9 Tips So You Can Effectively Work From Home

When you finally decided to let go of your traditional ‘9 to 5 job’ in an office, you have joined a large number of professionals in search for better opportunities. Working from the comforts of your own home is so promising in so many ways. Just imagine the stress of daily commute to work and the hassle of getting up early to look office-ready every single day of your life. If you want to work wearing your pajamas and sweatpants, definitely you can do so.

Indeed, you can save money for the daily taxi and bus rides, and fuel to get yourself to work and back at home. A lot of people appreciate the absence of daily commute; well, they claim it makes them happier.

Working in the comforts of your home is really a new way of lifestyle for most Australians today. It has paved the way for a new trend among the Australian workforce which is raking in much attention and investment in the past few years.

Working at home would require you to be more focused and more responsible. There are plenty of tools which you can use to make you more efficient as a home-based professional. All you have to do is make technology work in your advantage.

Most Australians who work from home make use of the internet and gadgets. People are now into buying goods and services through the internet. Thus, online workforce is highly in demand.

However, there are challenges when you have resorted to working at home. One of which is how to stay focused during your working hours and not be distracted by your domestic or household duties.

Why Australians Have The Affinity To Work From Home?

According to statistical reports, there are more Australians in the market today who are leaving their regular office-based jobs. Most of them work at home. Freelance work in Australia is a powerful and significant movement.

When you work at home, you are a part of the latest approach of people into defining their work and income source. Nowadays, freelancing is more acceptable and respected as well as a desirable career path. For many, working as a freelancer can be a source of aspiration.

There are more than 79 percent of non-freelancers who expressed their interest in the idea of working online at home. There are 40 percent who has full time work with side jobs who considered leaving traditional type of employment. It simply shows how lucrative the freelancing industry is.

In Australia, freelancers are in various categories. For freelancers, they are categorized according to web, mobile, software development (roughly around 44 percent), design and creative category (14 percent), admin and customer support (13 percent), sales and marketing (10 percent) and writing (8 percent).

According to the freelancers themselves, technology and internet is the big factor for the increasing number of freelancers nowadays. They cited that their online projects increased from 30 to 41 percent in the year 2014.

How To Be More Effective Working As A Freelancer

Inefficiency is one of the major reasons freelancers flop at their work. There are certainly pitfalls in working at home. However, there are ways you can avoid it. You can definitely work efficiently from your home. Here are some ways you can be effective:

1. Setting up a useful and practical workspace is very important and critical to the success as a freelancer. Give it your best when you are setting up a workspace at home. Make sure that your office space at home will have all the equipment that you might need. You can decorate your workspace as it appears to be aesthetically and visually appealing. Remember, you need to keep the distractions at a minimal.
2. Be very keen in planning your day. When you are working at home, you are your own boss. However, you have to create a structure and stick with it. You have to break down your daily to weekly tasks. This will allow you to allocate time appropriately.
3. Create your network virtually. You have to make sure that you make connections and acquaintances for your business. It is always a good idea to reconnect with classmates, previous co-workers and relatives. They can give you probable clients for home-based business which you aspire to bring into a success.
4. Track your taxes and pay them on time. Even if you are working from home, you have to make sure you are not violating any laws relating to taxation.
5. Avoid working long hours. Make sure you have established a working schedule you will follow religiously. When you have regular working hours, you can be more efficient at work. You have to ensure that you schedule your work with break times. So you can take a nap, do some chore or eat. If you work too long, you are at risk of being burned out. Make sure you have clearly defined when the working hours will end.
6. Losing motivation while working at home can be a serious concern. Being able to motivate yourself is very important for freelancers at home. In an office situation, you will have your supervisor and co-employees who can give you motivation to complete your tasks and work. However, when you are working at home, you only have yourself to push yourself to succeed.
7. You should maintain a professional attitude even if you’re a work-from-home employee. If you have frequent client or customer interactions, you should be very careful with your phone skills. With your emails, you have to respond to your clients and employer in a very professional way. A home office may be an informal environment which enables you to wear your pajamas all day long. However, if you are dealing with client interactions, you have to be dressed for the occasion. When interacting with your business associates, you have to be more presentable especially if you are dealing with video call correspondence.
8. If you have young kids at home, you can consider hiring a daycare provider for working parents. Children may find it very difficult to attend to the needs of the children while fulfilling the job obligations. For this reason, it can be worth the while to have a daycare provider to render care and guidance for your kids during your hours of work.
9. Drop your superhero cape. Avoid volunteering too much for a lot of work. A lot of people will assume that when you are working at home, you are free to help out those handling errands, picking up kids from daycare or school, or emergency babysitting if the need arises. Ensure that your friends and families really understand that you have your own set of obligations for work each day.

