9 tips for working from home

Working from home is not so easy when you start as a freelancer. So here are 9 tips for finding your balance between personal and professional life, based on advice from our HR Solutions consultants.

1. Clearly define  your working hours

Of course, the advantage of being independent is to work when you feel like it or when you feel efficient, but if you let things get too vague, it is not uncommon for work to gradually "eat up" evenings and weekends. Learn to set the limits of your working hours so that you can close the virtual door of your office and move on to your personal life.

2. Don't be available to your customers all the time

While it seems obvious that it is better to avoid giving your number to your clients to avoid being invaded at home, the arrival of cell phones does not make it easier to separate your personal and professional lives.In the same way as for the previous point, set times when you are available to answer the phone and make appointments. Outside of these hours, filter your calls and give yourself instructions not to answer any caller except in extreme cases of emergency (which, you will see, do not happen that often).

3. Prepare as if you were going to the office

It will be easier for you to concentrate if you are dressed in business attire or a suit and shoes if you are working from home.In the evening, you can change into more casual clothes to mark the difference from your workday and switch to rest mode.

4. Create a pressure relief chamber

Did you used to drive to work? Now you no longer have that "buffer" time between your personal life and your professional activity.By creating a little ritual before and after starting work, you will always benefit from this very useful moment to concentrate or release pressure.It could be going around the block or having a coffee, it doesn't matter, as long as it is regular and allows you to clear your head.

5. Take care of your desk

The idea is to have a dedicated room. If necessary, it should not, during your working hours, accommodate activities other than yours (children's games for example). Strip your office as much as possible of any familiar objects: no or very few family photos, neutral and sober decoration, functional furniture, radio or television to be avoided.

You don't receive clients in your office? This is no reason to leave it cluttered. Remember to tidy it up regularly and organize access to the documents you need so that they are always within reach and easy to find.

6. Disconnect from digital life

It's hard to separate your personal and professional lives with the latest digital tools, but with a few reflexes, it's possible to limit the intrusion of one into the other. For example, use a professional email address that's different from your one. You'll be less tempted to read the latest funny videos and will enjoy opening your mailbox once the work is done.

Similarly, if you are on several social networks, dedicate some to exchanges with your friends ( Facebook ) and others to your professional contacts ( Viadeo, Twitter, Linkedin, etc. )

7. Think in terms of hourly rates

Freelancers tend to favor large recurring contracts, a source of significant and secure income over the year. However, several small missions that will not take up too much of your time are just as interesting since they will give you time to do other things and therefore increase your income .

For each mission, ask yourself how many hours you think you will spend on it, don't forget informal times such as travel, telephone conversations, research, etc. to determine the hourly cost.By prioritizing missions with a high hourly pay rate, you will gradually succeed in reducing your working hours.

8. Find something to immerse yourself in after work.

Playing sports, going for a walk, playing with your family, cooking… the idea is to find something fun to do and, above all, to do it right after work. This will help you disconnect from your professional responsibilities.

9. Learn that you are not defined by your job.

Being self-employed often means fulfilling yourself professionally and it can indeed be very rewarding. However, it is important to define yourself by other aspects: your family ties (father, mother, etc.), your leisure activities, etc. and to give them importance. This will make it easier for you to disconnect from your work as you will have sources of satisfaction outside of it. Remember that burnout candidates are often those who really (too much?) appreciate their work and invest themselves in it without counting the cost!