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Freelancing provides all kinds of exciting opportunities. When youre your own boss and you make your own rules, nothing can beat the freedom you feel in your career. The only problem with freelancing is that you need to work from somewhere. Working from home sounds great until you feel your walls start to close in on you. If you dont get out of there once in a while, youre going to lose your mind. Rather than confining yourself to your home office, experiment a little bit. Getting out is good for your sanity.
Travel while you work remotely
This option is the most expensive, but it allows you to scratch some things off your bucket list. One of the greatest advantages of freelancing is that you can do it from anywhere. If youve ever wanted to travel, you dont need to take an unpaid vacation. Bring your work with you. Live like a local in a foreign country, or even explore parts of your own country that youve never been to. Not many people have the ability to collect an income as they travel. If you do, youd be a fool not to take advantage of it.
Share space with a startup
How much networking do you accomplish when youre trapped in a room by yourself? Many startups, small businesses, or collectives of freelancers share office spaces. Youll be able to rent it out for a fraction of what youd pay for your own office, and youll be around other people. If you can find people in the same industry that you are (or at least a similar one), this can easily turn into a career building experience thats advantageous for everyone involved.
Get a small space of your own
Have you ever considered doing the obvious and renting your own office space? Yes, it costs money, but it may be worth it if youre dying to get out of your house and you miss the experience of getting up and dressed for work every day. If youre working by yourself and you prefer to stay that way, you wont need a ton of room. Theres no reason to rent out an entire building, but you may be able to find one room in a combined office space for a relatively low price on a site like Gumtree.
Work from the pub
This is a strange choice, but youd be surprised how well it works. If youre stressed out with a current project, you can always take your work for a well-deserved night out. Order something small to munch on and enjoy a pint or two while you work. Drinking on the job is okay when you dont have someone else to report to. As long as you know your limits and you dont get too wobbly, you may find it eases your stress levels a little while youre ironing out the tedious details of a complicated job. Just make sure you review your work after the pints have worked their way out of your system.
Theres always coffee shops
Its a little bit of a clich, but thats because it works. Freelancers love coffee shops. Enjoying a pastry and your favorite latte makes work a little more enjoyable, and you arent stuck by yourself. Theres always light, ambient noise and people coming in and out. Its a great cure for the isolation blues, and youll be able to reward yourself with small pick-me-ups as you complete each portion of your work assignment.
Dont forget to do more than just work when youre out of the house. It can be hard to tell when you deserve a vacation or a day off when theres no boss to award you with one. Getting out of the house while you work can help you enjoy your life while simultaneously being productive. Nothing beats that balance.