These are just some of the tips that we can give you to avoid being a victim of the pitfalls of working at home. You can help improve the efficiency and productivity of your home. The significant thing is that your home-based job do deserve the same level of dedication just like an office worker will do.

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Is There a Way To Make A Perfect Home Office?

If you are wondering how to make your freelance and home-based job a worthwhile one, you have to invest in your time and effort building a workspace. Here are some tricks and tips of the trade to help you a conducive space for work:

• Find out what kind of work environment works for you. When you are working at home, you have the freedom to create your personal space and daily routine that is suitable for your working style, needs, and schedule. There are no nasty and annoying cubicle walls and required clocking in hours. Before you start building your home office, make sure you truly have deciphered what do you want and what will work for you. Determine if you want to work near an open window view or you want to face the wall in order to avoid distractions while you work.
• Make sure you paint the walls with the colors that you love. Color can affect your motivation in finishing your tasks on hand. Additionally, colors can impact the way you perform, think and behave. Choose the right color and you will achieve overall success for your success as a freelance worker.
• Find nice looking stationery supplies. Make use of nice ballpoint pens, notepads and a lot more. This will make you feel more organized.

Tips To Keep In Mind When Working At Home

We have gained some insights about working efficiently as a freelancer. Here are some of the things you have to be mindful of when working at home.  Follow our suggestions to make your job more rewarding, successful and enjoyable:

1. The right job will always feel right. Always look for a job that will suit your skills and capabilities. This is one of the most essential aspects of working in general as a freelancer. You do not have to be lured into how much you will earn or what you will gain in terms of financial benefits. Well, a great salary is a serious factor. However, it is really important above all that you enjoy what you do for work. Yet, if you love what you do, you will do better. The right job will be something that you will love to do. If you do it best, it will never feel like it is work. Once you are contributing the value of the organization where you belong, then definitely the shoes will fit just right.
2. Reduce the obstacles and set up for a successful endeavor as a freelancer. There are various ways to reduce the obstacles in achieving favorable results and success with your home based jobs. One of the most essential thing to do is to integrate an organized system how you work through your tasks. This will help you to be more efficient. Streamlined productivity means success for you.
3. Learn how to connect with your virtual team. When you are working as remote staff, you have to be in constant communication with your virtual co-employees. There is a sense of belongingness when you are connected in a team. Reach out to others in your team so you can add value to your working relationships. You can increase your efficiency even if you are only working at home.
4. Always find time to loosen up and relax. When you work too much and you have no time to play, you are hurting yourself in the process. When you feel connected with the virtual team, you will surely have active interactions and engagement with them. This will result to fun and creative collaborations in ways you cannot begin to imagine.
5. You have to exert more effort to manage your time and energy. You should control your time and be productive while at work. Be keen in establishing a simple ritual or routine to set you up for the day. You can spend 20 minutes for yourself before your work day begins. Furthermore, you can also spend a few minutes for a morning or afternoon walk.
6. Be persistent with your tasks. Talent is not just enough. You should avoid procrastination at all costs. Persistence will definitely bring you to success in your freelance endeavors.
7. You should take pride in your choice. Freelance work is something you can be proud of. After working so hard, you will feel that beautiful sense of fulfilment. The feeling of accomplishing your goals can give you a serious sense of satisfaction.

Takeaways

These are just some of the insights which we can share to you for being a successful home base owner. It is a must that you stick with these suggestions and ideas to keep success at bay. How about you? Can you share with us some of your methods of making your work from home efforts work at your advantage? We love to hear your tricks and share it with others!

Author’s Bio

Aiza Mabayag is a Manila-based registered nurse and writer as well. She is interested in arts, home business opportunities, home improvements and home security provided by expert locksmith Sydney area. She is also an avid DIY artist and crafter.