When you work from home, you have the freedom to choose when and where to work, but you have to take your job even more seriously than ever before. I knoooow, you wanted freedom, BUT working from home doesn’t mean that you’re not working for real. It is more real than ever. Think about it. You now depend solely on yourself. There’s no paycheck at the end of the month just because you’re sitting in front of your PC. You have to earn it. And to do that, you need to make a plan. Your plan.

10 Tips to Work from Home

♥ Run your business

1. Set yourself a goal -> Take your work professionally. It’s a business. So you should have a goal, even better if it’s a goal with a number, something like “I’m going to earn $xx monthly in xx months.” / “I’m going to have xx customers in xx months.”
2. Create a workspace you feel comfortable with -> You can change rooms anytime, or even work outside home. That’s why you probably became a freelancer in the first place – to work whatever you wanted. BUT – big “but” – that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t have a perfectly setup workspace. What should it include?
   * Monitor and keyboard – If you work the whole time with a laptop, your back and eyes are going to complain
   * Ergonomic chair – Your back’s calling again!
   * Printer – To print out your invoices, for example
   * Stationery – You need some paper for that printer of yours, as well as pens, post-its, notebooks, and so forth
   * All tools you need for your profession – Just make a list beforehand and check out if there’s any local store or online shop which offers discounts to freelancers!
3. Admin -> Make sure you keep track of all your clients and projects and create an invoicing system that makes sense to you – I love Quickbooks!
   If it’s too much for you, maybe it’s time for you to ask for help. A virtual assistant could save your life.

   
   ♥ Plan your time

4. Schedule your time ->  Ideally, you have a specific work time, especially if you have to adapt yourself to your family’s agenda. However, if you can’t stand it to do the same thing every day at the same time, at least try to schedule your week:
   * What are you going to do on Mondays?
   * When are you going to be more active on social media?
   * When are you going to work on online marketing?
   * Do you need brainstorming sessions? How often?
   You see my point 😉 Believe me: You’re going to be much more productive if you schedule your day or week ahead of time – even if you have no strings attached.
5. Don’t forget to schedule some free time for yourself -> If you’re like me and tend to work too much without even noticing that you’ve been sitting in front of your PC for hours, you need to schedule your free time as well! No matter if it’s working out, yoga, meditation, going for a walk or meet your friends – just make sure you don’t get too obsessed with your brand new work from home 😉
6. Analyze and discover what works best for you -> Some people rave about having a morning routine, that is, they do every day exactly the same thing.  Having a morning routine works wonders – they say. I find this is a very personal thing. I’ve tried a couple of times, but I can’t perform as well on Mondays as I do on Wednesdays. Truth be told, I can hardly be productive on Mondays 🙂
   Try to figure out when you perform at best –> Are you a morning person? The first morning hours are usually the most productive ones for most people, but you may be more of a night-owl.
   When I have a lot of work waiting for me on Monday, I usually work a little over the weekend so that I can wake up more relaxed. As I said, Mondays are not my strength 😉 But, again: It’s up to you. You may want to go early to bed and give your best the following day.
   Just take your time to get to know this new version of you, and don’t be too hard on yourself at the beginning 🙂

   
   ♥ Avoid distractions

7. You are working -> You’re not at home checking your Facebook or Instagram feed. You can’t imagine how much time gets lost on social media. Even if you just want to check for “a second.” Your cell phone is also a potential time-waste-tool. If you can’t avoid answering your chats and messages, mute your phone and everything which makes you lose your concentration.
   Try it at least at the beginning. Once you get rolling, you’ll want to have your job done. I’ve found myself working till late at night because I was “just checking” my Facebook feed at work times. And I could have done in the evening. So annoying!
8. Let your people know that you are working -> You’re not available to have a chat on the phone in the midst of a project.
   Many people just don’t get it, and you’ll have to stay firm on this one. Explain to them how hard it is for you not to answer the phone. And that you’ll always call back when you have the time. Even if I seemed too unfriendly, I have not answered some calls on purpose. There are some friends you’ll have to educate the hard way. But don’t forget to call back when you’re done working 😉
9. Now, the most difficult task of all – at least for me. Your family. Yep. Those who you love most and who live with you. Who live where your new office is. And who love it to interrupt you because they have something soo important, it can’t wait.
   I can’t preach a lot about this ’cause I still haven’t actually succeeded – after 15 years of freelancing (*sigh*). But I keep on trying – every single day. Work in progress!
   I hope you have more luck than I do. And please please tell me your secret 🙂

   
   ♥ Holidays

10. Don’t forget to take some time off!!! It’s after a well-deserved vacation time that you’ll come back full of energy and ideas to continue growing your business 🙂

You’re a freelancer. It’s your time. Your life… But don’t forget that it’s also your business. And you have to nurture it to succeed.

xoxo,
Alicia
Are you born to freelance?

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PS. If you plan to work from home and other places, you may find this post useful. Enjoy!

Work from home successfully

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