Working remote isn't an easy feat. At the beginning of the pandemic, it might have felt awesome to be eating ice cream at 10am while working in your PJs. It may appear easy due to the option of working in your scheduled time, having the free will to pick up desired orders, and having ample time free to do anything. But it can prove to be quite difficult to maintain focus, have the will to do work with so many distractions around like, TV, Phone, video games or any chores that you need to do. So these distractions can play a huge role in keeping you less productive and away from work. 
Don't worry, a lot of people have been working remotely long before entering this pandemic. They have lots of advice for newbies entering this arena. Whereas, some remote workers suffer from lots of emotional and mental pressure that could hinder their outputs. There can be pressure and expectation of sending out efficient work with no mistakes all the time, but it can soon take a toll on the mind. Here's how you can tackle pressure and be more productive on your remote working journey. 

• Set a Routine 

One of the best ways you can set up a productive work routine for yourself is by organizing your time. Even if you work from home, you can still get dressed, set yourself a given set of hours solely for work and away from your phone. This way, you can easily make out time for every other thing, and work efficiently without any rush. Never wear your PJs to work as it would set you at a certain mindset. 

• Look Out For Your Distractions 

Apart from tackling the peer pressure online, distractions can have a harrowing effect on the mind as well. Sometimes peer pressure turns out to be good, as you feel more competitive, motivated to improve and do your best. Other times, it can make you feel that you aren't capable of doing a good job. Distractions also work by taking away all your motivation to work efficiently and direct it onto something else, such as watching a TV show or pending the work close to the deadline. So, productivity is important for remote work, and you should always be able to pinpoint your distractions and avoid them. 

• Prioritize Work First 

One of the best ways you can constantly improve is by competing against yourself. Sometimes, not having a proper work environment means not having a boss that oversees all your work and gives you feedback. Or make you feel like you have no partner to compete with. Remote workers can give themselves a healthy peer pressure, by keeping an allotted time in which tasks have to be performed without any distractions from phone, TV, emails. This way, you can place pressure on yourself to work in an allotted period and improve your productivity. 
Conclusion 
As a remote worker, it is very important to follow the tips above to ensure you are as efficient as possible. But it is important to reward yourself with breaks, treats in between, so you don't lose your pace. Remote working still requires constant hard work and motivation to finish all the tasks in time, while also having fun. 
References 
https://www.dumblittleman.com/productivity-tips-for-freelancers/
https://www.thedailystar.net/opinion/perspective/news/the-invisible-side-freelancing-1786078
https://www.lifehack.org/500891/how-to-become-a-more-efficient-freelancer-tips-for-staying-focused-and-productive
https://medium.com/datadriveninvestor/filling-every-hour-dealing-with-the-pressure-to-be-productive-as-a-freelancer-59846e4d7fee

Are you one of those who still feel that void inside even after a 9 to 5 grind? You still feel there is more to achieve and more to do than just waking up early, getting dressed up, and sitting at the office table till the clock strikes 5. 
Have you looked around and seen people doing freelancing that intrigued you? The luxury of the freedom to work on projects you actually care about seems pretty ideal. But something is holding you back, fear of leaving the 9 to 5 job? Well, here are a few signs which show that you are ready for freelancing in 2020:
YOU ARE NOT HAPPY!
The number one sign that you are ready for freelancing is that you are not happy with what you are doing right now. The 9 to 5 grind, which you always looked forward to, is not satisfying you, and you feel a void inside. It does not mean that you leave your job only because you are unhappy. A lot of temporary things might make you feel that way for the time being. However, if you see yourself getting less and less motivated each day and dread your office and the fellow employees, then that is a problem. 
YOU HAVE SAVINGS
For someone who is a freelancer, sometimes he or she will be overwhelmed with loads of work, other times; however, there will be less or no work at all. So if you have enough money in your bank account that even if your freelancing work takes a dive, you still have a backup to survive. So it is always good to have a financial backup just in case things go unplanned or wrong. 
YOU ALREADY HAVE CLIENTS
​Once you leave your job, there will be no source of income. So it is a significant sign that you can go or switch to freelancing if you already know people who are ready to give you work immediately. So that you won’t have to go through the whole trouble of finding clients, which will make the first few weeks easy and less tiring. 
YOU ARE NOT AFRAID
You know what you want, and you are not afraid of doing it. You know and understand completely the risks of leaving your job and switching to freelancing, and you are willing to take that risk. You know that things will not be easy, and the first few months will be the toughest but you are still willing to go forward towards the path you have chosen shows that you are ready for freelancing in 2020. 
YOU ARE WILLING TO HUSTLE
You know that you have to hustle hard, sitting around and waiting for work will not get you anywhere. Instead, you gotta network and make new contacts to help you. 
YOU HAVE EXPERIENCE
This is one of the major sign which shows that you are ready to step up and switch to freelancing because this is something you have already done. 
Above are the few mentioned signs which show you are ready for freelancing in 2020! And of course, you should get a coworking membership to surround yourself with other hustling freelancers to feed the hustle in 2020. 

