Tag: dedicated workspace

How You Can Adapt Your Home For Remote Working

Scott Asai1 Comment

Collaborative post – may contain affiliate links

Many of us have been working from home for longer than we expected due to the Covid-19 pandemic. And, it may be something that is asked of us for quite some time, especially if you are able to complete your work duties from home. If it’s not something that you have done regularly in the past, you probably don’t have a dedicated workspace, let alone a separate office. Now that we may be working from home for longer, it could be the time to think about getting ourselves work-from-home ready.

You will find, having a dedicated workspace at the top of most working from home lists. Which is fine if you have somewhere that could be used as a home office, but not so great if you have a large family taking up space in your home, or live in a small one bed flat or studio. 

This is when you should be thinking creatively about the space that you can use, and consider what space you may need to complete your work throughout the day. 

Think About How You Use Your Space 

You should consider who needs to work as it could be that you, your partner, and grown-up kids could all need space to work. Think about who else is also using the home at the same time. Do you maybe need space for the kids to play or home school too? 

Look around your home and think about how each space is utilized. Could they be adapted in any way? Could you create zones with the use of a divider or bookshelf? 

Some people have temporarily moved kids into the same room so they can create a home office, although it may be less than ideal in their eyes, being able to complete your home at work in a quiet space has become a priority. This is a good option if you want to maintain the family zones in places like the living and enable your children to still have a space to relax and play during the day. 

Using A Small Space 

There are some really clever ways that you can adopt a small area to becoming a dedicated work zone. From using spaces under the stairs, in walk-in wardrobes, or even large hallways to using initiative furniture like at Civic Australia. There are certainly many ways you can fit a working space into even the smallest of homes. 

If you don’t have to space for a large desk, then a side or console table could be adapted to create a smaller working zone. If you’re choosing this option then it’s best to find somewhere to store any paperwork, files, stationery, etc and only pull them out when you need them. 

Create A Space You Like 

It has been difficult for many people to get used to working from home and with so many other things now predominantly at home like spending time in the garden at a weekend or homeschooling the kids at the same time as working, it has put a lot of stress on to people to feel like they need to be perfect and fit everything in. Creating a space that you really like and feel comfortable to work in can help to make your working day a little more positive. 

These three tips should be able to help you adapt your home for remote working. Is there anything that you have done to create a working zone in your home? Please share your ideas in the comments below.

Freelancing SOS: How To Take Yourself Seriously

Scott Asai1 Comment

Collaborative post – may contain affiliate links

Everybody has the odd expectation that every freelancer works from their bed in their best pajamas. Media have made the unfair PJs cliché popular, creating a world in which freelancers have a relaxed and somewhat lazy approach to life. It’s fair to say that for anybody who’s considering starting an independent career, it will take a lot of time and effort to convince your audience that you’re a professional and respectable expert. 

However, you are your biggest enemy. In a world where freelancing equals PJs work and invisible flexibility, the first person you need to convince that you mean business is yourself. Indeed, the image of freelancing, as advertised by the media, might be compelling at first, but it lacks guidance in terms of how to make the most of your time. When you don’t know anything about how to organize your day and plan your work routine as a solo expert, it’s easy to fall in the trap of the media and believe that working from home makes you lazy. But you need to learn to take yourself seriously first if you want others to follow.

You need a network which believes in you 

If you’re not the most self-confident individual, you are likely to struggle at first to establish yourself as an expert. When you are on your own, it can be daunting to approach the market and introduce yourself as the new professional in town. But you can smooth out self-esteem obstacles by surrounding yourself with people who believe in your skills. Every home-based business needs a reliable network that serves any of the following purposes: advising, cheering, and exchanging. If you happen to find a mentor, you can benefit from their wisdom for guidance. Your close friends and relatives can keep you motivated. Finally, your local business network is the perfect place to share and exchange skills and strategies.

You need a real workplace

Let’s get real; just because the media claim that freelancers work from their bedroom doesn’t mean you have to use your bed as a primary workplace. You need to create for yourself a workstation that encourages you to stay productive. Create a quiet clutter-free nook at home where you can keep your laptop and a desk. Remember to add a few plants for good measure; they boost your concentration by 15%! If home isn’t the place to work, what’s stopping you from using desk share services?  There are plenty of cozy office spaces that rent out desks with all the facilities you need. 

Your brand becomes your identity 

Companies use their unique brand and business culture to define who they are. Solo experts, on the other hand, find it a little more complicated to hide behind a logo. However, determining what your brand is will greatly affect how others perceive your expertise. In a world where there is no shortage of talented creative, your personal brand is a powerful differentiator that conveys your business personality. Creating a brand stops you from being that freelancer in a PJs and lets you become a respectable professional. 

If you’ve worked all of your life in an office environment, taking your first step as an independent professional can be daunting. But you need to build the necessary structure to be taken seriously, firstly by yourself and then by the market.

What Does It Take to Set up a Successful Side Hustle?

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Collaborative post – may contain affiliate links

Everyone should have a side hustle. An extra source of income, something you can do in your spare time to generate money. Whether you want to save, get out of debt or have a backup option for if you ever lose your job, a good side hustle is accessible as well as being fun. But what do you need to make it a success? Here are a few ideas.

A good idea

First of all, you’ll need to decide what is it you’ll be doing to earn money. If you already have an established blog, why not look into ways to monetize? Having a new template and header installed and working on boosting your domain authority will help. Go through old posts and replace pictures that look shoddy or out of date with beautiful free ones online. Sites like Kaboom Pics have plenty on offer and will improve the aesthetic of your blog. You could do some work on a freelancing site, or you could set up your very own business. Theres are plenty of things you can do from home which don’t require that much money to begin. Just have someone design your website and then use Internet marketing services to promote and you’re halfway there. Perhaps you will sell things you’ve made and utilize a hobby, or maybe you’ll buy and sell items for a profit.

Self motivation

With a side hustle you don’t have a boss breathing down your neck, meaning you need enough self motivation and discipline to be able to get things done. While you don’t have a manager or boss in the usual sense, when you work for yourself you do have clients and each project you take on will come with a deadline that needs to be met. Start messing clients or customers around and you damage your reputation and massively hurt your chances of success. The best thing you can do is to choose a side hustle based on your skills and things that interest you. That way, it doesn’t so much feel like work and it makes it much easier to get motivated. Side hustles are exactly that- on the side of your other commitments. This is something you’ll be doing around a full time job, childcare or other things in your life. So it takes a fair amount of self motivation to grind down and make it work.

A place to work

You can improve your chances of success by giving yourself a proper place to work. If you have a spare room in your home, turn this into your own office. It helps to keep work and life separate, and gets you into a good frame of mind for work which is good for productivity. Have your desk and computer, the right storage and everything you need in the room so that when it’s time to get down to business you can do exactly that.