Home Office Tips for Freelancers

As a freelance writer, I'll be the first to say that being a freelancer is a tough gig. You no longer have to deal with a boss, coworkers or other cringe worthy parts of being an employee. However, as a freelancer, you're faced with a bigger issue: productivity. Freelancers are compensated based on the amount of work and quality of work we do; we're in charge of our income. But, working in an uninspiring and distracting home office can hurt your income. Below are three tips I've learned along the way that will make your home office an inspiring and distraction-free place to work.

Clear Distractions

If there's anything in your home office that tempts you to do anything but work, get rid of it. Remove televisions, laundry baskets, flashy décor or your son's toys. These things may seem like minimal distractions, but even the smallest distraction could break your concentration and cause you to lose out on time that you could be working towards making money. Just removing these distractions from your home office should increase your productivity substantially. And as a freelancer, your productivity decides your income.

Create an Oasis

If you're anything like most freelancers, you spend 10 hours or more in your home office each day. Spending so much time in an office that isn't pleasant could hurt your freelancing career. It could cause you to spend hours with writer's block or cause you to lose inspiration to design that logo. Create a home office that is pleasant to look at, is comfortable and reflects your work.

Paint your home office in a relaxing, neutral color. Bring in accessories in a solid color to create a unified look (e.g. use all pink accessories). Always have fresh flowers on your desk, make it a point to frame your degrees, certifications or other awards. And bring in inspiring images. If you're a writer, this could mean hanging up images of a book and a rose. You get the point, create a space that is inspiring and gives you a nice workspace to look at during those long, hard hours.

Get your Priorities Straight

Invest in pieces that will help advance your career. Do you meet with clients in your home office? If so, you may want to invest a little money in the aesthetics of your office. Create a professional atmosphere that would impress clients. Are you a designer that would benefit from having three computer screens instead of one? If it will increase your productivity, go for it. In the end, it will increase your overall income. Investing in key pieces that will either increase your productivity, or give clients a stellar first impression are worth every penny.