REFERENCES
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/318907
https://www.lifehack.org/319523/7-signs-youre-ready-for-full-time-freelance-career
https://generalassemb.ly/blog/12-signs-youre-ready-go-freelance/
https://www.linkedin.com/profinder/blog/6-signs-youre-ready-to-freelance
https://skillcrush.com/2014/08/26/6-signs-cut-freelance/

Coworking and shared spaces have become more common over recent years. Entrepreneurs are opting for this kind of environment as it gives them a better ground to start and a more fertile ground for their companies to grow in. Coworking is getting popular, considering the massive demand for them as it offers a more flexible space for a company in the midst of growing and expanding. 
As coworking seems like the answer to managing costs and ensuring a company runs efficiently, startups and freelancers are signing up for coworking. Another question arises, how do you increase the value of your coworking membership? 
Attend Community Events
​Attend the community events hosted at your coworking space. That's how you get to know other members. This also creates a friendlier environment and a way to collaborate in the future. 
Bring Your Favorite Work Accessories
Have a favorite wireless mouse? Favorite pair of air pods? Favorite mug? Bring them to make yourself more productive at a coworking space. You could even bring your favorite plant if you think it is going to make your work better. 
Manage Distractions
It’s easy to get distracted when working in a shared space. But there are things you can do to decrease the noise and ways of interactions. For example, you could go into a phone booth or a meeting room to get some me-time. At Treehouse Society, we even have a meditation room to clear your head before you head into work again. If you can't get a private room, you could even face a wall in the basement to make sure you get work done. 
Gossip a Little
Well, maybe not too much, but chitchat in the kitchen with other members at lunch to not only connect and learn what others do but also get some insight into what is popular in society. Pro-tip: the best time to gossip is getting coffee or while having lunch in the kitchen. 
Create A Routine
Instead of rolling into work whenever you want to as it is so tempting for a freelancer or a startup without structure, create a routine. Set a time to get into work so you can set your mind to expect to work when you are at a certain location at a certain time. 
Host Events
Host an event for your company at the coworking space to create a community for your customers and users. Launch party, discussions, workshops, to name a few ideas for your company to host to create community, and generate some traction for your company. Our coworking space membership comes with event space hours for your company. 
Peer Pressure
You want to be productive if your surrounding is filled with productive people. Sometimes, a coworking membership is valuable in that way. Especially if you are a freelancer lacking motivation at home, a coworking space should be where you go to get work done. 

There's a lot of value in joining a coworking space; for example, you have a secured space to work and increased productivity from others working around you. However, just adding a few things to it would make it that much more valuable. 

