The latest trend in office design is to get as far away from the cubical as possible. Human beings, after all, labored for tens of thousands of years outdoors until relatively recently, so cultivating a natural work environment makes sense. Right?
That鈥檚 the concept guiding cutting-edge companies like Google, which has recently embraced 鈥渂iophilic design鈥濃攖hat is, creating indoor spaces that feel like the great outdoors. Living trees and natural light are just the tip of the iceberg. Amazon鈥檚 new downtown Seattle headquarters, for example, will include an enormous rainforest inside a geo-dome. Employees can host meetings there or take impromptu walks during the workday. 鈥淭he whole idea was to get people to think more creatively, maybe come up with a new idea they wouldn鈥檛 have if they were just in their office,鈥 the designer of Amazon鈥檚 indoor forest .
But why pretend to work outside when the real outdoors beckons right through the windows? Spending time in nature, according to Harvard physician Eva Selhub鈥檚聽book , is associated with positive emotions and increased mental and physical energy. Whether you spend time backpacking through Yellowstone or jogging in Central Park, the aim is the same: to improve yourself.
For those with a little workplace flexibility, taking your work outdoors is imminently doable. There are pitfalls鈥攖he Wi-Fi鈥檚 not too strong along the Snake River, and finding a power outlet in the Badlands is tough鈥攂ut with a little planning, you too can return to nature during your nine-to-five.
Here are four tips to get you going.
Weatherproof Your Existing Tech
For those tethered to laptops and routers during business hours, the tools of the trade are distinctly designed for indoor use. Standard computer screens are rendered virtually unusable on sunny days, a summer shower can wreck even the hardiest electronics, and sand has a way of screwing up keyboards.
Preventing screen glare can be as simple as bringing along a beach umbrella, and a number of companies have stepped in with fancier solutions. that stick right onto your laptop make the display slightly more visible, and a whole host of venders offer and to block the sun completely and protect your computer from the elements. If $30 for a shade feels like extortion, that turns a $5 storage box into a perfectly serviceable laptop sunshade.
If rain is your primary concern, will waterproof your phone or tablet while letting you tap away.
Find the Right Gear
Kristen Pope, based in Jackson, Wyoming, tries to spend a few hours a day working outside during the warmer months鈥攅ven if it鈥檚 just on her porch. But while most of her work is computer-based, 鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 want to risk my main laptop outside,鈥 she says. So, a few years ago, Pope bought a small, inexpensive travel laptop on sale. 鈥淚 always use it when I鈥檓 working outdoors or on the road,鈥 she says. Depending on your needs, even a decade-old laptop should be capable of word processing and email.
If you鈥檙e committed to taking your work outside like Pope and budget is no obstacle, investing in one of the few indoor/outdoor laptops out there, like . It鈥檚 weather resistant and comes with a screen that鈥檚 easier to see in the sun.
If you need Wi-Fi while you work鈥攁nd you鈥檙e within cellphone range鈥攏ewer smartphones can , or you can to create a network in the wild. (Some, , also charge your phone.)
Boost Your Creativity
The great outdoors is a sad place for busywork. 鈥淢y favorite work to do outside is work that requires creativity or deep thinking. I almost never respond to emails or do web-based research outside,鈥 Pope says. 鈥淚 find outdoor time to be a great time to disconnect and focus on writing.鈥 Selhub and other experts say that nature is a great way to boost your creativity鈥攕o maybe don鈥檛 waste it on expense reports.
Mark Sisson, the Southern California鈥揵ased fitness guru, is a firm believer in getting work done outside, however possible. holding business meetings in local parks or scheduling walking meetings with colleagues to get the juices flowing.
Take Baby Steps
Working outside can mean different things to different people. For and occasional 国产吃瓜黑料 contributor Walter Kirn, working outdoors meant setting his laptop up on an abandoned wooden spool in a field in the state鈥檚 Crazy Mountains.
This summer, in downtown Silver Spring, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C., a local college and a development organization, Peterson Companies, built a pop-up 鈥渙utdoor working space,鈥 complete with Wi-Fi, outlets, and desks. Peterson Companies鈥 regional manager said the space was designed to appeal to 鈥渢echies, telecommuters, executives, entrepreneurs, and artists鈥 and was consistently packed.
The point is that nature is all around us. Even if you live in a 250-square-foot, fifth-floor walk-up, there are easy ways to set up shop on your or . It may not be a national forest, but it鈥檚 enough to get you started.