freelance writing business
The freelance life isn’t as easy as people who work in offices would have you believe. Sure, the commute is excellent - from your bed to your desk via the shower and the kitchen if you have time for coffee - but it can be a difficult life. You don’t get benefits or vacation days, and you might feel too guilty to ever totally switch off. Luckily, there are a few things you can do to make the freelance life a little easier on yourself, long term. I know I've preached on several of these before, but they need repeating.
Create A Good Workspace
First of all, create a beautiful workspace in your home. If you have space, a home office. Surround yourself with everything you need from files to books, along with a tidy desk and plenty of natural light and fresh air.
If you don’t have space for that, the number one thing that you need to stay comfortable is an ergonomic desk chair. A sore back thanks to your job is no joke.
freelancers office
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Fight That Procrastination
It can sometimes be hard to motivate yourself if you’re your own boss. Breathing down your own neck just doesn’t have the same effect as your scary boss doing that for you in an office! If you’re having problems with procrastination, start rewarding yourself for every task you complete - whether that’s with a short walk, a cup of tea or a square of chocolate is up to you.
The most important thing is that you figure out how you’re motivated and that you play along with that.
freelance writer
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Get Out Of The House
Depending on what your job is, it may be hard to get out of the house. If you work in a certain industry, it can be easy to attend conferences, for example the Safety 2017 Professional Development Conference & Exposition where you can attend talks and network with other professionals.
Talking to other people in your field instead of staring at your four walls at home all day can help to inspire you and give you more ideas. It’s also a good idea to make sure that you get outside and take a walk every day - it’s good for your mental and physical health to get some fresh air.
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Stay Financially Savvy
If you’re working freelance, you’re probably managing your own money, which can be tricky if you’ve never paid taxes before as they’ve previously all come out of your payslip automatically.
Make sure that you put away a good amount of money every month so you can pay taxes and aren’t caught short at the end of the financial year. If you aren’t great with finances, hire an accountant.
freelance writing tips
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Keep Promoting Yourself
Finally, don’t be embarrassed to keep promoting yourself - give out your business card at networking events and keep using social media sites like Twitter and Facebook to promote your business. Making sure that people know about you is a big battle so you’ll need to bear in mind that you may need to spend almost as much time promoting yourself as you do on your actual work!
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