Reference:
https://www.coworkingresources.org/blog/8-ways-to-attract-freelancers-to-your-coworking-space
https://www.coworker.com/mag/10-tips-to-get-the-most-out-of-your-coworking-space
https://catjohnson.co/16-creative-ways-market-coworking-space/

Freelancing could be a great idea for people who do not want to subscribe to the traditional form of employment. Self-employed as a freelancer means you have flexible hours and could work from anywhere. Freelancing is popular these days as the internet allows everyone to connect from anywhere. However, it could make it hard to separate work and life and, thus, challenging to establish a work-life balance. 
As a freelancer, there are constant deadlines to establish projects. The best feature of freelancing is that the person can get started quickly, and they can choose the amount of work as per their convenience. But with the rise in the cost of living, many freelancers opt in to work themselves harder. It is more than necessary for freelancers to take care of themselves.
Let's take a look at some self-care tips for freelancers below.
Realistic Approach
Start working as a freelancer with a mindset that you are a human being and should not force yourself to work for 24 hours. You should manage your time effectively and set the schedule of how and when to work with the best energy.
Change of Environment
It is important to switch places and change the environment regularly, which is very important for mental and physical health. Working while sitting at home for hours can be tiring and exhausting for the freelancers. Once you are at home too much, you could be distracted by the smallest things, even dishes and dust become a problem. Going to a coworking space or a cafe to change up the environment. 
Take Care of Your Health
It is important to take care of your health. Skipping meals and sleep for work ends up in low and poor productivity. Hydrate yourself from time to time and get enough sleep that can increase your productivity.
Learn How to Say No
To reach your goal and not be taken advantage of by others, you must say no to some opportunities. Sometimes there is a requirement for some rest and a day off. Never pile up a lot of work. Fulfill your commitments timely and have enough courage to say no when there is a need for rest.
Work Intelligently
Manage the work and time smartly by saving time and energy and earning more. Try to finish the work before the deadlines and never procrastinate. 
Ask for Assistance when Needed
Always have the courage and confidence to ask for help with the client. Whether it is related to extending the deadline or more details of the work required, communicate it to your client as early as possible without any hesitation.
Interact With Other Freelancers
Interact and communicate with other freelancers. Ask them for guidelines and inquire about their work styles. Learn from them to add value to your freelancing career and profile. 
Socialize
Freelancers generally stay in one place while working for hours and do not get to meet a lot of people. It is essential to take some fresh air and socialize with other people. This will affect our mood and will increase productivity. Our coworking space is perfect for you to socialize as our members are down to earth people. 
Conclusion
Freelancing is chosen as a career to give you freedom. However, it is necessary to take care of ourselves and manage to have a balance between work and private life. If there is no proper balance between the two, it will end up affecting both work and private life. 


If you are sick of working from home with no work-life balance, try out our space for a week today! 

References
https://samanthability.com/self-care-for-freelancers-7-health-and-wellness-tips/
https://www.bestofbudgets.com/health-self-care-tips-freelancer/
https://fairygodboss.com/articles/7-self-care-tips-for-creative-freelancers
https://www.lifecoach-directory.org.uk/blog/2018/04/16/self-care-tips-for-freelancers
https://blog.solna.io/self-care-tips-for-freelancers-and-self-employed

Working remotely has been the most recent trend in the modern world. Freelancing enables more efficient use of resources as not everyone needs to commute to an office far away from home. This provides more freedom in life as working as a freelancer could be better for work-life balance. 
Here are some ways to seek a freelance position for your comfort and passion in 2019. 
Figure out your interest
Before you just dive into any freelancing position, find a field that you are truly interested in. You wouldn't be able to last long as a freelancer if you are working in a field that you have not passionate about. 
Search for a relevant remote work online 
The first step of finding a freelance is searching for relevant work online. It is important to be aware of the fact that most freelance work are posted online and most of them are assigned online. With that idea in mind, you must look for a freelance work online that is in line with your profession as well as those that are in line with your needs. Not all remote work will post the right kind of jobs for you. With that idea, you need to search for those remote jobs that will allow you to use your skills and professionalism in delivering quality services.
Ask around your network
Although most of work are posted online, in person connections mean a lot more than just submitting a resume over the internet. Search on Linkedin and see if your long lost friend started working at a company that you are interested in. If s/he is working there, invite her/him to coffee before you apply for the position. It could make all the difference in your cover letter. Don't have a strong network? Consider coworking to network with others. 
Gauge your levels of motivation 
Sometimes, it might be difficult to work on an online remote basically because of lack of self-motivation. Make sure that you have that motivation from within when you are applying to a position. Motivation is the basis of working on remote work successfully an efficiently. Self-motivation is the basis of enthusiasm and when you are enthusiastic, you will certainly be able to work as a successful freelancer. The enthusiasm could shine through even over the internet. 
Look at reviews from those who have worked at the company
Before finding a freelance position, it is important to select a remote company based on what other people have said. In today's transparent world, you could use various websites such as Linkedin and Glassdoor to check out the company culture and others' reviews. Even Upwork provides a review section for clients. It is through going through this reviews that your will get to decide on where you want to work. After all, the choice of freelancing is to be able to pick who you want to work for. 

