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Working as a freelancer can be psychologically odd. When you have a nine to five job, you get up in the morning, get washed and dressed and commute to work. When you arrive at the office, you are subconsciously aware that you should now be working. Your brain will start perceiving things differently, concentrating and responding in different ways. If you're good at your job, this change will be advantageous and will allow you to prosper.

With freelancers, they get up, get washed and dressed (don’t let anyone tell you otherwise) and then go into the room where they work. They are still at home, the place where they relax, so getting into the mindset for work is sometimes more of a conscious process. This can be difficult sometimes. One way of dealing is separating your home into zones where you work and zones where you relax. Do not watch a movie in your office, for example, and do not do any work in the living room.

Another difference from people who go to work and have a boss is that freelancers have the most freedom when it comes to deciding what their work environment should be. No one is going to come by and tell them to take down whatever pictures they want to put up. It is their home after all.

One of the disadvantages of this, though, is that the freelancer has to procure all of their own office supplies. There is not a cupboard at the end of the hall that has everything that you could ever need. If you want it, you have to get it yourself. If you are thinking about working from home, here are four pieces of tech that you will need.

1. A Shredder

Just as freelancers don’t have abundant office supplies, they also do not have an entire legal team to help them out if they make a mistake. When working alone, you have to look out for yourself. To ensure your own financial and personal security, you should get a shredder. Check out papershredderpros.com. Shredders may not be that sexy but they could save you a lot of money in legal fees.

2. Office Chair

If you are going to be sitting at your desk all day, you need to pick out an office chair that is right for you. Your back only needs to be damaged once for it to be a problem for the rest of your life. The benefits of good furniture speak for themselves. I personally have a Serta Executive office chair because it is fully adjustable. 

3. Hard Drive

Freelancers also do not have their own IT departments. It is, therefore, apropos to get a backup hard drive. There is nothing more frustrating than working all day only to have it all wiped out.

4. Video Conferencing Gear

The wonders of the internet never seem to cease. Near instantaneous video conferencing is now taken for granted in modern business. So as not to be left behind, check out https://www.logitech.com/en-gb/. You want to make sure that you can be seen and heard perfectly.

Photo by Tim Gouw

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