Jon Norris | Working From Home
Working from home is one of the greatest perks of freelancing. No horrible commute, no noisy office, no stale Tesco sandwiches for lunch – just you, your laptop and your underwear. Once you’ve got your home office all set up, it’s time to start tweaking your working habits to ensure maximum happiness and productivity.
Jon Norris | Working From Home
One of the few drawbacks of working from home is that you’re often stuck with whatever food you have in the house for lunch – you won’t find any sandwich vans visiting like you would at an office. If you’re anything like me you probably are also not very good at grocery shopping, so after a morning’s hard work you’ll venture to the kitchen and groan at your choices upon opening the cupboard.
Rachel Papworth | Resources,Working From Home
Working from home is one of the things many freelancers love about our working model. No morning or evening commute. Eating healthy, home-cooked meals instead of expensive, shop-bought lunches. Not spending Saturday mornings queueing at the sorting office for parcels that arrived while you were out.
Rachel Soothill | Working From Home
The new edition of the Collins English Dictionary has been released and leading the new additions is the word Mumpreneur, the definition of which is: “a woman who combines running a business with looking after her children.”
Jon Norris | News,Working From Home
British Gas has been fined £2.5 million by Ofgem for failing to deal with customer complaints – especially those of small businesses – correctly. The utilities company, which supplies around half of UK homes, was deemed to have prematurely closed cases when customers still said they were unresolved.
Rachel Soothill | Guides,Working From Home
Working from home with minimal social interaction is an unfortunate, but common scenario for many of us freelance writers. Some might see this as the perk of the job while others might find it has hindering effects on creativity. If you fall under the latter then it is imperative that you take heed of the advice I am about to impart…
Jon Norris | Resources,Working From Home
Now the summer is here (or so we’re led to believe), its time to escape the dusty home office and take your work out onto the patio. Nothing is better than working outside on a sunny day, lemonade in hand. To make the most of the summer months, you could do a lot worse than pick up a few accessories for your garden office.
Jon Norris | News,Working From Home
As part of the Government’s Energy Bill, a new measure is due to come into force next year called The Green Deal aimed at getting small- and medium-sized businesses to improve their energy efficiency through a series of “green loans”. The loans can be spent on things like insulation, energy-efficient lighting, and presumably alternative energy sources such as solar panels.
Jon Norris | News,Working From Home
The Government, in their infinite wisdom, has suggested that to avoid the national travel melee that will erupt during the 2012 Olympic Games, office workers are allowed to work from home. The Government’s ineptitudes aside, the advice has loosed some interesting figures about working from home and the advantages it can bring.
Selina Murray | Working From Home
As a freelancer you’re probably quite used to working alone. Just like Clint Eastwood. Or Lady Gaga. If you’re not in an office you can dress like her too, if you want to. And have the time. It must be tricky being Gaga in the shower when the doorbell rings. She can’t possibly get dressed that way in a hurry.
Rachel Soothill | Guides,Working From Home
Working from home is one of the advantages of being a freelancer. However, with the perks there can be lots of distractions to watch out for, such as the television, family members, cats walking across keyboards and the numerous tea breaks. While distractions aren’t a problem from time-to-time, it is important not to let them occur on a regular basis otherwise they will start to have an impact on your work.
David Sumner | Working From Home
It’s not hard to see why the freelancing bug has caught on for so many. Being able to work from home and work to your own schedule (with no boss telling you what to do) sounds like heaven to most of us. However, if you are going to succeed in the world of freelancing then you must be able to balance the freedom and flexibility with discipline and ground rules.
Mel Dixon | Lifestyle & Time out,Working From Home
When you’re working from home, you need strong self-discipline and an ability to manage time effectively. One of the best time management devices comes courtesy of an old-fashioned clock. Sure, we all have the time on our computers, but it’s not the same as having a proper clock face hanging high up on the wall above your desk.