What's your strategy of finding freelance work? Let us know! 

Freelancers can do many different things. You can be a freelance artist, a freelance consultant, a freelance writer, designer, producer, filmmaker, wedding planner, photographer- the possibilities are endless. 
If you are a woman entrepreneur looking for graphic designer that are vibrant, energetic, and you, are you more likely to hire a graphic designer who describes themselves as working with women entrepreneurs who are vibrant, energetic, and young, or are you likely to hire a graphic designer who works with startup CEOs or corporate finance? Of course, you would pick the graphic designer who works with women entrepreneurs. 
As a freelancer, you need to be ultra-specific in your business plan about your selling point. Get down to the nitty gritty. Don't just define the demographics of your dream clients - define the psychographics too. Psychographics are their beliefs, values, and lifestyles that define who they are. 
As a freelancer, you are worried. Where are my projects coming from? But if you say yes to everything, then you are not going to make enough money from some of those projects. Once you are finished with your freelance business plan, reopen it at least once every few months to see how well you are staying on track with your plans, or if you need to make some revisions. 
Marketing can seem like a scary buzzword for most new freelancers, but it's a necessary piece of the puzzle to thrive in your freelancing business. Instead of thinking of this exercise as creating a marketing plan, which can be daunting, just consider exactly how you will find your clients. 
​For every client that exists, it feels like there are dozens of freelancers vying for attention. You have to have something that sets you apart. This is what your "unique selling proposition."
​The good news is that you have already done some work with finding your unique selling proposition when you have your dream clients. There's no better unique selling proposition than catering specifically to the type of person or business your dream client is or has. This will set you apart as an expect on the specific subject matter your client needs. Can you further set yourself apart with a rock-solid guarantee or an angle that makes you different?
You are starting a freelancing business to earn money. And while uber-detailed financial forecasting can be left for the startups that need venture capital, it is still a good idea to plan for how you will earn your money in your business. Consider what you will sell to your dream clients. Sure, you are freelancing, so it might not seem as if you will sell anything, but you are- you are selling services. 
Consider what you will price your services at. How much will you charge for different levels of service? Then, consider how many clients you will have to work with month over month to earn a full-time living and cover your business expenses, including taxes. You may be surprised at how much clarity this exercise can help you achieve. 
So consider what your costs will be to run your business. Will you invest in more expensive tools as you earn more money with your business? What will that look like? Your business isn't set in stone. It will move, change, and evolve, but it is still crucial that you create a plan. 
This is an important thing to have in your business plan because you will need to be ultra-clear on it so you can communicate it to the right people frequently.

​Related: How to Start Your Freelance Journey 

One of the trickiest parts of securing a freelance gig is knowing how to write a winning project proposal. Not only do you need to show off your strengths and experience; you need to write the proposal in a way that suits the decision maker. As a freelancer, your job is to convince the decision maker within 20 seconds of reading. There are many approaches you can take. Some projects might only need a brief, informal project proposal. Other projects with more moving pieces might require a more formal, in-depth proposal. 

At times, potential clients, especially non-profits, may advertise available writing work via a call for proposals or a Request for Proposals (RFP). This means that the agency wishes for potential freelancer to peruse their needs, and put together a proposal of those needs, along with estimated costs. 
Since decision makers don't have a lot of time, you need to make a strong entrance. Here are some questions to ask yourself: What are you doing to wow them straight out of the gate? What makes your email different from everybody else throwing their hat into the ring for this gig? 

