How do you ensure you are productive when working from home?

A major advantage of freelancing is that you decide when you get started. Some people deal with it easier than others. It is important that you motivate yourself to actually start your assignments. In a home environment this can sometimes be very difficult. And those who do not work or postpone work do not receive any money. That's why you need to stay as productive as possible every day.

The following 8 tips will help you with this:

1. Start as early as possible When you start the day early, you will notice that you have much more energy to get through the day. Not only will you become more proactive in anticipating problems, but planning such a day will go a lot better. The sooner you start, the sooner you can stop. This gives you the opportunity to spend time on other activities, such as sports, in addition to work.

2. Make a schedule Make sure you have drawn up a schedule for each day so that you have a solid starting point to get started on your freelance assignments. This way your tasks don't keep wandering around in your head. And especially important: you prevent a lot of stress.

3. Create a special workplace The sofa is a nice place to sit and work, but it also provides distraction. Because who doesn't have the television on the other side these days? Leave the remote control where it is and use it at a later time. To prevent back problems, it is wise to sit behind a desk or table. Keep this area neat and organized so you can easily find your documents.

4.Suit up! Okay, not necessarily in a suit but you get the point. Just leave your extra comfortable clothes, your sweatpants or your 'home suit' in the closet. Research has shown that when we wear these wonderfully fitting clothes, our brains start to behave in a way that is in accordance with the meaning of, for example, such a 'house suit' or sweatpants. And that is of course not the intention.

5. Take a break every now and then Working productively and thinking creatively only really works if you give yourself a short break every now and then. This way you avoid stress and fatigue and you often come up with new insights or ideas. Of course, don't linger too long in your break, but have a cup of coffee or get some fresh air outside.

6. Keep private and work separate. Close yourself off from private matters that come in, for example, via e-mail or telephone. If you do this, it will reduce your productivity because these types of things usually take longer than you expected. It is useful to choose a separate work telephone and e-mail address so that these matters remain separate.

7. Vary assignments Suppose you have been hired as a freelance programmer to develop a new website. This takes a lot of time and requires good focus because you are constantly writing codes. It is not responsible to do this non-stop, eight hours in a row. In between, pick up some other freelance and self-employed assignments, check your email or post a new post on your Social Media channel.

8. Maintain your social contacts In addition to working from home, also pay attention to your social contacts. If you work from home, you probably work alone. At the end of the day you quickly develop a need for company. Grab a bite to eat with friends or visit your family. You need these social contacts! They can recommend you to other acquaintances, customers or companies.

Hopefully these eight tips have given you a huge boost to complete some great freelance assignments again, good luck! By: Ilse van der Meulen As a customer-oriented community & content manager, Ilse builds brands with the aim of creating connectedness. She is creative in thinking and doing and has a passion for writing (poems).