Mel Dixon | News,Working From Home
According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the number of employees absent from work due to sickness has risen to pre-recession levels. The figures are taken from the last quarter of 2010 and reveal that 2.5 per cent were absent for at least one day, compared to 2.1 per cent in the first quarter of 2009.
Sebastian Powell | Working From Home
Working from home is great. The feeling of freedom and flexibility it provides is absolutely priceless and I wouldn’t give it up for anything in the world. There is however one problem. Working from home means I regularly have to put up a fight against a big hairy beast. I have a nickname for the beast. I call it Distraction.
Mel Dixon | News,Working From Home
Areas in which women are superior to men: they are better at reproducing, can carry out multiple tasks and have a greater understanding of the offside rule. Now, you can add coworking to that short list…
Jon Norris | Events,Working From Home
If you’re a work-from-home freelancer, you may very well have heard of Jelly, the popular co-working group. Born in 1996 out of two New York freelancer’s loneliness, Jelly groups became more popular and finally came to the UK in late 2009, and now over 60 events per month are held across the country. The thinking behind these events is that although working from home is great, sometimes it can get a tad lonely.
Mel Dixon | Lifestyle & Time out,Working From Home
Recently, I read about a concept called “social jetlag”. Scientists coined the term as a way of describing the effects of returning to work after Christmas. Personally, I haven’t experienced traditional jetlag because I refuse to board a plane, but it seemed to me an exaggeration to twin post-Christmas blues with the physical effects of flying to the other side of the world and adapting to a completely different body clock.
The nature of homeworking has been thrust into the limelight thanks to the heavy snowfall forcing many workers to perform their duties from home. The BBC recently run a piece entitled ‘Is Working from Home a Skive?’ How dare they! What do they think people like me are doing, watching Jeremy Kyle only to occasionally pull myself away to bash a sentence together?
Jon Norris | Lifestyle & Time out,Working From Home
Have you been outside recently? Cold, isn’t it. Apparently we’re seeing the coldest November since 1985, and various parts of England are now blanketed with snow. Incidentally, if you’ve not seen it, some clever clogs has put together a crowd-sourced map of UK snowfall using Twitter. Make sure to geo-tag your tweets and include the hashtag #uksnow to be included!
Michael Rose | Technology,Working From Home
The Lexmark Pinnacle Pro 901 wifi printer is an absolute delight to use — it solves so many problems it feels like an Angel has descended into my home office. It’s also a bit of a monster.
Its dark brooding looks help hide some of its bulk, the footprint is large so I had to place it on the bottom of the bookshelf rather than having it hanging ominously in mid-air. But the size is understandable as there seems to be nothing this machine cannot do.
Many of you may already be familiar with Desk Space Genie, the website that helps freelancers find workspace in the UK. It’s a useful site which allows you to easily find a co-working space in your area.
The bad news is: it is no more. The good news is: it’s transformed into Office Genie!
Freelancers and contractors spend a lot of time sitting at desks. The good thing is that if you work from home, you can choose the desk you work at and pity those who are stuck at a clients office making do with grotty, coffee stained desks laced with the residue of previous incumbents.
So, why not take advantage of your situation and get a truly awe-inspiring desk? Here’s a selection of six of the best on the market…
Jon Norris | Working From Home
New research commissioned by the UK Self Storage Association has revealed that 41% of workers in Britain work from home. Whether this figure includes freelancers, contractors or small businesses whose main workspace is their home is unclear, but it certainly includes regular employees who work from home – whether willingly or not! Another key element [...]
Jon Norris | Working From Home
Everybody knows about working from home – you get to have a lie-in, don’t have to trudge to the train station in the rain, you can even work in your underwear if you so choose (just remember to keep a shirt on in case of any incoming Skype calls).
For the home office worker distractions are rife. With no clients looking over your shoulder and only your own discretion between you and an unwarranted break, discipline is key.
Are you the freelancer with an unfathomable desire to watch daytime television? Are you having trouble keeping your eye on the task in hand?
