if this isn't possible, you can always buy an umbrella to protect you from the sun or an anti-glare screen protector to reduce the shine. 

2. Use Weatherproof Furniture

Having an outside office also implies that all your furniture is going to be exposed to the passing of time and weather. Although you may take your electronics inside, the chances are that your furniture is going to always remain in the same place, which is why you should consider your city's weather before committing to a specific piece of modern office furniture. 

Keep in mind that the sun can make colors look worn out over time, and too much rain can make your furniture grow moss and rot. Therefore, finding materials that aren't going to break or wear out in these environments is the best way to go. 

3. Boost the WiFi

Most people tend to have their WiFi set to supply their whole house with internet, but sometimes the signal tends to be relatively low in their backyards. If this is the case, please make sure to get a signal or WiFi booster, as this is going to avoid you losing time waiting for things to load and buffering. 

This is especially useful for big houses, as WiFi routers can rarely get to all of their corners with all the power you need to have a successful day at work. 

4. Protect Your Electronics

Don't forget that direct exposure to natural elements can also damage your electronics. Sunlight can overheat your laptop and make it shut down, and rain can damage any other electronics you place in your workspace. Therefore, using umbrellas and other protective elements is a must to avoid damaged items. 

5. Create Heat

If you thought rain and sun were the only things you needed to worry about, think again. In winter, it can get so cold you may not be able to enjoy your outside working station, which is why finding a good outdoor patio heater can be a lifesaver in these situations. 

These devices are going to help you fight back chilly winds and allow you to feel as cozy as in spring. All you have to do is set one up and get a hot chocolate to enjoy your day in your outside working station. 

6. Get an Office Pod

Office pods or work pods are the best way to create a fantastic home office environment outside of your house. These pods are small offices you can customize to get the best possible working experience. 

You can get a soundproof pod to ensure you don't get distracted during your day, or you could get one that blends in with nature to get the whole outside working station experience. Either way, getting an Autonomous Pod is the best way to make you feel like you have an office in your home. 

7. Take Care of Your Ergonomics

Just because you're outside, it doesn't mean you should forget about the importance of having ergonomic support to not hurt yourself. Your health and wellbeing should always be put first, which is why you should get a good ergonomic set that adapts to your body and allows you to stay active throughout your day. 

We recommend you check out the Autonomous desks and chairs on our website and find the one that adapts better to your needs. 

8. Use an Outdoor Rug

Outdoor rugs are one of the best aesthetic additions you can get for your outside office setup, as it gives a pop of color and a different texture to your garden, which helps you set the mood for working. Moreover, it gives you all the comfort you need to be comfortably barefoot during your working sessions and zoom meetings. 

9. Arrange the Furniture

Something that may prevent you from getting an outdoor office setup is the lack of privacy, as the chances are that you may share this space with neighbors who walk by or other members of your family. All of these distractions could make you unproductive, and although getting an outdoor office shed is the best way to go, there's a way to mimic the effect of privacy with your furniture. 

You only have to be strategic enough and find a way to arrange your furniture to create a box-like shape. This is going to give you a sense of privacy, and it is meant to feel as if you were in a real office. 

10. Power up the Setup

Having an aesthetic setup isn't useful if you have no power source. Otherwise, you're going to rely on your smart office device's battery, and we all know those batteries don't last an entire day. 

Suppose you want to avoid this unpleasant situation. In that case, you should consider getting one of Rock Solar power stations, as they are highly durable batteries that can provide power to the entirety of your setup. In addition, they use solar energy, so you don't have to worry about recharging them as often as other power stations. 

Another option to power up your setup is to use an extension cord from your house, but this can look rather unappealing and can be dangerous if someone trips over the cable. 

11. Keep Your Tech Elements Cool

Too much heat can potentially damage your electronics, which is why you need to be careful not to overexpose them even though you may not feel the heat. The umbrella we discussed earlier could work great for these cases, but if your electronics keep getting overheated, a good addition could be a cooling pad. These are flat surfaces that you place beneath your laptop to cool it down and prevent it from getting damaged. 

12. Find a Desk

Some people don't use their gardens a lot, which would explain why they lack a proper desk for their outside office. If that's your case, don't worry, as Autonomous has a wide variety of outdoor furniture for you to pick from. 

Make sure to get a desk that's both aesthetically pleasing and suitable for working on it, as it is going to become part of your garden decoration, and you need it to be comfortable enough to spend the majority of your days using it. 

13. Consider the Noise

You may be lucky enough to live in a rather quiet area, but if this isn't your case and you have loud neighbors or a highway nearby, you're going to need to find a way to reduce the noise in your outside office setup. 

One good option is to get an Autonomous soundproof office pod for your outdoor office setup, as these devices are entirely soundproof and allow you to have a full immersive office experience. However, if you prefer a much cheaper option, getting soundproof headphones or earbuds should help you focus on your work. 

14. Separate Work and Play

Gardens and backyards are usually used to have fun and create beautiful experiences with your friends and family, so using them to work can confuse your brain and make it easier for you to get distracted. 

If that happens, the best thing to do is to set up a schedule where you know nothing is going to be happening in your garden or outside desk setup and make it a habit for you to work during those hours. 

Moreover, the entire setup and aesthetic should get you in a productive mood, so try to avoid distracting furniture that makes you want to sit back and relax when you shouldn't.

15. Find Proper Seating

Just like finding a good outside desk setup option for your outdoor office setup, buying a chair that meets your needs is important too. People tend to forget about this, and they just buy any garden chair that fits their desired aesthetic, but a chair without ergonomic support is as good as not having one. 

If you want to ensure you don't get hurt during your working hours, you need to get a highly adjustable chair that allows you to have your feet completely flat against the ground and your elbows resting at a 90-degree angle. Moreover, you should always make sure your chair has neck and lumbar support, as these are the areas that tend to get hurt the most during working sessions. 

16. Smart Lighting

If you're a night owl and prefer working during the night, you need to consider how much light you're going to need. Otherwise, you could end up working in the shadows. Once you've figured this out, you need to install a good lighting system that allows you to see everything you need. Preferably, don't place the lights directly behind you, as this could create the wrong visual effect and strain your eyesight even more. 

Moreover, please avoid candles and similar items in your outdoor office setup, as the nighttime tends to be super windy, and they could get easily blown out. 

17. Useful Storage

If you work with a ton of paperwork, you probably don't want all those important documents flying around whenever a slight breeze comes around. That's why you need to make sure to keep some helpful storage around you, such as drawers or some extra boxes. 

Bottom Line

Outdoor office setups are a fantastic addition to any home office worker who's tired of being inside all day. Keep in mind that if you want to build your outside desk station, you can always check out our store to see all the fantastic deals we have for you. 

You can also see them at our Autonomous Showroom and Work Pod Showroom tour.