How to Take Advantage of a Beautiful Day to Write Outdoors

Whether you have been cooped up at home too long or you’ve been tinkering with the idea of becoming a digital nomad, it might be time to take your writing show on the road.  Now, I am sensitive to the writer who needs to write in the same place every day.  But if you’re a more adventurous writer who can write anywhere, today’s post highlights how to take advantage of a beautiful day to write outdoors.

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We spend a lot of time working indoors.

Research shows that we spend nearly 90% of our time indoors — either in our homes or at our jobs.  During this time, we sometimes spend too much time sitting at our desks. As a result, sitting too much over long periods can lead to muscular-skeletal disorders, heart disease, and obesity.

For this reason, health experts say it’s essential to move.  Either by changing your position every eight minutes or taking two-minute walking breaks at least twice an hour.  Many great apps help us move while working indoors, like the StandApp or the Stand-Up! Work Break Timer for iPhone and iPad users.  

In recent months, there has been a shift for more flexible working environments outside the traditional office.  Globetrotting digital nomads travel from country to country as remote workers.  While digital nomads don’t only work outdoors, they do take advantage of the freedom to work wherever they want.

While you might not be ready to get rid of everything and hit the road as a digital nomad, taking your writing outside might be one of the ways you can improve your health and find inspiration while writing outdoors.

Three things to think about before taking your writing outdoors.

Before we take our writing outside, it’s good to have a plan.  Here are a few things to consider when making your plan.

1.  Decide on a place to write.

Find a place to write where you can work comfortably.  If you live in a house with a porch or a deck, or an apartment with a balcony, you may find it easy to set up your writing space outside your home.  If you decide to go somewhere away from your home, like a park, a coffee shop with outdoor seating, make sure you go at a time that quiet.  You want to avoid constant interruptions and high-traffic areas.  

2.  Select an outdoor space that offers a table and chairs.

While writing outdoors can be fun and inspiring, try to avoid places with little or no seating.  For example, writing while sitting on the beach may seem like a beautiful fantasy; it won’t end well if you get sand, or worse, water in your computer.  Look for a place that offers tables and chairs where you can sit up straight and focus.  

If you’re taking your laptop to Starbucks, chose the table and chairs outside over the comfy, cozy couch-type chairs inside. If you decide to write in the park, look for a picnic table under a shaded area. If you’re writing at home, a patio table and chairs should work fine. 

3.  Consider if you need access to the Internet or electricity.

For your outdoor writing session, decide if you will take your laptop or a notebook.  A notebook is great because it allows you to brainstorm ideas (see also ‘How To Brainstorm A Story‘), map out your next writing project, or free-write using prompts.  

If you prefer to write on your laptop, you might want to select a place with free Wi-fi and outdoor electrical outlets.  You could also use your smartphone hot spot for Internet access or use a mobile Wi-fi hotspot portable router for Internet access.  I use the Mightywifi mobile wifi hotspot device, which offers  15 GB of local high-speed data for the US ($25 value), with the option to buy more data if needed. 

Additional writerly tools to help you take advantage of being outdoors.

Whether you decide to write-from-porch or plan an outdoor writing session, here are a few additional tools to consider.

1.  Laptop Cooler

I use a laptop cooler whether writing indoors or outdoors.  But if you decide to write in hot weather, the laptop cooler will help keep our laptop from overheating. Mine has three fans, but some coolers offer four or five quiet fans to protect your laptop.

2.  Throw a little shade

A miniature umbrella with a clamp offers shade for you and your laptop.  It easily clamps to any table or chair to eliminate laptop glare.

3.  Laptop tent

To offer your laptop extra protection, consider the tent-style cover from LapDome.  In addition to protecting your laptop, the LapDome is a travel case.

4.  Solar charger

If you decide to go off the grid, a solar charger will keep your devices powered up so you can work anywhere.

5.  Connect around the house

When writing around the house, including while I’m on the deck, I use the TP-Link plug-in WiFi extender.  This extender covers up to 1,500 square feet and connects up to 25 devices.

Don’t forget to take advantage of the beautiful day

One of the main reasons for taking your writing outside on a beautiful day is to enjoy the beauty around you.  For your outdoor writing session, don’t forget to:

• Pack food and drink — The last thing you want is to be distracted by your grumbling stomach.  Pack something to eat and drink so you can keep your writing on track.
• Take breaks — Set the timer on your smartphone for 25 minutes.  When the alarm goes off, take a five-minute break to soak in the sun and beautiful scenery around you.
• Don’t be afraid to move — If the writing spot you choose is busy and distracting, don’t be afraid to pack up and move to another spot.
• Learn from other digital nomads — If you decide to take your writing show on the road beyond one day, do your homework on how to live as a digital nomad.

Summary

While it’s always good to plan your writing sessions, you don’t need a lot to write outdoors on a beautiful day.  I agreed with Seth Godin when he said, “But you don’t need the perfect setup to do the work.  For example, I’ve written five of my books completely on airplanes.”  

Whether you take your laptop or a notebook doesn’t matter.  Nor does it matter what tools you take on the journey.  All that matters is that you find a comfortable spot outdoors where you can get a little writing in while you enjoy a beautiful day outside.