Guest post by Emily Johnson, freelance writer
Working from home is not only much more time-consuming than working from an office but labor-intensive as well. As a freelancer, you might have a great number of tasks daily: communication with clients, self-development, different types of assignments, emailing, finding business partners, and building your authority online. All in all, you need to stay productive, even though it's nearly impossible to do while you have so many distractions at home. Understanding the problems you are struggling with is important as it can give you a hint to overcome them once and for all.
Believe it or not, but one of the most crucial tasks for freelancers is to organize their home workplace. If you don't think that workplace organization plays an important role, check out the following reasons.
A well-organized workplace helps to:
•prevent eyesight problems
•improve health
•spend less time on finding an important item
•boost spirits
•get the most out of modern devices
•increase inspiration
•stay productive and focused
If you decide that workplace organization should be high on your list, that's perfect. Get ready to learn actionable and useful tips on it. Although there are many tips and tricks on the web, it's important to know the modern rules of workplace organization as the digital era has changed the way people live.
Pick Up Comfortable Office Stuff
There is no need to say that your workplace should motivate you. If you have a comfortable workplace, it's more likely you can boost productivity. Thus, having comfortable office stuff is a must. Plus, it is a way to take care of your health, too.
Check out office stuff must-have:
•An ergonomic office chair. You might spend most of your working time sitting. Thus, you'd better pick up an ergonomic office chair that supports the lower back and, therefore, prevent health problems.
•Wrist rests. Working with the computer all day long, your wrists can get tired easily. To prevent tendonitis in wrists and elbows, you need to start using wrist rests.
•Standing/sitting tables. Proficient freelancers know that working from home, they find different poses to do work. However, sitting all day long can affect your health, so standing from time to time is a good day. Get both tables to be able to work standing or sitting.
•Mini elliptical trainers. A lack of physical activities impacts your well-being. If you do sports, that's great. However, most people forget about it. To keep on doing physical activities despite everything, use mini elliptical trainers while working.
•A whiteboard. Let's be real: although you are your boss, and you don't need to make presentations for colleagues, you might watch educational videos or online conferences from time to time. Use a whiteboard to prevent eyesight problems if you need to watch something, or write down your weekly plans here.
It's hard to say what makes your workplace comfortable, whether the color of the walls or office stuff, but it's important to have a positive working environment.
Decluttering Your Writing Desk
First things first: take a look at your workplace. If you see tons of papers, piles of books, and several dirty cups, it's high time to roll up your sleeves and start getting rid of these distractions.
The most common way to declutter your desk is to give everything its place: put books on bookshelves, hide notes and drafts into drawers, keep documents in lockers, and use boxes for utensils. Once your stuff has its home, you will know where to find an item you need to use right now.
It's important to add things that can create a good working environment.
•A computer. Most people place a computer in the center of a desk, and that's OK. However, you need to think of keyboard, mouse, and wrist rests as well. Put this stuff in a way it would be comfortable for you to type and scroll.
•An office lamp. Working with a computer, you need to avoid eye strain and migraines. Thus, setting a proper lighting is a must. Pick up an office lamp with 3500-4000K light.
•Live plants. Most people think that live plants are decorations, and they forget that they have a function to clean the air. No matter what plants you like, whether an aloe, a spider plant, or a rubber tree, put one of them to boost spirits and increase productivity.
•Photos or a quote. Although you should avoid distractions on your desk, having something inspirational is important. Find a place to put a photo or a quote that increase your motivation.
Searching for additional tips, pay attention to tricks that may help you organize your desk. Decluttering your desk is a matter of habit which you need to form and, therefore, start working faster.
Modern Devices to Save Time
While it's nearly impossible to stop using modern technologies, it's important to know how to make the most out of them. Being a freelancer means working a lot, so time-saving devices might help you increase productivity.
•A digital highlighter. We all know that writing skills are critical to your business, so honing them is a must. This gadget helps to scan texts and transfer to your gadget. Plus, you can translate if needed.
•A portable hard drive. Working freelance, you might have tons of drafts, notes, and sketches. However, it's better to save digital copies than leave these papers on a messy table. Thus, transfer texts to a portable hard drive and forget about distractions.
•A webcam. Collaborating with different people or communicating with clients, you need to keep in touch with them. Sometimes it is easier to make a conference call than write a long-long email. Thus, having a webcam can help you. Face-to-face communication, even online, is much more effective.
Once you find useful gadgets, put them next to your workplace to use when needed.
Shifting Zones for Work and Relax
Being a freelancer, people should learn how to stop working day in, day out. Obviously, working hard, you can't be productive all the time. Thus, it's better to shift work and relax. If you can boost inspiration, then you can work more efficient. Believe it or not, but workplace organization plays an important role.
One of the ways to organize your home cabinet is to demark two zones: computer and non-computer ones.
•A computer zone. It's an area where your computer takes place. Here you can do all computer work: complete tasks, email clients, sing in educational courses, etc. To stay focused and concentrated, you need to make renovation: pick up the right color for walls (blue or green), place a table in front of the daylight, and get a comfortable office chair. If you want to get things done fast, use this zone.
•A non-computer zone. Even if you need to keep on working, but you don't need to use a computer, go to this zone. Lying on a sofa, you can read best practices, make business calls, or boost inspiration with your favorite music/book/quote.
Having two zones for work and relax, you can boost productivity easily. To reveal more about creating these zones, you can pay attention to this infographic.
Final Thoughts
Once you have a go at workplace organization, your productivity will be boosted! And the art of workplace organization is not about decluttering your messy table. It's about creating a perfect working environment. Learn above-mentioned tips to organize your workplace once and for all.