Dear Lifehacker,
The weather has been great lately and when I'm sitting at my desk I find myself wishing I could be outside. I realize I have to work to get paid, but is there a way I can get outside more during the workday without losing my job?
Sincerely,
Sun Blocked
Dear SB,
Taking your workday outdoors is a great idea. In fact, as Harvard Medical School points out (and as your mom has been telling you for years), going outside does great things for your health. It's also good to get out of your usual environment now and again to boost productivity. With that in mind, let's take a look at a few of the ways you can take your work outside.
Take Your Meetings Outdoors
One of the most tedious parts of most people's day is meetings. Fortunately they're often easy to take outdoors. The benefit isn't just in the fact you get to soak in some rays. It's also that you're leaving the office and all its trappings which often means you're able to get through a meeting quicker because it's distraction free.
We know that acting out the metaphor of thinking outside the box is good for personal creativity and it's not a bad way to conduct a meeting either. With the familiar surroundings gone you might find that people are more willing to brainstorm ideas and play with new concepts during meetings.
You can also take the Steve Jobs approach and do walking meetings. This a good way to get outside when you're only meeting with one person and it gets in a little exercise while you're at it.
Of course, not all meetings can hit the outdoors. You might need projectors for presentations or computers to reference. If that's the case you might want to see if you can do some remote work now and again. Photo by Office Now.
Take Your Office with You Anywhere
Working outdoors isn't all that different from working from home and you can take the same approach as telecommuting to convince your boss to let you work outside. Since you're away from your usual distractions it's often easier to get things done when you're plopped down in a park or outside a cafe.
We've talked about what you need to work from anywhere before and the same basic rules apply here. As long as you have a laptop you can work from nearly anywhere, outdoors included.
Nowadays a lot of public parks have Wi-Fi and it's not too hard to find a coffee shop with a nice patio to work from. If not you can always tether your phone (check out our picks for iPhone/Android) so you can stay connected no matter where you are. Besides internet access the only other thing you really need is an extra battery pack for power. To make your battery last a little longer make sure you follow our guide for the best battery life.
You'll inevitably get a lot more done when you're working in a place where no one can bother you. Plus, you'll get some Vitamin D and relaxation in at the same time. When remote working isn't an option it's time to force yourself outdoors and get outside every chance you get. Photo by stuartpillow.
Get Outside for Breaks, Phone Calls, and Lunches
You probably don't have meetings that will work outside every day and you likely can't convince your boss to let you sit underneath a big tree in the park five days a week. So what about the rest of your days? Your best bet is to keep it simple and leave the office every chance you get.
Instead of sticking around the office and waiting for phone calls try and take those calls outside. This is especially good for conference calls where a little peace and quiet is better than sitting in front of your computer. It's really that simple. Other options might be to take your lunch outside to a park or at least eat out on a patio if you're at a restaurant.
If you have some work to get done you can also take care of small tasks directly from your phone. Knocking out a few items on your to-do list or replying to simple emails is easy to do in the sun and you'll feel more productive for it in the process. Photo by NateBW.
When you get out of the office during your workday it's a refreshing feeling. Even if it's just for 10 or 15 minutes it provides a nice rejuvenation from the doldrums of normalcy. If nothing else, at least you'll get a little sun.
Sincerely,
Lifehacker
P.S. Have you successfully convinced a boss to let you work outside for part of the day? Share your tips in the comments.
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Title image remixed from Dmitriy Shironosov (Shutterstock).