This Simple Tweak Can Make You Happier, Less Stressed & More Productive At Work

It's one of those perfectly breezy early summer evenings in New York, and it feels like the whole city is out celebrating. Well, the lucky ones who don't have to work, anyway. But weave through the crowds of Madison Square Park—past the fountain and around the Shake Shack—and you'll find a handful of people in business attire, holding meetings and brainstorms outside in the golden light.

A new pop-up co-working concept, Be an Outsider at Work encourages employees to ditch their indoor desks, reserve a spot outdoors, and reap the benefits of working al fresco.

The collaboration between L.L. Bean and co-working company Industrious filled a corner of the park with outlets, comfortable chairs, standing desks, cycling desks—all the appealing fixings of a modern office. Some desk clusters are encased in glass structures, others out in the open, but they are all filled with people looking to trade in their office views for something more dynamic.

"I've found that the crazy background noise kind of fades away. It's just like ambient noise," Leigh Stringer, architect, workplace strategy expert, and author of The Healthy Workplace, tells me from her makeshift desk. Stringer is well-versed in the benefits of taking your work outside, and she's on a mission to get more companies to do it. "Saving outdoor time for evenings and weekends is just not enough," she says, referencing the fact that the average American spends 90 percent of their time indoors these days.

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https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/health-benefits-of-working-outside