Michael Rose | Lifestyle & Time out,Working From Home
If you’re interested in starting your own business, working from home or building a business empire from scratch then Enterprise Nation is a great source of information and inspiration.
I’ve recently stumbled across their TV channel on Vimeo and it’s fantastic. EN founder Emma Jones have been a Freelance Advisor contributor for a couple of years now and it’s great to see her ‘live’ in front of the camera talking about the stuff she loves.
One to watch!
Michael Rose | Working From Home
Virgin Media recently announced that it would start publishing its average broadband speeds for all of its internet packages. This is great news for home-workers and hopefully the beginning of a trend towards greater honesty among Internet Service Providers.
What is your IPS ‘up to?’ – follow our quick guide to checking your connection and comparing what you pay vs what you currently get.
Michael Rose | Lifestyle & Time out,Working From Home
The Skiff 2.0 has recently moved to a new space for creative co-working.
In partnership with Wired Sussex the new co-working and events space is a bigger, better, brighter place at 6 Gloucester Street, right in the heart of Brighton’s North Laine .
Clare Evans | Working From Home
You’ve decided to go down the freelance route and now you’re working from home. Balancing work within the home environment can often be difficult. You may be working around children and family while focusing on your business. There are all the distractions of being at home but needing to be in work mode.
Freelance productivity expert Clare Evans explains how to create a balance between ensuring work gets done and enjoying the flexibility of working from home.
Michael Rose | Working From Home
Great to see the Guardian covering the Rise of Homeworking:
The rise of home working | Money | The Guardian
Of course, we’ve know about the steady rise of home-working and the joys of working from home for some time now. For more on home-working don’t forget our Working-From-Home section is where to find all the latest posts.
Emma Jones | Getting a Job,Working From Home
A recent feature in The Guardian ran with the headline: ‘Graduates warned of record 70 applicants for every job’ The next line went: ‘Class of 2010 told to consider flipping burgers or shelf stacking to build skills’.
Was I the only one thinking flipping burgers and shelf stacking is a flippin’ great way to earn part-time income whilst building a business? For all graduates considering self-employment, here are five tips along with stories of those who’ve been there and done it.
Joycellyn Akuffo | Working From Home
Do you like bashing the snooze button as many times as you like? Do you hate those gossipy water cooler conversations? While there are lots of side-benefits from working from home there are some real benefits too. Joycellyn Akuffo editor of MothersWhoWork.co.uk lists her Top Ten reasons why working from home is so appealing to so many.
Michael Rose | Technology,Working From Home
If you occasionally work from home then getting a decent broadband connection can really help you get your work done effectively.
Thanks to modern-day technology, working from home is no longer a second-rate way of staying in touch with clients and colleagues and broadband has become a vital lifeline for many home workers, allowing them to email or browse the web in comfort while also being able to send and receive large files with ease.
If you’re not up to speed with Broadband at home Chris Marling of Broadband Genie gives you a a few things to consider.
Michael Rose | Technology,Working From Home
Brother MFC-255CW – Wifi Multi-function Printer
If you’ve got a wireless network at home then a Wifi printer is a no brainer. With just one wire for the power supply the Brother MFC-225CW can sit anywhere — I had mine out of the box and sitting on a shelf, ready to print within just 5 minutes.
David Howell | Technology,Working From Home
If the underneath of your desk looks like a bird’s net of tangled cables, power bricks, and distribution sockets, now is the time to tame your wires and create a tidy environment in your home office.
Here are a few quick ways to tame those cables…
Michael Rose | Working From Home
Who needs an office? Well, the Prime Minister I guess. Your accountant, perhaps. The CEO of a corporation with multiple divisions for sure. But if you’re an agile company producing web-content, applications or software do you really need to have all your troops all lined up ready for battle at 9am every morning five days a week?
Freelance Advisor has always tried to promote home working as a flexible, sustainable and more productive option for 21st century working and this week Seth Godin, Hive Logic and Chris Ashworth all made excellent points about the failings of the traditional office.
