Ah… the life of a freelancer… feet up, TV on, sitting around in your dressing gown and your clients are none the wiser. But is this really the best way to approach your freelance and contracting work? Freelance Advisor and Web Marketing Consultant Leif Kendall asked the freelancers on the Brighton New Media list what they think are the best working practices for those of us not trapped in a cubicle and tied to a desk.
The secrets of success when working from home
I’m a freelance copywriter and sometimes I work from home. When I do, I often find it hard to concentrate on my work. In search of strategies to make working from home more effective, I put this problem to the erudite
Brighton New Media email list. What follows is the product of their combined wisdom. Thanks BNMers!
Read on for 17 top-tips for home-working and hard-working freelancers…
How to make working from home a ‘workable’ option:
- Have a clearly-defined work space (which doesn’t have a TV).
- Occasionally work somewhere else (coffee shop, shared office, beach).
- Work on interesting things.
- What motivates you? Define this, write it down, and refer to it when you lack motivation.
- Structure your day. Allot time for household errands. This helps prevent housework encroaching into your work time.
- Don’t fight the boredom. If you’re bored, stop staring at your computer, take a break, and try again later. Recognise when you’re wasting time and do something fun for a while. Consider it a well-deserved brain holiday.
- Make a To-Do List, but don’t become a list fascist. The list serves you. You do not serve the list.
- Phone people instead of emailing them. Human interaction can brighten up your day and surprise people.
- Take a proper lunch break and stop working. Maybe step outside.
- Move around. Vary the place you work. Try working from a different room in your house.
- Snack regularly. It keeps up your energy levels and fuels your brain.
- Have someone or something to talk to (a partner, a cat, a plant).
- Encourage your partner to be supportive. They better they understand your work, the better they’ll be able to support you.
- Start early. If you feel like you’ve had a productive day, you’re less likely to feel obliged to carry work into the evening, when you should be unwinding.
- Get naked. The BNMers swear by it.
- Use social media tools like Twitter to keep you connected to your peers.
- Emigrate. Work in a warmer, sunnier country and work mañana.
So there you have a few ideas to help make working from home a happy solution. Thanks again to the BNM group who really wrote this post for me!
Now… what’s your secret?
Share your secrets for success in the comments below… what works for you when you are working from home?
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