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As more and more companies move to a remote working environment, opportunities for freelance designers and photographers are growing. But it’s easy to form bad habits when you’re working from home for yourself. Like staying in your PJs or taking sneaky breaks to watch Netflix…
This may result in lost productivity which, in turn leads to unhappy clients and less income. Use these productivity hacks to level up your work game and take your freelancing career to the next level.
1. Set a routine and stick to it
Creating a daily schedule will help you stay organised and motivated to succeed. For example, try and kick-start each day with 30 minutes of exercise and some breakfast. Then you could dedicate an hour to planning your day, checking emails and updating your social media pages. After that, get three hours of uninterrupted work in before taking a one-hour break for lunch. You get the idea!
2. Get dressed for your work gig
Just because you’re working from home, doesn’t mean you should let your professionalism slip. Getting dressed sets the right tone for the day. Wearing certain clothes affects the way we feel. Sweatpants and a hoodie might be comfy, but they could also quietly be telling your brain to switch off and chill. Dressing up like you would to attend a client meeting will tell your brain to wake up and get focused.
3. Create a workspace that works
Your living room couch might be your favourite place to sit, but it’s probably not the greatest spot for you to work. Maximise your productivity and cut out distractions by creating a functional space that’s strictly reserved for work. Make sure the area has good lighting and air circulation, and that it’s quiet. You can also give your workspace a calm vibe with some plants (don’t forget to water them!). And, of course, ensure that the area is clean and uncluttered before you start work every day.
4. Invest in the right technology
By setting yourself up with the right tech from the get go, you’ll be able to deliver higher quality work in less time. For example, the LG 34-inch Curved UltraWide™ Monitor is a great investment for graphic designers and photographers who work from home.
The monitor supports a wide colour spectrum, 98% of the DCI-P3* colour gamut and 135% of sRGB, expressing high-fidelity colour for image re-touching and showing digital content. You can look forward to precise colour reproduction, as the Nano IPS Display absorbs excess light wavelengths. This results in richer colour expression and accurately reproduces all content, from actual images and videos to CG. The monitor also supports VESA DisplayHDR™ 400 with wide-range brightness and contrast.
5. Separate your social life from your professional life
Juggling personal and professional communication can get messy. When you’re responding to a million different people at once, your productivity is guaranteed to take a dive. Consider having a phone line and email address dedicated purely to work. During work hours, switch your mobile phone to silent mode and don’t be tempted to check personal emails.
It’s also a good idea to try and work according to your client’s work hours, as this makes communication more fluid, allowing for real-time engagement and collaboration, which leads to faster turnaround times. Use tools like Skype and WhatsApp for quick interactions and answers, rather than relying on email.
Forming better work habits may take time, but it will be worth it. Greater productivity is not only good for your sense of achievement as a freelancer, it’s good for your bank balance too!
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