The world is constantly changing. We used to wake up in the morning and after a quick breakfast with coffee get into the car or catch a bus and go to work. Of course, we could also take a walk there or ride a bike, which we really recommend – green Earth is better Earth =) That is not the point, though.
In the recent years, the labor market changed in so many ways. The number of freelancers working from their homes is steadily rising. People replace the cramped space of office cubicles for the comfortable and chilling atmosphere of their living rooms. Working from home has a lot of assets – but there are, of course, some disadvantages as well. You can read about the risks and learn how to avoid them in our post about healthy freelancing.
One huge asset of working from home is that we do not really have to work while we are at home (we know how it sounds :D) The fact is that this is just a name that describes the possibility to do your job at any place different from the office, place that you can choose yourself. As a freelancer, you are free to work from any place you want to, providing that you complete your tasks before the deadline and you are not beyond reach, so your manager or constituent can always contact you.
In result, people take their work with them, whenever they go. Usually, they go to pretty exotic places. After all, if we are free to work from anywhere we like, we are more prone to choose a sunny beach, than a gray, industrial part of the huge city ^.^ But let’s not discuss anyone’s preferences, you may be enjoying the snow as much as the Sun, it does not matter. What does, is that you can mix your work with your holidays and get away with it! How? We shall provide some ideas =)
But do not get too excited – before you can comfortably lay down in the hammock hanging between two palms, turn your laptop on and start working while enjoying the scenery around, you have to get used to the remote work. In this article, we shall give you the ideas that may help in accommodating to this type of work. In the next one, we will focus on combining work and travels. These are the priorities that you need to consider now:
1. What About Your Current Job?
Well, it is pretty obvious that to simultaneously work and travel you need to be properly equipped to complete the tasks that you are supposed to complete. What is the first device that comes to your mind that allows people to perform their duties everywhere? A screwdriver? Maybe for some =] But, obviously, an undeniable number one is a computer.
Sharing the podium with other portable devices – smartphones, tablets, iPods, and the rest. So the question is – do you work with those? If not, well, this post won’t help you, we are afraid. If yes – you have a chance! More and more companies implement the rule that an employee who provides results and finishes projects on time does not necessarily have to be present in the office. Studies prove that working remotely makes a positive influence on people, enhancing their efficiency, and therefore results.
See whether your company allows employees to work remotely and if it does, use this opportunity. You may have to prove that you are trustworthy by working harder for a time, but once they let you work from home, your performance should rise automatically, and the management will be satisfied (just be careful – this is still your work, and you should focus on it, not on, for example, television =).
And if the company does not allow remote working? Well, why not try and convince them that they should? There are statistics and articles all around the Internet that claim that working remotely can boost employees’ efficiency. Without much trouble, you should find studies that prove the effectiveness of working from home. Show the data to the management, and you may have a chance to convince them to implement this at your company.
2. Can You Get Used To It?
Once you start working from home, you may find out that it is not so easy as you first imagined. It may be hard to focus on your work when there is a comfortable couch right behind you, and there are so many other things to do at home. Playing with your kids (or wife -.^), walking the dog, making a fancy dinner, etc. – these might not be a good idea.
Actually, you may do those things. Just make sure that you are always ready with the expected project. Separate your working time from your leisure time – mentally and physically.
Mentally – prepare your mind for the incoming work, do not let any distractions get in the way of your workflow, all the house duties must be put off until your work is done. The cool thing is, at home, you do not have to work eight hours straight. You can organize yourself and do it much faster.
Physically – make your working place at home similar to this at the office. Know where all the important things are, so you won’t lose time searching for them. Use your phone only if it’s something important. Preferably put a block on these pages that may distract you until you completely stop thinking about checking them. Oh, and having your family too close may be a bad idea. It’s great to have one of your rooms changed into a home office.
3. Find Software That Can Help
Ever heard of work time tracking software? Well, you most likely did. After all, you are reading our blog =] First of all, such software can be a trump card in the negotiations with your company – everything you do on your computer can be registered and presented to the management. Prove that you are reliable by giving them solid data.
For example, our time tracking tool, TimeCamp, automatically tracks the activities you perform on your computer (and can do so by keywords) and gives you a complete graph of your workflow with the division into the productive and unproductive actions. This is the best way for you to improve – change your unproductive habits into the productive ones, enhance your effectiveness and efficiency, and be sure that our work gets appreciated by your boss or your clients.
TimeCamp is very easy to use, offers you nothing but benefits and you can try it for free –
Such software also gives you the opportunity to travel. After all, you can send a detailed report of the work done to everyone who expects it in no time. Installing a time tracking app on your computer is not a must, but it will definitely facilitate the remote work.
Summing up.
Those are, in our opinion, the most important steps that you should take to become a professional freelancer/remote worker. It should not be that hard to achieve, and the results are really worth it! You will learn more about the positive outcome of remote working from our next post when we are going to present the ways to combine traveling around the world and working. Get ready for it!
