With more and more people working from home, the ability to spend more of your summer at the |cottage rather than just coming out for the weekends has been realized by many!
CONNECTIVITY MATTERS! In order to successfully turn your cottage or vacation home into a work space, you need to be able to connect to your office. In most cases, this will mean ensuring you have the best possible internet connection.
Keep weather complications in mind as well. Storm weather can cause power outages and take down internet connections, sometimes for days at a time. Be prepared for outages with a gas powered generator and battery powered satellite WiFi. (This is a wise idea for any cottage, home office or otherwise – in case of emergencies!)
CREATE FLEXIBLE WORKSPACE! A standing desk is a great choice for any office – including at the cottage. The desk is easily adjusted to sit or stand, allowing you greater flexibility in your work space. There are many articles out there on the possible health benefits of standing instead of sitting and the option to sit or stand allows you to adjust to take in the view, keep your workspace at eye level on the go and more!
SET A SCHEDULE! The goal is to be able to spend more time at the cottage, not to spend less time enjoying the cottage! Scheduling set working hours ensures specific times are set for work and for relaxing so you can balance productivity with enjoying your time at the cottage!
Finding Space for Your Cottage Office
Working from home, or from the cottage, can be a wonderful opportunity but in order to make it successful, it is important to plan your work space to accommodate your needs adequately.
CONSIDER YOUR WORK HABITS: When choosing a location for your cottage office, consider your own work habits. For some, a room with a beautiful view of nature will help them be inspired. For others, such a view would simply leave them distracted and unable to focus. Know what works best for you and plan accordingly.
NOISE CONTROL: Noise may not seem like something you’d need to consider much at the cottage but this can
depend an a number of factors.
Do you have family that will be at the cottage with you? Do you have friends or family that often visit? Are you
located within ear shot of a beach or other public area? These are all things that may need to be considered when choosing a location for your home office.
LOCATION: An outbuilding with electrical can be a great spot for an office provided it is not located too close to sources of noise you can’t control. Setting up your office outside of the cottage may make it easier to separate work hours from vacation hours.
If an outbuilding is not an option, find a space within the cottage that can be earmarked as work space. If possible, choose a separate room that allows you to separate work from the rest of the cottage. If a separate room is not an option, look into enclosed bookshelves and multi-functional furniture that will allow you to hide office work away from during off hours.
As seen in our 2021 Cottage & Outdoor Living Special Edition – available to download for free today!
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