Why Freelancers Need to Invest on Getting Themselves a Proper Office and Furniture

Some time ago, when I quit my job to embark upon a freelancing career as a web content writer, I thought, all I needed was a laptop with internet connection. Having that I can sit around anywhere in my home and proceed to work. It didn’t take me long to realize that I was quite off beam. What actually happened … my productivity dropped to less than half of what I was able to do at a 9 to 5 job. I couldn’t concentrate, couldn’t organize the tasks, couldn’t maintain the work-life balance, and the decision of leaving the job started to look horrendously wrong.

Thankfully, it didn’t take me long to figure out that this sudden decline in my efficiency is due to the change in environment, and I went straight for getting myself a dedicated room, office furniture, and a PC, thankfully it has been a pretty smooth ride from then till now.

Let’s see why you must invest on a proper office and the right furniture if you are looking to work as a freelancer.

The Frame of Mind:

You wouldn’t be able to focus on your work while working in casual surroundings, especially if you have got some family members roaming around. Remember that your mind is not accustomed to focus on work while at home, you will manage to pull off a couple of tasks every now and then, but it will be an uphill battle to concentrate on work day in and day out, like you’d do in an office. It is all about the environment, your working environment plays an important role in your overall efficiency and productivity, that’s precisely the reason why companies spend large sums on providing you with the best office supplies, and furniture available in the market. Without a dedicated room and work furniture, you will find it hard to get in to the right mental state for work.

The Distractions:

If you are sitting and trying to work from a living room with laidback settings, the temptation to put your laptop on side and pick up the remote control for a quick look at what’s playing on TV might be a little too hard to resist. Similarly, if you are sitting on a cozy couch or bed, you will feel like lying down and having a nap because you have got all the time to complete the work. This will lead to procrastination that can be disastrous for a freelancer. This is why it is so important to have the basic furniture like workstation and chair, which is made specifically for work and not for rest, not to mention the sprains that you can get from sitting and working in awkward positions with a laptop.

The Visitors and Video Conferencing:

More and more online employers are starting to ask for video conferencing for conducting an interview. In case you are required to be a part of a video conference, sitting in your pajamas on a dining table with a kitchen sink in your background is not the kind of image that they’ll appreciate. Your employer will be looking for some professionalism in your dressing, the surroundings, and of course the furniture, showing that you are serious about your work.

Not only that, but you might need to hire some assistants in near future (I had to employ one in only the second month to carry out the dirty work) and you will need a separate office and furniture for that, even if you have to rent a small office. Freelancing is often confused as something you must do from your home, which is not really correct. For me, freelancing should be the first step towards having your own small business. And the sooner you can get yourself an office and the right furniture, the better.

Get More Respect:

It might sound weird for some, but working from your home is not a very socially acclaimed type of job, especially in developing countries. Even your family will find it hard to give you the space and the atmosphere required for work. Having a separate office and the furniture can be the answer for both of these problems. First it will depict that some “serious” work is going on and you shouldn’t be disturbed, and second it will boast that you have got a real job with real earnings.