Could A Garden Office Be the Answer To Keeping Home & Work Life Separate

According to a study conducted in lockdown, 40% of people have said the pandemic has exposed their poor work-life balance and 55% of people have reported a poorer work-life balance since they started working from home. For many people, this is due to not having a designated office space and now spending 8-hour days working from the kitchen table.

Whilst working from home, it’s easy to get distracted by odd jobs around the house, plus, when you’re constantly at the same place you work at throughout the weekend it can be hard to switch your brain off from work.

Many people have found themselves working longer hours from home as they don’t have to commute and that “extra five minutes” then turns into a few extra hours. Additionally, some people are eating family meals at the same place they have worked all week and before you know it that turns into eating whilst working.

But could there be a way to work from home and keep your personal life separate? We believe a garden office is the key to reducing burnout and keeping a healthy work life balance. This is because whilst it may not be far, walking out of the house to your garden acts as a commute that already differentiates from your home space. Plus, you will find you make the effort to get dressed to go and work outdoors, rather than remaining in your pyjamas whilst working from the sofa.

The fresh air is also vital for keeping you productive and motivated. You will also find that there are fewer distractions in the garden office as you won’t have one eye on the washing up or the kids’ toys that need clearing up.

So, how can you create a great outdoor office to keep your home and work life separate?

Outdoor Shelter

Whether this is a garden room like a summer house or just some overhead protection like a pergola, having shelter is vital for working from home in the UK. Our aluminium pergolas can be opened to let in light or closed to keep out water. You can even add privacy screens to protect from wind and offer a closed off private work environment, just like an office.

Office Furniture

Some of our garden furniture styles will make the perfect outdoor office furniture. For example, our Sienna and Ruxley dining set ranges offer high backs and great support for lengthy working days. Alternatively, our extending casual dining sets are perfect for creating extra workspace for when you require a place to keep your paperwork or an extra computer screen.

Comfortable Seating

If you’re working long days, then the ultimate goal is comfort. Our Heritage dining sets have luxurious padded cushions that you can sink into that will provide added comfort throughout your day.

Outdoor Lighting

It’s important to have good outdoor lighting, especially on gloomy days where the natural light won’t cut it. We recommend LED strips or even one of our Galaxy LED parasols for extra light.

Stay Hydrated

It’s especially important when working outdoors on warm days to ensure you are well hydrated as this could affect your productivity as well as, in serious cases, your health. With our range of ice bucket tables, you will be able to keep bottles of water cool and within arm’s reach, as well as still have space for your laptop and other work materials.

If you’re interested in any of the items mentioned above, our showrooms will reopen on the 12th April to view in person, or you can book a virtual tour through our customer care team.