Working from home as a freelancer can an exciting career. Whether you’re a ghostwriter, graphic designer, or a virtual assistant, living in the freelance world can open the door for more time spent with family, working in your pajamas, and getting to sleep in everyday. Unless you’re a perfect human being who never gets lazy, you may find being consistently productive working at home to be troublesome. Getting all of your worked done and finishing every project at its deadline can be difficult if you aren’t productive and efficient.
How to Increase Productivity as a Freelancer
Do you use your living room coffee table to do your work? Consider moving to your patio or any other location to give your brain the boost it needs. As humans, we crave to be stimulated. Your surroundings and atmosphere can play a huge role on your productivity levels. Just a quick move from one place to the other can make a difference.
Set Up A Work Timer
It’s time to set up a work timer. This tool is going to maximize how you work at home so you can work with uninterrupted energy. Simply set up a timer to work with no distractions for 30 minutes straight, and then give yourself a solid 5-10 minute break before you go another 30 minutes again. Feel free to edit the time frame to best match what you can do, but this technique is a powerful way to remain productive and get stuff done without burning you out.
Lighten Up Your Workspace
The Future Workplace did a Workplace Wellness Study in 2019 and found that seven out of ten employees rated environmental wellness to be their source for overall well-being. Harsh artificial lighting, a dim workspace, and high intensity glares can all cause stress and migraines. Strive to get natural lighting in from the windows or even lightbulbs and lamps that try to mimic the outside world.
Distractions Should Be Put Away
It’s vital that you understand the power of outside forces like your phone, television, Netflix, children running around, and other external energies that can dictate how you operate at home. Its different working in an office where everybody is dedicated to their work and must remain attentive to show the boss that you’re working, but at home, you get to decide what you do and when you do it. Keep phones silent for certain periods of time, turn off the radio or television, and find time when the kids or dogs aren’t at their most energetic.
Create A Schedule and Develop Routine
Building a schedule for the next day’s work plan is a great way to be on top of your work life in advance. It’s the best way to guarantee that you are fitting in the must-do’s for your work day. A routine of when you start certain projects or when you respond to emails is a good habit to build for longevity and productivity down the line.
Being productive is about having a plan of action. You get 24 hours in a day. Be smart and plan how to use them effectively. Figure out what works best for you. Are you most productive in the early morning or during the evening hours? Do you find yourself busy during certain times of the day to care for your family and dogs? As a freelancer, you have the ability to change up your entire schedule to what fits your lifestyle the most. Use that to your advantage and find the time of the day that allows you to be at your best. These tips put together can help you reach your fullest potential working at home as a freelancer.