Working remotely has many benefits, but one of the most fantastic perks is working outside during the summer. You can don your most casual summer work outfits, lounge underneath your backyard pergola, and sip sweet iced tea while balancing budgets or your day-to-day tasks.
Working outside requires some preparation to ensure productivity and an acceptable work atmosphere. Discover the five keys to successfully working outdoors in the summer.
1. Planning for WiFi Connection
A WiFi connection is essential to working outdoors, and you need more than a single bar for adequate and reliable connectivity. Working right outside your back door should not cause connectivity problems, but if you want to work somewhere more remote, you need to plan.
If you want to take remote work to the extreme, you might consider taking your laptop to a campground. You have no guarantee that WiFi service is available or strong enough at a campground, so you should rely on hotspots.
A mobile hotspot should work wherever your phone has reception. As long as you can make a phone call, you should be able to connect to the internet.
2. Find a Comfortable Place
When working remotely, comfort matters. You want to be in a sturdy position with excellent posture. You do not want to be too relaxed and risk falling asleep on the job.
Also, you want to wear comfortable and professional clothing. The best clothes for working outside in summer typically include shorts and a polo or lightweight blouse. You want something airy and loose to help you stay cool.
You might be most comfortable working in your yard at a patio table or lounger. Refrain from using hammocks or anything that puts you in a lying-down position. Remember, you want to remain productive and alert.
3. Be Mindful of Your Background
A park or garden can be a beautiful background for your presentation or meeting, but you must be mindful of possible distractions. When working in your yard, it is easy enough to control the environment; the same cannot be said of a park.
You scout out a park the night before your presentation or meeting and note that it is quiet and serene. Nighttime scouting will not adequately represent the park during the morning or afternoon when your meeting is scheduled.
If you want to work in a park or other public place, you need to scout it out at similar days and times to your meeting. With a well-thought-out plan, you can give yourself the best opportunity for minimal distractions in the background of your virtual meeting.
4. Consider Glare Blocking
The number one enemy of outdoor remote work is sun glare. The display is impossible to see when the sun hits a laptop screen. To limit the glare, you should face your laptop away from the sun with the screen tilted toward you. Also, consider working underneath a shade tree.
If you have no shady spaces in your yard, you can invest in anti-glare protection for your computer screen. Also, you can try to boost the screen brightness, but that drains the laptop battery faster.
5. Stay Safe
To stay safe, you must learn to stay cool while working outside in the summer. Part of staying cool involves finding shady areas to work and wearing sunblock. Also, you must remember to drink water often. Staying hydrated helps your body regulate its temperature.
Working remotely has many freedoms, including working outside when the weather is nice. Still, working outdoors requires preparation, including planning for WiFi, wearing comfortable and professional clothing, considering your background, reducing glare, and staying safe. Contact a remote work specialist to learn more.