Moving to an External Office Space and Why It's Important

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I’ve been working from home since 2013, and if there is one thing I can tell you, it is that I miss having an external office space. I’ve been striving to have a spot outside of the home for several years now, and for very good reasons. If you’re planning on trying working from home yourself, give me a few minutes of your time.

Granted, my experience will more than likely be much different from yours. However, I would like to share a few things that may impact your decisions for setting up a home office and running your own business.

It’s not the glorious experience a lot of folks make it seem.

Table of Contents

Why Move to an External Office Space?

A home office is one of those things that a lot of folk toss around as a part of their “success.” But what if you don’t have a space that can be dedicated as an office or work area?

In my case, I am constantly out in the open. I have kids and animals walking past me on a daily basis. After this weekend, though, I am moving my office a couple of miles down the road while spending more time with my person.

Why is this move such a monumental element for me and my future development as an author, blogger, freelancer, and student?

Less Stress from Surroundings

First of all, having an external office space provides a less stressful environment. This is especially true if you have a house full of people and animals. Ideally, there are fewer interruptions from kids, pets, and the various diversions you may have around the home.

I can’t count the number of times that I’ve had to stop recording a video because someone was walking past my desk. Or the number of times when the washer and dryer would be running while I was trying to focus on a blog post or while working on my book.

In one instance, it sounded like a party was going on in the kitchen upstairs, which was easily picked up by my microphone.

More Focused While Working

When you’re working from home, there are a number of things that can distract you beyond what I mentioned above. Perhaps it’s the TV or a game console. Maybe you procrastinate by cleaning the house, meal prepping, or some other mundane chore that you can do later.

In an external office away from home, you have fewer things that can take away from your focus. Sure, you can still load up streaming services on your computer or decide to dust the entire office instead of working on projects. But when you’re in that environment, the things that can distract you are greatly diminished.

I’ll go so far as to make a mental note that I want to get the most out of the space, which comes down to making sure I’m utilizing my time efficiently. That means making sure I don’t get sidetracked by the things I have access to and making sure that I am actually working.

Viewing Home as a Sanctuary

Your home should be a sanctuary. It’s the place where you relax; your domicile from the mundane trappings of life. When many people start working from home, that element of “sanctuary” is replaced, often with the term “efficiency.”

It’s much harder to relax in a home when the first thing you see when waking up in the morning is your computer, reminding you that you have to work. Or, sometimes, people will feel trapped in their own home because their work life has injected itself within its walls.

That’s perhaps one of the biggest drawbacks that I’ve come across since working from home in 2013. My computer desk is a constant reminder that I have to work, and sometimes, it’s more difficult to feel relaxed.

Getting Out of the House

I was already a bit of a hermit before I started working from home. But once I became a full-time freelance writer, the hermit in me planted some deep roots. And at one point in 2016, I crashed pretty hard because of them.

I know there are probably quite a few people who would prefer never leaving the house. I know two people in real life who rarely leave their bedrooms, let alone get out and about to get some sunlight. But studies show that when you hole up in a dark room for extended periods of time, it causes all kinds of physical and mental issues.

Having an external office helps me get out of the house, interact with folks at the gas station, and relax during a brief car ride while listening to some motivational music. In fact, I started missing the commute itself to work at a traditional business, and I live in the Denver metro area!

More Professional Mindset

Now, you can be completely professional while working from home. I did it for 14 years…somewhat. But having an external office away from the home will put you in a different mindset.

For one thing, you’re less likely to work in your pajamas, more likely to take a shower, and need to make enough money to support having that office in the first place. That means you’re less likely to goof around and waste time.

Instead of chewing up your morning watching YouTube videos, you’re more inclined to make them for your own channel. Instead of binge-watching something on Hulu, you’re more inclined to write your blog posts or books.

Besides, having a nice, quiet place away from home is always good for motivation and focus.

The “Home Office” Isn’t Always Awesome

For some, a home office is the pinnacle of their success. For many of us, though, it can be a double-edged sword as a professional. Yes, it’s cheaper to maintain in a variety of ways without having to spend money on gas to drive to work. Which is awesome considering our current climate with fuel prices.

However, it also opens the floodgates to distractions, a lack of social interaction, higher levels of stress, and taking up room in what should be your sanctuary.

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Now, this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t build a home office or that you’re wrong if you want to work from home. I just want to highlight everything that comes with it, as so many people tend to get swept up in the excitement of working from home without actually considering the ramifications.

Working from home can be great, as long as you’re able to separate your work and family lifestyles. I’m not just talking from a mental standpoint, as you might want to find a way to separate them physically.

I once had a room that I called my office when I first moved into my house in 2020. The idea was to keep that office space separate from the rest of the house. In fact, I told the kids that when my office door was shut, treat it like I wasn’t home. Well, unless there was an emergency.

Anyway, the bottom line is that the home office may be useful and convenient, but it comes at a pretty steep price. You may find yourself dreading your own home, especially if the work isn’t going as well as you planned.

7 Ideas to Make a Home Office Less Stressful

If you don’t have the money or opportunity to set up an external office space, what can you do to reduce the drawbacks of a home office? Well, if I were to build my perfect home office space, I would most likely ensure the following:

Have a separate “work” room in the house.
Make sure you can physically separate your workspace from the rest of your sanctuary. View that space differently and don’t let it interfere with your home life.
Get plenty of natural light.
Don’t build an office space in a dark basement without having sufficient lighting or a complete lack of sunlight. If natural lighting isn’t possible, make sure you can get outside regularly during breaks.
Have a separate computer for work only!
One of my best decisions recently was to have a completely separate computer for work. It’s alleviated a lot of stress, considering that now people can’t access me whenever they want. And no, I don’t use certain apps on my phone for that very reason.
Don’t use delivery services.
One of the biggest reasons why I don’t use DoorDash or have things delivered to the house is because I want to get out more. Even shopping in person, a normally mundane activity, is better than being cooped up in the house all day. Besides, it saves me from delivery fees and mistrust.
Have normal “operating” hours, and let everyone know.
Make sure everyone knows that you have a normal “work” schedule and it needs to be respected. If it’s not an emergency, they need to let you work on your projects. This is a bit more difficult to accomplish if you have little ones in the house. But everyone else should know that you are working.
Treat yourself with professionalism.
Don’t work in your pajamas, respect your time, and view yourself with the highest professionalism that you would expect from a regular job. Yes, it’s possible to impress yourself from a professional viewpoint.
Take regular breaks.
Perhaps one of the most important aspects of working from home is to take regular breaks. This is for those who often push themselves to exhaustion, and no, the “grind” doesn’t always work. Take time for yourself and your family. You won’t help anyone if you grind yourself into a sticky goo.

How Well Do You Work from Home?

Working from home can be a great experience, especially if you need something more convenient than a traditional job. However, it can quickly wear you down if you’re not taking care of yourself and your needs.

Not everyone will want or need an external office space. After all, there are quite a few benefits to the home office. Just bear in mind the drawbacks of the home office as well. Weigh them yourself to decide whether it’ll be right for you and your situation.

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Michael Brockbank

Michael has been a freelance writer since January of 2012 and has contributed to a long list of blogs throughout his career. He is also a published author and continues to help other writers find their own paths. Maintaining both the WriterSanctuary blog and YouTube channel, he covers topics that relate to writing in all forms.