Ellen Holcombe, Freelance Copywriter | Professional Word Person
I’m Ellen, a freelance copywriter. I pick the right words and put them in the right order to create copy that gets your readers to take action.
Aside from the copywriting, I’m a creative with a hint of perfectionism and a love of spreadsheets. I love both reading (anything with a twist) and writing (pretty much anything). I strongly believe that there is never an appropriate time to use Comic Sans.
Remote working, flexible working and working from home are becoming the norm. More and more businesses are realising that in order for their employees to stay happy, loyal and motivated, they need to be given the freedom to work in the way that’s best for them. This could be working from home a couple of days a week (or even full time).
I’m a freelance copywriter, and for the first year of working for myself I worked from my spare room (which I turned into a little office). The thing is, working from home is riddled with distractions. It took me a while, but I finally made working from home work for me. So, I’m going to share with you the top productivity killers and how to avoid them.
1 – Working without working hours.
The biggest mistake you can make when you’re working from home is failing to set yourself working hours. If you tell yourself you’ll start working when inspiration strikes or when you’ve finished that next episode of Grey’s Anatomy, you’ll never get anything done.
To an extent, it doesn’t matter when your office hours are (unless, of course, you have set working hours in your contract). What matters is that you have allotted working time and that you actually stick to your schedule.
2 – Working from your sofa (or even worse… your bed).
Oh, how tempting it is just to reach for your laptop from bed on that cold, dark Monday morning and work from the comfort of your duvet. The problem is, you’ll convince yourself it’s time for a nap way too easily. Same goes for the sofa.
If you’re working from home, find yourself a designated area to work. It’ll help your brain get into work mode when much more easily, resulting in much more productivity.
3 – Working in your pyjamas.
Why bother getting dressed if you’re working from home, right? It’s one of the best perks of working from home, but it can kill your productivity instantly. Just like with having a designated work space, taking a shower and getting dressed in a morning (and even putting on shoes) helps gear your brain for a day of work.
4 – Eating lunch at your desk.
To be honest with you, this isn’t just a tip for working from home, it counts for working in an office, too. Don’t eat lunch while you’re hunched over your laptop. Inspiration is much more likely to hit when you’re out and about and lunchtime is the perfect time to do that.
Go and meet a friend, go for a walk, or just move into a different room. Just don’t eat at your desk (or wherever your designated working area is).
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