The idea of becoming self-employed today may not be so difficult to contemplate since recent advances in technology have made this a feasible option. And it certainly has been gaining a lot of converts lately. Why wouldn’t it? You can earn a regular income and you don’t have to commute to and from work every day. Some people even think that you don’t have to dress up. You can just lounge in your living room, wearing your pajamas, armed with just a cup of coffee and a laptop, and you’d be all set to work for the day.
However, in the interest of also avoiding becoming a veritable frumpy hermit, it would be good advice to somehow find a balance between becoming a reliable freelancer and having a respectable social life–one where you can go out with friends for a drink or go on a holiday once in a while. Besides, “all work and no play” might end up making you anti-social.
Kidding aside, it is indeed quite important to be able to also have time for some R&R once in while. A day at the beach perhaps? But how do you do this exactly? How do you balance work and leisure? Well, here are some nuggets of wisdom that you might find interestingly helpful in achieving that goal.
1. Have a chic list of goals.
Make a list of the things you want for yourself–that cute doll dress or those sexy pumps you spied at the mall last week, perhaps–and put it in a place where you can easily see it. Choose places where you usually work, like in your living room or if you have a study, on the wall in front of your desktop. This way, you are constantly reminded of the things you should be aiming for and you don’t lose focus.
2. Set a daily routine.
It might also be quite helpful if you designate specific hours every day for work. If you do this, your mind would be able to get used to the idea of having regular working hours and in turn, you avoid procrastinating. Set your alarm, even if you don’t need to. Greet every morning with a cup of coffee and some healthy breakfast. Don’t laze around in your bed until you feel compelled by your stomach to get up and scrounge for food. As a freelancer, this might be difficult to do at first but with determination, you would be able to discipline yourself to keep regular working hours in no time.
3. Look fabulous every day.
Contrary to popular belief, just because you’re working from home, it doesn’t mean that it’s all right to look unkempt. You have to take care of yourself, too. Usually, it helps set your mind to work if you also physically get ready for it. So, take a shower, have breakfast, and put on gorgeous clothes before sitting down in front of your laptop. Get ready for the day as if you’re working for a multinational company with a prestigious office address. This way, when you look at yourself in the mirror you can tell from your reflection that you’re ready for work. And if you get a surprise video call from a client, you don’t have to scramble to your bedroom to get yourself decently clad. You’d be ready all the time.
4. Spruce up a stylish home office.
Choose a corner of your apartment or house and set it up as your home office. You don’t have to have all the sophisticated tools right away. You can just start with the basics first, things like the appropriate furniture and the necessary equipment including a phone, a computer printer, and maybe a drawer for important files.
Aside from these, you might also want to eventually find a small office space. There are actually a lot of office space for rent in Cebu that you might consider looking at. This way, you will be ready to expand your freelance work and maybe turn it into an outsourcing business when the time comes.
Author Bio:Gina Ballesteros is a supernova writer for Regus, a global company that offers flexible workspaces, virtual offices, and IT support services for small and big businesses worldwide.
12 Comments
Great tips! I definitely agree that you should dress for work, even when you`re working from home!
This is a great list! When I first started freelancing, I stayed in my print PJ set until about 1:00 pm! It made all the days feel like they were running together and really affected my overall feeling of productivity. I think it's often good to get out of the house to work, too. I have a few coffee shops I frequent when I need a new environment to stimulate my creativity. 🙂
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Great post! I love reading about this kind of topic because I'd LOVE to be able to blog & write & style fulltime. Fingers crossed! <3
This post is great! Thje tips are so good… I think the hardest part for me really would be…to be able to socialize! xD I really would be like this hermit-type of people… :/ And the setting of a daily routine would also be hard for me, to be honest…
Thanks for the
great tips! really helpful..!
<3 #GIG
OMG, I won't be able to leave my office if I ever convert a room to look like that!!
Great tips! 🙂
This is such a great post!! love it! Those tips are really useful. 🙂
what a great list, thank you for making this list. im just starting working as a freelancer, and this is really helpfull <3
These are such great points. I especially love point #3 and #4. Dressing up yourself and your surrounding allows you to concentrate more and do your job more passionately. I've been meaning to try my hand at some freelance work for a couple of months. I should probably put them in use!<3
great post
Great post indeed! Thanks for sharing this very informative blog post because this will really help others who are trying to figure out what to do