Michael Rose | Working From Home
Whiteboard are great for brainstorming, making quick notes, adding important phone numbers or targets… but they’re not cheap.
Whiteyboard is a brilliant ‘stick-on’ solution and, starting at $10, won’t break the bank. If you’ve got a spare space on your wall and want a quick, cheap whiteboard solution then this looks like a really smart solution.
Emma Jones | Getting a Job,Working From Home
There are over 5 million people doing it and today a book is launched to help many more follow in their footsteps. We’re talking about ‘Working 5 to 9’ which involves holding down a day job and building a business at nights and weekends. The book’s author, Freelance Advisor Emma Jones, offers 8 steps showing how you can do the same.
Emma Jones | Working From Home
Working from Home. If you need to work from home unexpectedly then these online tools and services will help you get the job done. Freelance Advisor Emma Jones shares her tips for staying connected with co-workers and clients.
Anthony Hewson | Working From Home
You gave up working for someone else for a reason. More than one in all likelihood, but one stood bold and proud: freedom.
Such a noble word; such a bright and sparkling principle; such a statement of hope and promise.
Such a lie
Andy White | Podcast,Working From Home
Andy speaks to Judy Heminsley, author of Work from Home.
Emma Jones | Working From Home
If you’re new to home business in 2010, or considering starting out in freelancing, working for yourself or working from home, these 10 golden rules from Enterprise Nation founder Emma Jones are are great place to start.
Michael Rose | Working From Home
Working from home is a great idea. Here’s why. Brilliant cartoon from Johnny Contractor: http://www.johnnycontractor.com/
Michael Rose | Working From Home
As Britain shivers though the coldest night this Winter, with local government offices reporting road grit supplies are dangerously low and the MetOffice predicting more snow on the way, we’re wondering how everyone is doing out there. Are you able to make it into the office? Are you working from home? Or are you just glad you’re a freelancer with everything you need in your home office?
We’d love to know how you’re working throughout this week.
David Howell | Technology,Working From Home
Having your own home office, or a small rented place to do you work is fantastic. It sets you up for the day, helping you create a distraction-free space and a professional venue to meet your clients.
As your business grows, however, unless you are lucky enough to be able to afford new premises then space may get tight, and, if you like gadgets and gizmos then it won’t be long before you’ve got wires all over the place, dangling from your desk and tying themselves in knots.
There are two simple solutions… go wireless… or, when you need power, hide the wires.
Emma Jones | Lifestyle & Time out,Working From Home
Recent research has show that home workers and freelancers are more productive than their 9-5, desk-bound colleagues.
Freelance Advisor and Home Business expert Emma Jones takes a quick, efficient look at how you can make the most of your time in the home office.
Emma Jones | Getting a Job,Working From Home
Never has this piece of advice been more relevant. You went in to business to do the things you most enjoy. When you enjoy something, you’re good at it and that, in turn, attracts loyal customers. Keep hold of those customers by sticking to your knitting and find other experts to take on the tasks [...]
Jim Hatley | Technology,Working From Home
If you’re freelancing from home on a regular basis a well-lit, well kitted-out office is essential – not just a luxury. Freelance Advisor’s resident gadget guru Jim Hatley takes a look at some home office must-haves. Home office heaven: Screens, scanners, DAB and desk-lamps Last year I have covered a few bits of kit to [...]
Jo Blood | Lifestyle & Time out,Working From Home
It’s no fun being average… but at least your desk and workstation have been designed with you in mind. If you’re above-average height you will know that it’s not quite so easy. Posture professional Jo Blood gives tall guys and gals a few hints on how to make their working environment work for them. Tall [...]
Emma Jones | Working From Home
Freelance Advisor and author of ‘Spare Room Start Up’ Emma Jones offers us the first in a new series of pieces for our Working from Home section. Here she takes a looks at what freelancers with a home office can do to create a professional image for clients and a great first impression for customers [...]
