Tips for Working From Home
Working from home is not only a professional career choice it’s a lifestyle choice. It can be a very different lifestyle and one that needs some thoughtful consideration. Your goal as a freelancer should be to maximize the benefits while minimizing the challenges. The tips in this #WorkingFromHomeLifestyle article will help you create a balanced work-from-home lifestyle.
I’ll bottom line it for you if you don’t want to read a long article; your overall takeaway is to create structure. The biggest thing an office job has going for it is the structure and routine of commuting to a dedicated work space at set hours. That routine and structure helps keep you focused and clearly compartmentalize work from home. Adding a little bit of that structure will turn working from home into a lifestyle that really works for you.
Outside of structure, there are bigger lifestyle changes that are necessary. Not only are they changes you need to adapt to but your whole family as well.
Location. Location. Location.
Having a real work space will increase productivity a great deal. Make sure you have what you need at arm’s reach so you stay focused and get work done. When you don’t have to search the house for a stapler, the load of dirty dishes in the sink won’t distract you. (That may or may not be a real life example.)
- Create a Work Space – Carve out a real work space for yourself. Maybe it’s an extra room, your garage or even the dining table. You don’t need a separate closed-door office if you don’t have one. But you should create a setup that is comfortable, well-lit, ergonomically-optimized and has all your work materials nearby. If it’s a space where you have to set up and tear down for family use (e.g. a dining table), find ways to do this efficiently. Rolling cabinets, carts on wheels, etc. let you organize your work equipment/supplies and easily move them wherever you need without a lot of fuss.
- Work from a Coffee Shop – When I had an office job, I occasionally called in to “work from home”. When I couldn’t get away with that, I sometimes (OK, often) snuck out to the local coffee shop with a laptop to do my work from there. When you work from home, give yourself these allowances as well. I’d say, go one step further and plan for it.Working from a coffee shop every once in a while, mitigates a lot of the challenges in our #WorkingFromHomeLifestyle. First, it gets you out of the house and interacting with people. Even light interactions with a barista is something more than nothing. Being in an environment around people helps keep isolation at bay. Getting outside your home means house distractions (e.g. chores, TV, etc.) are not an issue. Taking you away from your kitchen means you won’t be grazing on snacks all day. (Well, at least you have to think twice about whether to pay for the food/drink.) And even just the little bit of walking might be more than you’d do in a typical day at home.
- Rent Shared Co-working Space – There are shared work spaces where you can rent a desk. Some let you drop-in for a day, some let you rent part-time on a monthly basis without signing a lease. There may be times you need office infrastructure your home can’t provide — meeting rooms, laser printers, landline phones, etc. These co-working spaces supply all of that. If your work space at home is makeshift, going into an actual office could boost your productivity. Co-working spaces are an affordable way to get an office environment on the occasions when working from home doesn’t cut it.
This is also a great way to avoid isolation. In fact, being around other freelancers and entrepreneurs could prove to be useful. Having people in the same boat as you might help you pick up new tips and tricks, etc. Some shared office spaces even organize guest speakers and events with that intention in mind. It can be a valuable community to join.
SCHEDULING
One way to make sure your day doesn’t get away from you is to give your day some structure. The great thing is your structure can be as flexible as you need it to be. However, having a plan in mind for how your day will be spent will ensure you have a balanced, healthy day.
- Block Your Schedule – When are you most productive? Find blocks of time where you can work free from distraction. It should be a solid 2- to 3-hour block so you can really sink into meaty work. Make sure you work from your dedicated “Work Space”. This is the equivalent of “going to work”. It doesn’t need to the same time each day or strictly enforced. You just need to find a few solid blocks of time throughout the week to really sit down and work. Do what works for you naturally. That’s the only way you’ll be able to maintain it.
For me, first thing in the morning is when I’m the most productive. I always work at my “Work Space” from around 9AM to lunch. That gives me enough time to make my morning coffee and breakfast. I can even get a load of dishes or laundry started.
I take blocking to the next level by only scheduling meetings and phone calls on certain days. Randomization can kill your day – even when it’s a business meeting or call. You always lose a little time on either end for commute, preparation, and wrap-up notes. “No Meeting” days helps me avoid a lot of choppy days sprinkled with non-business or even business-related activities.
