7 Work From Home Tips for Freelancers to Be More Productive

Since the pandemic, employers have had to embrace working from home.

And while this definitely has its advantages, cabin fever can quickly take its course if we don't put things in place to help us work well remotely.

Here are a few effective work-from-home tips for remote life in a pandemic.

1. Find A Dedicated Space To Work

When working from home, it may be easy to curl up in bed and make this your regular workspace. However, this isn't good for your posture long-term, and finding an official dedicated place to work from can help you with carrying out work more productively. 

So, try working from your living room, or even a desk space in your bedroom. This helps create a distinction between a place where you work and where you sleep, which can help you focus more. Plus, it's much easier to fall asleep in your bed, than at your desk!

2. Decorate Your Work Space

Placing inspirational quotes or vibrant paintings in your workspace can help lift your mood and make it a more pleasant place for working.

Encouraging quotes related to your work life can help to emphasize the area you’re working in to be a place for work. It can help drown out any other distractions that may fall more into the “home” category. 

3. Explore Outdoor Spaces

If the weather is nice and you have a garden, why not take advantage of this? Working alongside nature can be really relaxing and therapeutic, even. If you don't have this option, try finding a space on a park bench that you can work from at a safe social distance. 

Remember to make sure your phone and laptop are fully charged before you leave your home so that you have a good few hours of work to get in without needing energy supplies. You'll probably also want internet access, so make sure you can gain access to this through a personal hotspot feature. This is available on most modern smartphones. Just be aware that this usually takes up more battery life and may add extra costs.

4. Other Indoor/Outdoor Spaces

Though we are limited on indoor options at present, there are still a few you can visit when you feel like working somewhere other than your home. Some coffee shops and cafes offer distanced outdoor seating on patios. A bit of research can really surface spots that are safely operating during Covid-19.

5. Rest

Part of effectively working remotely is taking rest. We are not robots and therefore need our rest! Listening to your body when it's signalling to get some shut-eye, or take a break from looking at the computer screen are key parts to include in your remote working lifestyle. It helps to prevent you from burning out, and instead enhances how well you carry out your work. 

6. Eat Well

We are what we eat, right? 

You may have noticed a temptation to snack more regularly or lean more towards unhealthy foods. But the food you eat affects your energy levels. So, it's important to incorporate fruit and vegetables in your diet to help keep you awake throughout your working day. 

Hydration is something people also forget to do when focusing solely on work. Put a glass of water alongside you when working and regularly fill it up throughout the day to keep your fluid levels up. Taking care of your inside helps you to perform better outwardly too.

7. Stay Active 

Following on from the previous point, it's important to take care of your body all around. 

Working from home over a prolonged period of time means you're not doing a daily commute and therefore not as active. It's even more important to ensure you're exercising as part of your lifestyle. And it could be as simple as a daily walk. Or if you're looking for more of a challenge, you could go for a jog a few times a week. Couch to 5k is a great app that coaches beginner runners to run to 5k in the space of 9 weeks. Or if you'd prefer to exercise in the space of your own home, you could look at some beginner workouts on YouTube. There are a ton of them!

Hopefully, these tips help you gain more insight into how you can work remotely more effectively. Remember, it's a lifestyle. And one that is becoming more common than it once was. So, the sooner we learn how to master it, the better!