Hey all!

 

Just wanted to know how other freelancers get on with working from home? Do you get bored, lonely, lethargic? I'm starting feel all these things creeping in after spending long hours on my own at home after the honeymoon period of loving it. What helps you not go mad?

 

Thanks

Hey all!

 

Just wanted to know how other freelancers get on with working from home? Do you get bored, lonely, lethargic? I'm starting feel all these things creeping in after spending long hours on my own at home after the honeymoon period of loving it. What helps you not go mad?

 

Thanks

 

Not done too much from home, but I would imagine music and a good loose-leaf tea would help me through anything...

When ever I feel like that I go for a change of scenery.

 

If it's a nice day, I usually grab my laptop and sit in the garden. There's also a few nature reserves and parks near where I live that are good as well. Coffee shops and local pubs are a good option if you're after a bit more socialisation or background noise. I know a few people that even go the library to work.

 

Anywhere you can work will do, even if it's only for a couple of hours.

Edited February 17, 201214 yr by Spitfire

Music, my guitar and plenty of coffee!

 

I sometimes find I work better through the night. Whatever you can do to get the creative juices flowing is the way to go.

 

When I first started working from home I would give myself a working day and shut myself in the office from 9 til 5. This lasted a couple of months and then I spent more and more time working whenever I got a spare moment, at the expense of my family and sanity. Now I just do a few hours here and there and it works for me, just so long as I deliver on time.

 

Some people relish the home office for its lack of interruptions, others cant live without them. It just depends on the individual I suppose.

Awesomeness

More awesomeness

 

^^^ These guys know what it's like!

 

Working from home is like working from anywhere, it gets tedious and without someone hovering over you cracking the whip and with easy access to TV, XBOX etc it can become hard and sometimes even demoralising.

However, you need to think about why it's great too.

 

If I'm bored of working or just can't tune it any creativity, then I've got a million and one things i can do to shift the lows.

I often pick up my guitar while waiting for an email from a client or for a large job to FTP across. If i'm feeling a tad code-brain-dead then i can bust out the bike or walking boots and hit up a mountain or in summer splash about in a local loch. Thankfully i live with the boundary of a national park so there is plenty to do outside and away from the glaring PC screen.

 

An hours cycle usually boosts my productivity and well being and instead of sitting at my desk twiddling my thumbs try to force ideas to happen i go out there and come back refreshed.

My dog keeps me company while I'm working which helps with the cabin fever, I like the idea of what Spitfire said, getting out of the house with the laptop, maybe not the pub though that could get messy

Some good advice already, I grind some of my favourite beans in the morning and take a 15-20 minute break with a really good coffee and sit in the garden.

 

I also go for a run every other day, if the weather is nice it's round the country park otherwise I have a treadmill to burn an hour of time on.

 

Don't like running? Go for a walk, a bit of fresh air does you good and the simplicity of 'just walking' can help you relax and think creatively. I often have ides 'pop up' to me on the treadmill.

 

Obviously if we're really busy then I don't get the time to be as indulgent with the above, but then if we're really busy I don't have time to be bored!

I always make sure I go out for lunch and talk to other people. Even if it's some cafe staff.

Otherwise I find the right music for my mood each morning, drink lots of tie and plough through my work.

I come on here occasionally too when the work has become mind numbing.

I generally sit in my pants most of the day.

Looking at the bottom of the page quarter to four in the morning it seems I'm not the only one pounding the keyboard into the night. Sure freelancing does have many perks but have still to quite wrestle the whip away from the bank manager, some months it can get depressing when the balance is low but it's still better than working for somebody else.

I miss the banter in the office, and all the social interaction but having the ability to run my own ship is something I would never change.

 

If I'm having a bad day, I go to the driving range for an hour or go fishing for the day. It's all about keeping your mind active. Have a walk into town, a drive out somewhere, do smething you enjoy. Meet up with mates etc

I generally sit in my pants most of the day.

 

Smooth. I continue to be amazed at the number of professionals who sit around working in their PJs.

I always believed that if you dress smart, then you work smart.

Smooth. I continue to be amazed at the number of professionals who sit around working in their PJs.

I always believed that if you dress smart, then you work smart.

 

Not at all, dress comfortably and work in comfort.

 

I used to be an IT Project Manager for many, many years and was suited daily. Tie, tucked shirt, tailored suit, yes I looked smart but it felt claustrophobic at times.

 

Obviously if a client visits and vice versa I put on something less 'casual'. However it's often a given that designers are 'more quirky' and less likely to be suited and booted, a sweeping generalisation indeed but one many adhere to!

 

There are exceptions where depending on client and for me it's either a t-shirt, fleece and combats or for the more corporate types a pair of shoes, trousers, shirt and jumper.

Maybe it's a personal thing. But if I'm say in a hoodie, physically I'm not dressed for work, so mentally I'm not dressed for work. Perhaps that's just me.

I don't need to dress for work to work, but I'm a lot sharper with shoes on (slippers will do, because I normally wander around barefoot). Somewhere in my head I've conflated "work" with "out of the house".

Edited March 14, 201214 yr by Renaissance-Design

Maybe it's a personal thing. But if I'm say in a hoodie, physically I'm not dressed for work, so mentally I'm not dressed for work. Perhaps that's just me.

 

I can see where you're coming from - I'm the same to be honest. I think it has something to do with confidence, because when I'm dressed confidently I feel much more confident when planning/designing/developing.

 

This may seem a bit farfetched but the idea of dressing up gives you the sense of preparing for the day ahead, whereas if I chose to work in my boxers everyday you'd probably find me back in bed after a couple of hours.

Waking up, getting ready for work... and then walking 10 feet into my office...

 

For me, i would either have to work in an office and be full out suited, or chilled out in my office at home as i wish.

 

The main problem that i always face is... going to sleep!

 

I say to my self that im going to wake up at 8, and then work like a full day to 5 and then SHUT OFF!

 

But then, come lunch, i haven't done much work and i need to go out of the house... i get back, work till 5 or so, and have no reason to stop.

 

Before i know it, its 2 am... then the struggle to wake up early begins...

 

its a vicious circle for me, im sure ill crack it one day

 

Luckily for me, i do vinyl work so im always moving around, doing different designs, ordering new colours, going out advertising, meeting up with people at night to gain awareness etc.

 

For me, its enjoyable, but in the future i see me getting TOO comfortable and my work rate deteriorating as i enjoy myself too much!

That's the thing, it's creating that separation between work and life. I had this exact problem, and it was driving me crazy...something about 'dressing' for work helps that in some ways.