Set for Success: 6 Tips for Designing Your Ideal Workspace as a Freelancer
You’ve built a freelance career, you have the best virtual office, and your client list is ample – now it’s time to create the perfect workspace so you can take your career from strength to strength. Here are six tips for designing your ideal workspace as a freelancer.
Tips For Designing an Ideal Workspace As a Freelancer
1. Start with the Basics
Sometimes we can get so excited about designing a beautiful work environment that we forget about basic needs. For example, the office is a beautiful color, the furniture is comfortable and strong, and there are stunning details, but then summer comes along, and you’re sweltering and struggling to concentrate. These things happen when you don’t start with the basics.
Elements like temperature, lighting, airflow – anything that sets the environment up to be comfortable and usable – have to be really well considered. Think blinds, climate control, a lock on the door, fire alarms, lighting, and anything else that ensures you’re comfortable and safe year-round.
2. Build in Flexibility
Some of the best companies have a variety of areas and working designs within an office to allow employees to adapt to the way they feel, what they are working on, and what their body needs. Sitting desks that adjust into stand-up desks, treadmills, beanbags, floor cushions, and even a swing for brainstorming sessions – these are all options you could consider integrating into your design to ensure the space accommodates all your working dynamics across the day.
3. Establish an Ergonomic Setup
Musculoskeletal disorders account for over three-quarters of visits to the family physician every year in the United States and over 130 million visits to emergency and urgent services. Many people end up with these kinds of health issues because of poorly thought-out office ergonomics. So, now that you’re designing your own office, you can prepare the perfect workstation for your needs. As a freelancer, your health truly is your wealth, so getting office ergonomics right should be a top priority.
4. Treat Yourself to an Abundance of Nature
A recent study found that natural elements help workers benefit from lower levels of stress, better psychological well-being, lowered levels of depression, and reduced mental fatigue. Though you can go all out, all it really takes is a plant on the desk or a view of the park to bring a little nature into your office.
5. Fill Your Space with Serene Silence
Studies have shown that exposure to noise levels ( even a nearby conversation) can cause us to be distracted and less able to focus. Basic soundproofing additions like carpeted floors, wall insulation, and even some cheap DIY soundproofing will protect your freelancer office against noise pollution, helping you to focus and get more work done.
6. Have a Way to Switch Off
Freelancers can be twice as likely to struggle with depression because they find it hard to switch off from work. To avoid the negative impacts freelance life can have, your office has to lean into the work-life balance that you benefit from as a freelancer.
By adding certain elements to the design, you can make it easy to switch on and off, ensuring work doesn’t seep into the rest of your home. A special scent you spray at the beginning of the work day, a song you play at the end of the work day, a little box of cleaning items to turn down the office when you’re finished – little features like this offer an easy way to switch on and off.
With the tips above and plenty of creativity and research, your workspace is going to be beautiful, ergonomic, well-thought-out, and supportive of a fruitful and successful freelance career.