A captivating entrance that excites shows you did your research, and delivers actual value, is what will kindle an immediate interest in your potential client's mind. Start by finding the right remote freelancing gigs. 

• Project: Client Name, Website Development, Content Writing, and Editing
• Needs: Potential client cites a website that is not "up to par" for attracting grantors and other stakeholders. The client wants a more human service-oriented feel. 
• Solution: In communicating with potential grantors, employees, clients, and other users, the verbiage of your website are of the utmost importance. Fortunately, conveying an open and welcoming tone is easily accomplished with the "right" copy. 

Hi [Client Name], 
I'd like to be considered for your writing position. I am a strategic writer with a strong background developing online content, including blog posts, social media posts, articles, press releases, and other branded copy. I can turn a phrase in a way that represents your brand and appeals to your target audience. Whether you need a formal, serious tone, or a more playful one, I can make the transition with ease. 

For 1 1 years, I have worked in marketing, and so I am accustomed to working with all sorts of products and services, and in a variety of industries. I have a deep passion for producing content to build community. 

These are my writing samples:

• example1.com
• example2.com
• example3.com

I highly value professionalism and hold myself strictly accountable to represent my client's brand. I aim to form a long-term working relationship. I normally charge $75/ hour. 

Please contact me if you are interested. My email is [email protected]
Thank you for your consideration. 
Jane
123-456-7894

Keep the whole proposal short and simple. Especially if this is your first contact with a potential customer. This is the 21st century and no one has time to read a long email anymore. If they are interested in your service, they will contact you to learn more. 
Whether your goal is to land higher paying clients for your existing business or validate your idea for a service to get into, starting with a solid foundation of being able to pitch yourself is essential. 
Practice how to pitch yourself today at Treehouse Society. Cowork with other freelancers, consultants, and startups and get feedbacks on your pitches and proposals. 
Related: How to Win Your First Client as a Freelancer

A freelancer or freelance worker is a term commonly used for a person who is self-employed and is not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. While the term "independent contractor" is sometimes used to designate the tax and employment classes of this type of worker, the term freelancing is most common in culture and creative industries.   Freelance workers are sometimes represented by a company or a temporary agency that resells freelance labor to clients; others work independently or use professional associations or websites to get work.
Fields where freelancers work are predominantly in music, writing, acting, computer programming, web design, translating,  illustrating, film, video production, and other forms of work which some cultural theorists consider as central to the cognitive-cultural economy. A freelancer can also be a self-employed person offering services, usually to businesses and often to multiple clients at a time. The type of work freelancers does vary. Nearly every type of service a business would need could be provided by a freelancer, including but not limited to marketing, such as social media marketing, copywriting, publicity, writing, technological support, such as programming, interior design, graphic design, and bookkeeping. 
Freelancers have a variety of reasons for freelancing. The perceived benefits differ by gender, industry, and lifestyle. For instance, the 2012 Freelance Industry Report reported that men and women freelance for different reasons. Women survey respondents indicated that they prefer the scheduling freedom and flexibility that freelancing offers while men survey respondents indicated they freelance to follow or pursue person passions. The survey also shows that freelancing enables people to obtain high levels of employment in isolated communities. 
Freelancing is also taken up by workers who have been laid-off, who cannot find full time employment, or for those industries such as journalism which are relying increasingly on contingent labor rather than full-time staff. Freelancers also consist of students trying to make ends meet during the semester. In interviews and on blogs about freelancing, freelancers list choice and flexibility as a benefit. 
The internet has enabled many freelancers to search for gigs, interviewed, and get hired without actually meeting his/her employer in person. This facilitates long distance business relations all over the world and allow freelancers to work anywhere s/he wants. Many freelancers choose to work out of coffee shops or coworking spaces for their freedom. 
There are many in Treehouse Society who are freelancers working on their passion. Join us today to enjoy your flexibility and pursue your passion. 
​
Related: Coworking Space: Freelance's Adrenaline