5 Surprising Areas You Can Create an ‘Office’

It’s becoming pretty typical for people to work outside of the office. In fact, one study found 31 percent of adults who work full time telecommute. Whether you’re given the option to telecommute for your job or you complete freelance work, you need a place to use as your “office” and earn a living.

Not everyone can designate a room in their house for an office. However, with roommates, pets and possibly obnoxious neighbors, you might need to go outside the home to get your work done. Additionally, if you spend all your days cooped up at home doing work, you’re never going to get any social interactions.

You have plenty of options for finding a place that you can use as your own office, and most of them are common locations.

1. A Café

Cafés are the typical hang-out spots for creative types, and not without reason. There’s usually a sort of vibe at cafés — from the mellow music to the hissing espresso machines, it can create a very calming environment.

Cafés can be great for your productivity, as most places offer free wifi and have tables available for you to work at. The easy access to as much coffee as you want is just another perk to working from a café.

2. Your Garage

Some people use their garage as a storage unit. Others may use it as a space for practicing music. Some people even park their cars in them. Another way you can use your garage is as your own personal office. If you do want to keep your main office at home, you can convert your garage into a workspace.

It’ll be more comfortable if you have a source of heat in the winter and a way to keep cool in the summer (tech tools like the Wink app can help with that). Regardless, a garage still works as a space to set up a desk and chair away from other distractions.

3. The Library

You might not be able to eat food here, but public libraries are still a viable option for getting work done. You won’t have to worry about any huge distractions — other than shelves of books you might want to read — and you won’t have to worry about getting kicked out until closing time.

Not all libraries have wifi, but most at least have computers you can use. If you’re looking for a quiet place to get some work done, the library is probably your best bet — especially since it’s free.

4. The Airport

If you’re the type who’s constantly traveling for work, you probably spend more time in the airport than in your company’s office. There are ways to get work done at an airport. Additionally, airports are becoming more accommodating to working travelers — you can settle down in one of the food area tables or look into options for the airport’s business lounge.

5. A Hotel

Sometimes you need to get away from the distractions in your life. A hotel room can help with that. If you need to just buckle down and finish some work, it can be worthwhile to spend the money on a hotel room where you can literally lock yourself away from the rest of the world.

If you’re looking for a short-term fix, you can hang out in the lobby for an hour or two — just be sure to patronize the restaurant or bar so you won’t get kicked out.

Being able to work outside of the office has many perks, but you need to find a place where you can still get work done in an efficient and productive manner.

If you’re located in a larger city, you can use the app workfrom to help find a place that works well with your needs. However, even if you’re not in a big city, you can still find a place to get your work done in the environment you want.