Tips to Being a Better Freelancer with Help from Colabora Coworking
Every day more and more people would rather (or have the luck) to work as freelancers. Some like to work from their homes, others prefer to go to a nice coffee shop, library, or even a coworking space.
Speaking as a coworking space based in Madrid, we’ve seen the number of coworkers increase steadily, and we’ve picked up on a few tips that could help any beginning freelancer be more productive and make the most out of your work-life balance.
So here’s our team at Colabora Coworking’s advice for when you start out as a freelancer or entrepreneur.
1. Have a Work Schedule
We know it can be very hard to set up and actually follow a schedule when you are working as a freelancer. If you write down and set your schedule, this will help you be more effective and productive. When a freelancer does not set a work schedule it can be very easy to get distracted, work extra hours or maybe work less hours than needed. At the same time, if you do not set your work schedule you may want to do too many things at the same time‚ which can get disorganized and overwhelming fast.
Also, not having a schedule (for those workaholics), might mean you will forget to take a break, have a stretch, eat a snack, and that’s the surest way to burnout.
Setting up your work schedule will also allow your to write down your goals for each day, week or month making you a more organized and productive as you run your own freelance business.
2. Agenda and Calendar
It sounds very obvious but get yourself an agenda or set calendar reminders.
You can write down your goals for the day or week and have all of your reminders of the things you need to do or achieve in one place. So you can set it and forget it.
When we are managing our own schedule it can be very easy to forget something. Most freelancers constantly have meetings, video calls or skypes and it can be very easy to forget or overlook something. Using Google Cal or Reminders on your phone is a good way to send yourself notifications for deadlines or meetings. And it’s a good way to look at your plans as a whole.
An extra tip? Whether you work at your home or a coworking space, a white board is a lot of help. You can use it to write down those small reminders, meetings or even motivational messages to keep you going for the day.
3. Your Work Space
Your work space is essential and very important for freelancers. You need to find a space that is comfortable, quiet and preferably, that has a lot of light. Natural light is always better! This can be home, a local cafe, or the library. You can even mix it up. Personally, we love a coworking space.
If you do decide to work at a coworking space— which is a great idea. Granted, we are a coworking space so we’re a bit biased— we recommend that you find a coworking that is in a good location. When we say you need to pay attention to a good location we mean that:
It is close to your home
Easy to get to
Accessible parking (Maybe for someone who will come meet you at a meeting, etc).
Other things to keep in mind:
If you work on a laptop, make sure that it’s at eye level so that you do not have bad posture and later suffer other consequences like back pain, etc.
Make sure you have a good chair (to avoid back pain)
All of these details, no matter how small, are very important for a freelancer in the long run. Find a coworking space that meets all of your needs and most importantly, that you like the environment and feel comfortable working in.
4. Distractions
Avoid distractions! That sounds obvious but hear us out. First, this is a very common problem among freelancers that tend to work from home or a space that is not adequate. For those who work from home, remember that everything can be a distraction and can cause you to work less, from roommates, pets, loud neighbors, the list goes on...
Working from a quiet and comfortable coworking space can help you avoid all of these distractions and focus on your work.
Turn off notifications on your laptop or phone to avoid the temptation to go on social media. If you’re having a hard time focusing on one thing, try setting a timer and giving yourself a few minutes to dive deep and focus on one project for that time. You’ll be surprised by how far you get.
5. Breaks
Breaks are essential. Many of us are guilty of not taking a break while we work. This is a huge problem, especially among freelancers. Another problem? People who get easily distracted and take way too many breaks. It is recommended a 10 min break for every 90 mins of work (approximately). Even if it’s a walk around the room or a quick walk outside a break can refresh you mentally and physically, especially if you’ve been sitting inside, looking at a screen all day.
Now, Get Started
We hope these tips have been helpful. Our best suggestion is to find a space you feel most productive and can focus— like a coworking space maybe?— and finding the best way to work for you. Freelancing means keeping your own pace and managing your own time. And once you figure out what works best for you, you’d be surprised by how focused you’ll be.
Do you live in Madrid and you still have not found the Coworking space that is right for you? Colabora Coworking is located between the most important squares of the city Plaza Callao, Santo Domingo, and Plaza España. We are very close to Puerta del Sol and Gran Via right in the heart of Madrid. We offer a calm and pleasant environment to work. We constantly create new plans and bonuses in order to meet the varied needs of coworkers. We receive many digital nomads, startups and entrepreneurs from all over the world, who are constantly moving and travel a lot.
Want to see it yourself? Come meet us at Colabora Coworking. Find us through the Get Croissant app or visit our web for more information here.