I’ve worked from home my entire life. This has its pros and cons. One of the inconveniences being that it’s really hard to separate family time from my professional endeavors.
Another can be cabin fever, especially during the winter months. Unless I have to travel for business, my only reasons to leave the house are to pick up the kids from school or go to the gym. That can get old real fast.
So when spring finally rolls around, I invariably uncover. This is the upside of working remotely. I can tote my office anywhere I want.
And since I have a wild but beautiful backyard, I set up camp in the patio during my work hours.
This starts as soon as the temps climb up but haven’t yet reached the sweltering heat of summer.
Tips to enjoy working outdoors
If you work from home, if you’re a writer, an artist or a happy retiree pursuing your encore career or your lifelong dream on the go, here are some tips to make sure you enjoy working outdoors and make the experience as pleasant and productive as it should be.
1.- If you have a deck, patio or backyard, find a favorite spot that is shielded from the sun. If there is any water nearby, a pond, a fountain or a pool, there may be mosquitoes.
Each spring I plant citronella, lavender and catnip in pots and arrange them around my workspace.
In addition I light citronella candles if it’s been raining. If mosquitoes are not a problem where you live, count yourself lucky!
2.- Get an extension cord for your laptop and use either a lap desk or a picnic table and a comfy ergonomic chair. Since I spend a lot of hours at the keyboard, I use a regular mouse with my laptop.
At a certain age things like carpal tunnel syndrome and tennis elbow from too much typing or using the trackpad can take their toll. The mouse has improved my tennis elbow—and I don’t even play tennis!
3.- Set your alarm every forty to forty-five minutes to remind yourself to stand up, stretch and walk around. I like to do squats during these short breaks.
Over the course of the day it adds up. Sometimes I pull out my yoga mat and do light stretches. After all I’m working at home, in my backyard.
4.- If the only way you have to work outdoors is to go to a sidewalk café, go for it. Those are wonderful. Sometimes being surrounded by people helps me concentrate.
It´s more and more common to see people of all ages working on their laptops at coffee houses and outdoor terraces.
5.- Make sure you are being kind to your eyes. Working outdoors is great but if there is too much sunlight it might cause you to squint and strain your eyes.
Never mind the glare of the computer competing with the sunlight. To this end, I´m absolutely thrilled with my Transitions lenses. I have them in two different types of SEE frames, one that is more casual and the other dressier. But they are both funky and fun.
Also read: Seeing life through a new lens with Transitions®
How Transitions® lenses can help you
The best part of Transitions lenses is that I don´t have to carry two pairs of glasses, one for indoors and the other for outdoors.
I wear progressives, because at 51 my eyes have lost the ability to see clearly up close. Presbyopia for someone who used to have 20/20 vision can come as a shock.
But to help me with this life change I now rock these stylish glasses.
No matter what kind of prescription you have, and what your needs are, Transitions lenses filter just the right amount of light.
There are different types of Transitions everyday lenses (Transitions Signature lenses, Transitions XTRActive lenses & Transitions Vantage lenses) each designed to meet specific lifestyle needs.
If you would like to test them, sign up to receive free trial decals.
What makes Transitions Signature lenses so practical and unique is the new Chromea7™ technology.
This exclusive technology allows the lenses to be more reactive to indirect sunlight, better capture reflected sunlight, and become even darker on hot days.
While they look much darker when exposed to the sun, from my side of the lens I don´t notice a difference.
I simply feel that my eyes are just as rested as if I were indoors. The glare outdoors doesn’t bother me and I can work for hours in front of my computer screen.
I’d love to know whether you’ve tried these lenses, whether you have ordered your decals and what your tips to work outdoors in the spring are!
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