Transform Your Patio Into a Perfect Home Office
If you work from home, you may get tired of working in your home office room everyday. Or maybe you just
want to be able to get out and enjoy the beautiful summer weather and warm climate while you work. If this is what
you desire, you can without doubt turn your patio into a functional workspace that is relaxing but allows you to
concentrate on your work. Here are some ideas that you need to change your patio into another home
office.
Furniture.
It will be a little hard to concentrate on your work when you are lying on your patio couch, so you might
need to revamp your patio furniture a little. If you use a laptop computer, you can get a
practical laptop computer stand from Ikea for less than $20 or from any home depot. You can also get a small
table or use a small table that is already on your patio as a place to sit and work. A portable work table will
be easy to set up on the patio only when you choose to work outside should be a long but narrow folding table.
You can easily get these at stores like Target or Wal-Mart for under $40.
Instead of using office chair, try sitting on a cushioned papasan or an ottoman chair. On the other hand,
a picnic table also makes a great functional outdoor workspace while bistro tables can do double duty as a great
place to enjoy your morning coffee and to get your work done.
Tech gadgets.
The main technical gears that you probably need when you want to work outdoors will be a computer and
phone. You can use a cell phone which is completely portable or you can invest in a headset phone. There are some
phone company that make phones that has a headphone unit and a small portable base that is about the size of a
credit card. Both of these plug into a main unit at night so they can recharge but during the day you can roam
about the house or work on the patio with this tiny but professional phone. These phones usually cost less than $50
each.
A laptop computer is essential for working outdoors. If your battery isn’t very strong or if you want to
work outdoors for long time, you can use a simple cord hider, to safely run an extension cord from the nearest
power point to the patio so you can plug in your laptop. Just ensure that you hide the cord to prevent anyone from
tripping on it.
You may also need a fax machine, in which you can do away with it by signing up for an online service that
sends faxes through email and allow you to receive faxes through email. Using that service, you can send and
receive all the faxes that you want and you can do it all from your computer in the comfort of your patio.
Cover.
Not only do you need to protect yourself from the hot sun but you will also need to protect your laptop
and cut the glare on the screen so that you can work efficiently and effectively. If you don’t have a canopy on
your patio and you are planning on working outside more, you should consider installing a retractable awning over your patio. An awning will keep the patio from
getting too hot and it will provide the protection that you need for your computer.
Sound barrier.
You won’t be able to hear clients or contribute to phone and video meetings if the neighbor’s kids are
screaming or if there are lot of bikes and cars going by. You will need to somehow make your patio pleasant and
quiet so you can have uninterrupted work. To help lessen the background noise that comes from being outdoors you
can use a phone with a noise canceling feature or you can put up things to provide a sound
barrier.
In order to build up as much of a sound barrier as possible, you can arrange the patio furniture to create
a wall between the outside world and you. Alternately, you can put lots of thick plants in tall pots on the side of
the patio that faces the street. You can even put up some room dividers, if you wish to. Any kind of barrier that
you put between you and the source of the noise will surely help to dampen the sound.
Healthy distractions.
Even when you are working in the beautiful outdoors, it is good to get up from the computer for at least
five minutes every hour and stretch. That doesn’t change just because you are not sitting at your desk. To do this,
you can keep some balls nearby and when you get up to stretch, take a run to the end of the yard dribbling a soccer
ball or bouncing a basketball. Also, shoot some hoops in the driveway or go swing on an old tire swing for a few
minutes. A few minutes of playing will get your blood flowing and will make it easier to concentrate on your work
when you do site down to work again.
Just make sure that you don’t get so caught up in playing that you forget to work. It can be beautiful to
work outdoors on a beautiful summer or fall day but some people might have a hard time concentrating when they are
trying to work outside. Working outside isn’t for everyone, but give it a try and see if working on the patio will
work for you.
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