On Twitter, a rather lovely follower asked me for any tips I had about working freelance. Weirdly, I hadn’t even thought of myself as someone qualified (is that the right word?!) to give advice, however I thought it would be fun to put together a post of the things I would say are my top tips, after the past few months being my own boss. More than anything, these are tips for working from home – maybe when I get the hang of this freelance lark I’ll do another post on the real stuff!
1. Invest in nice loungewear. Wear it only when working. Whether you fancy PJs from Primark or yoga pants from Asda, make sure they are comfy. If you’re not leaving the house, you don’t need to wear a bra (or undies – you do you!), so go for ultimate comfort.
2. Shower. Daily. It’s all too easy to just roll out of bed and work but you’ll feel gross and it will be so much harder to motivate yourself.
3. Work out when your best time is. Work then. Mine is in the evenings. I work so much better after 5pm, with candles and a glass of wine. Steven is 100% a morning person and does his best work at 5am. When I am still snoozing. Don’t force yourself to work 9-5, you’re your own boss – do what works for you!
4. Get some kick ass office clothes for client meetings. Make sure you feel like the world is your bitch and make it so. Mine are a pair of gold knuckleduster earrings, a floral blazer and a good lipstick. Obviously I wear other items with them (mostly…) but these are the bits that make me feel fabulous.
5. Don’t forget to eat. Whether this means stocking up on easy grab snacks or pre making meals, food is important. It’s easy to forget but your body needs food to, like, survive and stuff, so eat kids!
6. Don’t just work at your desk. Go to a cute coffee shop with wifi. Work in the garden on a sunny day. Catch a train to nowhere and do nothing but write on the journey. Just don’t work in bed. Bed is your safe space and should only be used to recharge your batteries and… Well, y’know…
7. Have technology blackouts. Turn off your phone, your tablet, your computer and take a bath. Or a walk. Be uncontactable by clients for an hour and return feeling refreshed. It will be hard, and weird but freeing!
8. Treat yourself to good desk accessories. If cute folders, sticky notes shaped like dogs and pens that smell like fruit are going to brighten up stressful days – do it! Set aside an equipment budget for yourself and use it on the things that will work for you.
9. Don’t pressure yourself too much. Some days, it’s just not gonna work for you. Words won’t flow. Technology will hate you. Everything will seem rubbish. That’s okay. Tomorrow will be better. Just do what you can do and everything else will fall into place eventually.
10. Look after yourself! You are your most important employee (FYI: I’m employee of the month again this month… Yay me!), so you need to make sure you sleep well and look after your health. If that means giving yourself a sick day, or a mental health day, so be it. Without you, there is no business. Look after your biggest asset.
Bonus tip – Get a cat. They’re the best company for days in the office and they’ll listen to you rant all day without complaining.
So those are just my tips! I’d love to hear yours – why not comment them below?