Blocking is effective because even if the rest of your day goes to heck, you’ll know you at least got a few solid hours of work done. In fact, you’re planning for non-productivity as much as you are planning for productivity. So long as you get in your solid block of work, don’t feel guilty, behind or stressed when the rest of your day is randomized.
Blocking lets you hold onto the flexibility and freedom of a work-from-home lifestyle, without compromising productivity.
- Schedule Breaks – If you’re on the other spectrum of over-working, make sure you’re getting breaks in. It’s too easy when you’re in the comfort of your own home to sit for hours on end. This can start to impact your health over time. If you have pets or kids, it’s probably easy to find a reason for a break (e.g. short walk). A simple 10-minute walk around the block can not only reduce the chances of getting chronic neck, shoulders and back pain but can also give you a mental break that may even make you more productive when you get back to work.
Invest in Your Health
Every entrepreneur starting out will have tough choices about where and how to spend their money. As a freelancer, you don’t have a corporation willing and capable of investing in your health. As your own boss, be a good one and invest in your staff’s health — especially if you are a staff of one — yourself!
- Health Insurance – If you don’t have a partner whose health care plan can be extended to cover you, budget the money to pay for your own healthcare. With the healthcare exchange and other marketplaces, health care plans are much more easy to sign up for. At just a couple hundred a month, it’s well worth it. Even an annual visit to a primary care physician is worth it to head off any major issues. In addition, if any major health issues do come up, you’ll be very grateful for the insurance.
- Gym Membership – There are inexpensive gym memberships out there. You don’t have to break the bank to include a gym membership in your budget. However, if you know you won’t realistically get to the gym, maybe it’s not the right investment for you.
- Yoga – Yoga is available for all levels of ability. These are often classes that you can drop into when you’re able to fit it into your schedule. Also, there are always Groupon deals where you can try classes for dirt cheap.
- Community Centers – There’s often swimming pools and maybe even gym facilities at community centers. Sometimes it’s even free to drop in and do some laps in the pool. Otherwise, the fees are fairly nominal.
- Home work-out equipment – If nothing else, invest in some equipment at home. It can be as little as a yoga mat so you can follow an online yoga class or something more fancy like a treadmill or weight lifting set.
- Massages – If working out is too much of a chore, treat yourself to regular massages. It probably won’t take much persuasion to get you into a massage. Spa-like massages can cost an arm and a leg, but sports or therapeutic massages aren’t nearly as expensive. A good deep tissue massage will help release tight muscles and reduce or alleviate chronic pain.
SETTING EXPECTATIONS
It can be crucial to set the right expectations for yourself and for your family when you embark on the freelancer #WorkFromHomeLifestyle. You want to set yourself up for success. However, you also want to recognize when things go wayward before you so in the weeds you’re making decisions from panic and distress.
- Financial Goals – Your income is probably the biggest expectation that needs to be set for yourself and anyone else financially responsible for your households. Depending on how much you’ve built up your freelance income before choosing to do it full-time, this can be a real area of risk.
Set short-term and long-term financial goals for yourself. Have these goals supported by a plan to realistically meet them. If you share financial responsibilities with someone else, this is a discussion they should also be a part of so they’re aware.
One thing no one likes to do is think about failure. However, I think the worst failures are the ones you don’t even recognize. Setting goals for success gives you something to work towards. Conversely, set warning flags for failure gives you signs for what to avoid. As you approach those flags, have a strategy in mind for how to access whether this is a blip that you can ride out or if something needs to change (e.g. cutting back expenses or spending more on marketing).
- Rules of Engagement – It’s important your family knows about your solid blocks of work time, particularly if they are home during that time. You should help everyone understand when you’re working and what you need to be productive. Maybe this means keeping the noise down to a certain level, maybe there’s a bar that needs to be set for when you can be distracted, etc. As long as it’s reasonable and you communicate with your family, something can be worked out where everyone is happy.
- Play date – If you have young ones at home who don’t need 100% of your attention, schedule a play date with them. Letting your kids know that you carved out time just to spend with them can make them feel special. Knowing they’ll soon have 100% of your attention might help them hold off on interrupting you before then.
DISCLAIMER: The information and advice I offer on this site are 100% from my own experience, understanding and independent research. I encourage you to do your own research, form your own opinions and practice your own strategies and share what works with the community.