Being a freelancer sounds like an exciting process as you are your own boss and can have your own way. There aren’t any office hours, managers, or team meetings. You have all the freedom and flexibility you want. But there’s a flip side to the seemingly perfect profile as you have to struggle with ongoing WFH challenges and stresses. Everyone who has worked remotely during the pandemic will probably know how tough things can be for freelancers who have to work from home at all times. However, you can follow some actionable WFH tricks to stay in control as a freelancer. Let us share them with you.
Create a dedicated zero-distraction WFH area
The biggest challenge when you have to WFH forever is finding the right place to use as your work area. You need a dedicated, zero-distraction area, where there aren’t kids, pets, and traffic noises. It makes sense to invest in a home office that offers all the comfort and privacy you need to be your productive best. Have a clutter-free place with good lighting and ergonomic furniture, and you are all set.
Plan your day
Freelancers need to juggle multiple clients, projects, assignments, and deadlines, and it is easy to miss out on more than one of them. It makes sense to plan your day so that you have a complete checklist and roadmap for the tasks to cover. You can maintain a daily calendar to keep things organized and reference previous tasks when you need to. It will be a lot easier to manage the workload with good planning.
Spring clean your device
Owning the right work device and keeping it in top shape is vital to have control. A Mac keeps you in a good place to start with as it offers a host of productivity features and shortcuts. Go the extra mile with regular decluttering so that you can minimize performance issues and distractions. Delete unnecessary files and declutter the desktop. Regular backup of files and photos is important. You can explore a few ways to backup photos so that you can recover them later. A little effort for spring cleaning your Mac enables you to be more productive and have fewer distractions.
Set work hours
Work-life balance is often elusive for freelancers because you don’t have work schedules to follow. The flexibility you love can translate into the biggest challenge unless you set your work hours and adhere to them. Work hours should also include client calls and chats because you will not want to lose your sleep only to entertain a client who lives in another time zone.
Seek support from your family
A freelance career is a roller-coaster ride as you jump from one project to another, manage multiple projects, and handle all the stress that comes your way. There are days when workloads don’t let you cook, and there are phases when you have nothing to do. Both can be equally stressful. You will need support from your family, so don’t hesitate to ask for it. Let your partner share household duties and keep you motivated during the lean phases.
Most importantly, you must focus on the good things about WFH and try to overcome the struggles. Enjoy the ride, and you will love the freedom you have as a professional!
Sean Cooper is the bestselling author of the book, Burn Your Mortgage: The Simple, Powerful Path to Financial Freedom for Canadians, available now on Amazon and at Chapters, Indigo and major bookstores, and as an Audiobook on Amazon, Audible and iTunes.