Helping You Lead with Perspective
A Freelancers Guide - From Working in an office to Sudden Isolation
Wednesday 18th March 2020
Core Beginnings
As the pandemic of the Coronavirus has forced many to work from home, for many freelancers this is a normal way of life and here are a few pointers that can support a consistent workflow;
- Maintain a routine; Get up at the same time every day as if you are heading to the office
- Prepare your breaks and lunch menu; what will you eat (sometimes this can be done the night before.
- Create a workspace; Build a mini office and remove distractions i.e., TV, radio, Mobile phone
- Use your time productively; timeframe projects/activities i.e., 9:00-9.45am – Read Emails and prioritize who to respond to, 9.45am-10am – Check Calendar, 10am-10:30 - Call with manager, 11am-11:15am Break, 11:15-1pm – Client Report, 1pm-1.30pm – Lunch, 1.30pm-2pm – Check and Respond to Emails
- When working and focused for long periods of time; switch off emails and silence phones, minimize distractions.
When freelancers work they have to endorse behaviour that is very disciplined which successfully supports their productivity and the fact that there is not always a consistent salary, however, even if you are salaried you should still work consistently and productively as your delivery and professionalism is equally important.
As a specialist in Organisational Behaviour there are key elements which create successful output in this time of crisis;
1) Dynamic Groups – People are the most valuable capital of a business and those who are flexible in a state of emergence are the MVPs of your business.
2) Structure – Without structure groups fail to be dynamic. If you are a specialist/leader who will be managing your teams remotely, ensure there is structure and ensure your team have what they need, therefore communicate, communicate, communicate to keep yourself as of others on track.
3) Technology – Using systems like Monday or Asana can support the stages of where a project is. Technology is there to make communication and delivery more impactful and therefore, focus on who is the strongest player on which technology to keep things updated. If you have a more manual approach, ensure that daily updates via email ensue for clarification for the team.
4) Environment – As many people are working from home, take into consideration if where you in your home is the most productive space. Depending on the space available, please take into consideration that your environment impacts your behaviour and productivity.
Wishing you all a healthy and productive set of weeks ahead!