The Freelancer’s Guide to Creating a Comfortable (and Productive) Workspace

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Freelancing is, in its most basic form, all about focusing, creating excellent products and/or providing outstanding services, and pleasing clients. However, as anyone who’s worked as a freelancer can attest to, if this first point—focus—isn’t a reality, the subsequent points—producing great content and pleasing clients—won’t be realities either. And if they aren’t realities, paychecks won’t be received, and success will be hard to come by, and so on and so forth; it’s a very slippery and unpleasant slope.

Moreover, one of the biggest reasons freelancers are unable to focus is because their working space and environment aren’t optimal. Losing out on money and opportunities is frustrating, but the worst part of all is unfocused freelancers aren’t able to showcase their skills and capabilities for the world—they don’t get to leave their mark.

The good news is that establishing an optimal working space and environment isn’t a difficult process. By implementing some simple and straightforward tips, ideas, and measures, any freelancer can become focused and perform at his or her best. And even though business has changed dramatically in recent years, fundamental principles like that—“Performing at one’s best is a key to success”—have remained prevalent and applicable.

To help freelancers around the globe reach their full potential, let’s take a look at some effortless ways to create the best possible working space and environment!

Invest in a Cushioned Office Chair (Heat and Vibrations Features Recommended, but Not Required)

Writers, voiceover artists, editors, video professionals, coders, and virtually every other type of freelancer in the world cannot afford not to be comfortable, and sitting on cushion-less office chairs is a surefire way to develop back pain and lose sight of the goals at-hand. Because employees at traditional companies don’t usually have to buy their desk and chair, most freelancers don’t consider their working space’s furniture to be a top priority. But they most definitely should, as a little bit of comfort and relaxation will go a long way towards enhancing productivity and efficiency.

In short, freelancers should spend some money upfront to make more money later on—and to be a lot more comfortable and happy in the interim! A nice cushioned chair will feel great and make everything, from normal work to dealing with difficult clients, a whole lot simpler and more doable.

Eliminate Distractions

Many freelancers work from home, as doing so is convenient, affordable, and, truth be told, pretty fun—especially during hectic winter mornings when below-zero temperatures and rapid snowfall make commuting immensely difficult. On the other hand, it usually doesn’t take long for new freelancers to succumb to distractions. Maybe there’s a terrific sports game or television show on; perhaps beautiful weather makes going outside irresistible. Whatever the case, it’s imperative that freelancers eliminate these and other distractions, and render their work quicker and better in the process.

This isn’t to say that every big game and every nice day must be ignored in favor of work; in fact, doing that will probably just reduce productivity and make orders take longer to finish. But eliminating distractions methodically is advisable. Watching every game during the workday would be unwise, but there’s nothing wrong with taking an afternoon off to unwind and come back fresher the next morning (or that evening). Additionally, staying inside while the weather is gorgeous can feel like torture. If working outside isn’t an option, heading out for an hour or two is a good idea. The key, though, is to avoid succumbing to distractions all the time.

Distractions that are unrelated to leisure—perhaps a family member continually tries to strike up conversation or interact—are arguably more dangerous to productivity. To prevent these things from occurring frequently, freelancers should make clear (by speaking firmly and fairly) that they are working when they are in their office or workspace, and it would be appreciated if others didn’t distract them during this time.

Purchase a Humidifier

Humidifiers aren’t as popular as air conditioners and heaters, and that’s a shame, because they arguably do just as much or more for one’s comfort. And for freelancers, humidifiers are affordable, easy-to-use, and reliable appliances that are certain to make air more breathable and pleasant, boosting productivity in the process.

It isn’t tough to understand why more and more individuals are turning to humidifiers. Dry and brittle air is hard to breathe, and it feels worse than unnecessarily hot air. Humidity is usually low in the winter because the cold air carries less moisture than warm air, and it’s usually low inside homes during the summer because air conditioning units, while cooling houses down, suck humidity out. Consequently, air can be warm and dry and cool and dry, but in either instance, it simply won’t be comfortable.

This easily fixable distraction can be alleviated with the help of a humidifier, once again. Humidifiers are available to purchase online and in stores and can be operated with a simple push of a button. After selecting a humidifier and pouring distilled water into it (distilled water costs the same as other types of water and can be bought in the same places; it’s just devoid of nutrients, which prevents the growth of bacteria), all that’s left to do is plug it in and select the desired humidity level (forty- to fifty-percent is recommended for most homes).

The air will become smoother, nasal irritation and coughing will be minimized in frequency and severity, and completing work will be a cinch, for freelancers.

 

There’s never been a better time than today to explore the freelance marketplace and provide useful services to clients. The professional landscape is generally competitive, though, and efficiency and quick turnarounds are required ingredients in the recipe for financial success. Hopefully this guide illustrated how freelancers can make their workspaces more comfortable and pleasant, and in the process, reach their full professional potential.

Thanks for reading, and here’s to freelancing!

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