It's that time of year again, folks! The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and those of us who are working from home in any capacity are relocating to the great outdoors after spending months cooped up in our home offices. As I write this, I'm currently sitting at the new outdoor desk I set up in my gazebo.

Sitting outside to work has many benefits, but the primary one is that I get to enjoy the fresh air while also still being able to get snacks from the fridge whenever I need a little break. It's a win/win situation, if I'm going to be honest. 

I've found a few essentials to make my day go by just a teensy bit faster and I wanted to share them with you. Keep reading to check them out.

1) This super handy outdoor power strip that not only has 6 three-prong outlets, but 3 USB outlets as well. Now everything I need stays charged and I don't need to worry about bringing the power strip in and out with me. It just lives in my gazebo. 

2) A waterproof Bluetooth speaker. When I'm not on calls, I like to listen to a little music while I work. I've always been able to focus better with a bit of music on, and playing it on my phone or laptop doesn't really cut it when I'm trying to do other things as well.

3) I'm well aware that typically people use this next one to keep an alcoholic beverage cool, and while that may have been my original intention when I bought several of these, I mostly use them to keep my bubbly water ice cold. The best part about these particular can koozies is that the bottom comes off and is stored in the freezer, which keeps your drink extra cold on a hot day. I really love them, and they are great by the pool too!

4) There comes a time in every person's life when they realize that there's truly nothing better than comfy footwear, and when you're working from home, nobody sees your feet. Now that I've dropped that truth bomb, allow me to introduce you to your new favorite shoes for summertime: The Croc Slide. I swore up and down for years that I'd never own a pair of Crocs, but then somehow it happened. They showed up on my doorstep and I've actually worn them every day all year long, with or without socks, and had zero regrets. If there's anything on this list I can't recommend strongly enough, it's these shoes. They come in about a million colors, so go pick your favorite color and get comfy ASAP! 

5) And last, but not least, my trusty iPad Pro. Now I used to be one of those people who always had to have the latest and greatest technology, and to some extents I still want to be that person, but I have too many mouths to feed for that sort of tech lifestyle. So I present you with a slightly older, but still trusty, model of the iPad Pro. I replaced my laptop with one of these bad boys about four years ago and haven't looked back. If you're like me and always on the go, you might want one with a data plan, but with the prevalence of Wi-Fi and mobile hotspots, that's definitely a matter of personal preference. The important thing here is that you get the tablet itself, and then if you're doing a lot of typing and actually using it as a computer you may want to snag a Magic Keyboard while you're at it, but there are definitely more affordable keyboard configurations out there for it. 

There you go. All the things you need to successfully work from home, from outside your home. If your home is somehow lacking an adequate outdoor workspace and you feel like this summer might be the summer to fix that, I'm happy to help you find the perfect home WITH the perfect backyard for working and entertaining. 

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