How To Set Up A Freelancer Home Office

First, you need to choose the right location in your home to set up your freelancer office.

Most freelancers start by sitting on the bed with a laptop and a pizza. I was one of them. Trust me, this is not the way to go about it.

You are a professional - act like it.

Tough words, I know, but it’s true.

When choosing a location, a room with a door that can close is ideal. This is so no one disturbs you during work hours. You can set aside a corner in your bedroom by the window.

If you can't set aside space in a room with a door, choose a well-defined spot. Everyone living with you must know this is your office.

Being a freelancer, you need the right tools for your home office. This includes a reliable internet connection and a laptop.

When I started as a freelancer, this was all I had. I accumulated other equipment along the way. Not that I needed much.

Depending on your profession, your connectivity should be fiber or any high-speed technology used in your country. Make sure it’s reliable. The last thing you want is to lose connection during a Zoom call.

You also need software or hardware specific to your sector to increase productivity. In my case, that's a word processor and Google Workspace.

This section is all about you. It’s time to personalize your home office.

No matter your profession, you should be comfortable in your work environment. Fill your home office with things that inspire you and make you feel relaxed.

I keep a bowl of gemstones on my desk. Each morning I will dip my hand into it and choose one. Then I’ll put that stone next to my laptop and feed off its energy as I work.

This is a small example of how to personalize your station. Add whatever makes you comfortable. If you like pictures of Harry Styles on your wall, put them up there.

Besides personalizing your area, you need to keep it organized. Keep a good filing system and make sure you have enough storage space. Having all your important documents in one place and order makes it easier to find what you need.

Try to minimize clutter as much as possible. Keep your desk clear of anything that doesn’t need to be there - except for your little Buddha statuette, of course.

Place your filing system somewhere close to your dominant hand so it’s easier to grab.

While we’re on the subject of schedules - you must create one and stick to it.

You’re not in an office with a supervisor watching your every move. So, you need to cultivate some discipline and be your own manager.

Being a freelancer might seem like a permanent holiday, but I can assure you it’s not.

You have to set dedicated times for certain tasks. Developing a daily routine will improve your productivity and give you more time to do the things you love.

I wouldn’t get anything done if I didn’t have a schedule. Putting my goals out in front of me gives me direction and holds me accountable. Give it a try and see if it works for you.

You can use online tools to manage your workflow or go old school and put a giant calendar on your wall.

It's up to you. This is your office.

Introducing plants into the workplace increases productivity by 15%. This is according to a study done in the UK, Netherlands, and Australia in 2014.

Nature has an extraordinary effect on the human mind. Plants have been proven to reduce stress. Do yourself a favor and put some plants around your home office to liven things up.

Now, I don’t mean have a whole botanical garden around you. All you need is enough to keep your spirits up and provide some good old breathing stuff.

Small plants with not too many leaves hanging over your work should do the trick.

Oh, and please don’t forget to water them regularly.

In this information age, you don't want to worry about losing your work because you didn’t back it up. The frustration will destroy your soul!

Use cloud solutions like Google Drive to keep your work in a secure location.

It's also good to keep extra hard drives handy to back up your work. This will ensure that you have offline copies if you cannot access the internet for some reason.

Keep extra battery-powered lamps in the event of power failures.

Speaking of power, invest in a UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply) or power inverter. With a UPS, you can keep working during periods of outages. This has saved me in dire situations.

Let's talk about something vital - morale.

Feeling unmotivated is something we all experience at one point or another.

Sometimes the drive to keep going isn’t there. So what do you do?

The best way to motivate yourself is by keeping family pictures on your desk. This will remind you why you are doing this.

For inspiration, set aside 20 minutes each day to look at what others in your field are up to on social media. Scroll TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or Threads. See what successful people are doing with their free time.

In my personal experience, this is the kick I need to get up and work so I can do the same.

Caution: Do not spend more than 20 minutes doing this. The aim is to find inspiration, not scroll the day away.

We all have good days and bad days. The goal is to milk the good days for everything they are worth.

In this post, I covered the basics of setting up your home office, from location to seating arrangements, lighting and motivation.

The specifics depend on you and your chosen field. It is your home office and only you can make it work.

I hope this article was helpful. Now go on, get to work on creating your freedom!