WRITTEN BY JEFF SHIFFMAN, CO-OWNER OF BOOM BOX POST
I spent about five years working from home as a sound editor. In terms of life/work balance, they were some of the best years of my career. But thriving as a work from home freelancer isn’t easy. I’d like to share with you some of the best strategies and tips that helped me make the best of it.
Work Regular Hours
How much do you accomplish over the weekend? It’s very easy to think you’ll just sleep in one more hour and then get to the task at hand. Or you’ll spend the morning rewarding yourself but make up for it by staying up later into the evening. Try carrying this attitude into the work week and you can fall into trouble. By keeping regularly scheduled hours during a normal work day, you’re setting yourself up to be productive. As an added bonus, it’s very likely that your full time coworkers and management are working normal business hours and they’d probably appreciate you being available at those times.
If you have a roommate, partner or spouse that works regular hours, join in on their schedule, waking up together and starting work at the same time. Just as important is calling it quits when they get home. It’s very easy to lose track of hours and overwork yourself into the evening. Having someone there as a reminder that the day’s work is done can be very valuable.
Create a Dedicated Work Space
Your home is a place for all kinds of things; eating, sleeping, working out, etc. Whatever the case may be, if you are going to introduce work into that environment, you need it to be cordoned off. A dedicated work space will help you get into the right mindset the moment you sit down. If you have the luxury of an extra room, that’s the best case. Closing a door to the rest of your life will definitely help minimize distractions. However, you may not have that luxury. That’s ok. Find yourself a corner to carve out a bit of space for work. Install a desk that faces away from the television and any other distractions. Remember to keep the space inviting. Decorate it as you would an in-office space, with things that make you happy so you don’t dread sitting down to work each day. Extra bonus, face a window to remind yourself each day how lucky you are to have your view and not that of an office park.
Avoid Social Media During the Workday
The biggest enemy when working from home? Distraction. And there’s nothing more distracting than social media. It’s so easy to lose track of time scrolling through a feed and the next thing you know you are way behind on your work. My advice would be to scrap social media completely during the work day. The same goes for online shopping and news; anything that can take away from a productive day. Can’t quite disconnect entirely? See my next bit of advice.
Reward Yourself
I find that rewards during the work day (inside an office or at home) are very important. We aren’t machines. Work needs to be done but we also need to enjoy our days. A good work/life balance means knowing how to accomplish while in an environment you enjoy. Regulate your blocks of work, but just as regulated should be breaks that you build into your day.
The best kind of breaks nourish your brain and your soul. Have a cup of tea and pet your dog. Take a walk around the block. Do some stretches. If you just can’t stay away from social media, this would be the time to check in. Just be sure no matter what type of break you take, keep it to a regular interval; say 10 or 15 minutes. If you need to police yourself to get in the habit, try a timer app on your phone to keep things honest.
Stay Connected with Social Interactions
One big danger with working from home is isolation. If your job doesn’t require the phone you may experience the very odd feeling of realizing at the end of the day that you haven’t spoken a word out loud in nine hours. Super weird.
Being home alone all day can get lonely, which can wear on you. Try and emphasize in-person social interactions in your evening life to fill the gap and if you take my advice and take walks on your breaks, try and revolve them around some type of social interaction even if it’s just ordering a coffee at the local shop.
Visit the Office
This is a big one, and easy to overlook. If your proximity to the office allows it, make a point of regularly stopping in. This is great for a few reasons. Of course, it combats the loneliness but it’s also very important career-wise to remind your management of your value. Be sure to attend any company social gatherings, award ceremonies or seminars to stay in the minds of those that control your future at the company. A little face time goes a long way.
So why did I stop working from home? The small boutique company I worked for was purchased by a major studio and I was required to go into the office. It’s easy for me to romanticize the time I had working from home. Skateboarding to the beach at 10AM on a Monday to grab a coffee. Walking to the library late afternoon on a Wednesday to leisurely pick out a book. That said, working from home long term is hard, requiring a commitment to being productive every day. Master it and you’ll thrive.
Hopefully these tips help you to become the kind of person I’m jealous of, living and working with balance and enjoying every minute of it!