The beauty of being your own boss is the ability to work anywhere and at any time. Whether that’s from your home, in an independent coffee shop or on a train travelling to and from meetings.
The accessibility of cost-effective technology is making it easier for freelancers or flexible workers to set up a workstation and be productive, wherever they are.
However, working remotely or managing a business by yourself is not without its challenges.
In this blog we have some key tips and tools you can use to make sure you’re always on top of your schedule and ready to work whenever you want.
Work in the cloud
The easiest and most effective way to work remotely is to do everything in the cloud.
By working on and saving your projects in the cloud, you can effectively work anywhere which has internet access. But there are so many more benefits!
You will always have access to the documents you need, you can easily share files with clients and you have ultimate flexibly as to when, where and how you work.
You can start simple by using online storage such as Dropbox or Google Cloud Storage to keep all of your files accessible, but read our handy blog on 5 ways you can start using the cloud to learn more.
Become part of an on- and offline community
Working for yourself or out of a home-based office can feel a bit isolated sometimes.
It’s important to schedule in time to work somewhere which boosts your creativity and gives you much needed interaction with other businesses, freelancers or people in general.
You could decide to work from a creative co-working space or join an online group (on social media or an online forum) which meet up regularly to network, share ideas and collaborate.
Use an app to manage your finances and taxes
Do you avoid dealing with your receipts and taxes until the last moment, then panic to get everything ready as April rolls around?
We have a solution! A simple app could prove a lifesaver (and timesaver) for you.
Tools such as Reciptmate or Expensify allow you to scan and save receipts in a digital format. Forget losing paper receipts or struggling to manage your budget or expenses, these apps store the information you need and provide handy reports on useful information such as the total of your receipts and the amount of tax.
Create an online schedule to manage your time
Although being your own boss is one of the most attractive parts of being a freelancer, you could benefit from organising your time and workload just as you would under supervision.
Project management tools are a great way to keep on track and prioritise your work effectively. Tools such as Basecamp or Trello allow you to keep a note of all your tasks, attach important files or notes to remember, and ensure you’re hitting your deadlines.