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

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

Sometimes the difference between a good coworking space and a great coworking space is all about the community and relationship. This is essential for fostering a good working environment for everybody.
Knowing fully well that these different sets of individuals who work for different organizations are in the same space as you require some extra effort to bond. So, how do you make your stay in that coworking space work? Highlighted below are five ways through which you can bond with your remote coworkers as a remote worker:

• Effective Communication

An important aspect of developing a bond with those around you is communication. This is very essential that you get to know a little bit about others around you. This will help you in understanding their goals and personality. 
Communication between you and the other members fosters for improvement in the level of privacy required for your respective jobs. You can easily work up to your fellow members to discuss issues that could be affecting you from their actions if the avenue for communication has been created.

• Remote Coworking Space Activities

Different coworking space activities are set up to increase the communication and bond between members in that space. This is useful for effective communication and increasing the familiarity between members.
You must attend these coworking space activities to create and maintain the bond between your remote coworkers. These activities which could include exercises, extended invitation to their organization programs, mental health activities, and so on may also be useful to you.

• Put A Face To The Name

Most times, you get to know your remote coworkers over social media interactions. You must put a face to the name you already know. There is a distinct bond that is generated from meeting face to face and not just interacting on social media or other provided mediums.
This method of increasing the bond level that exists between you and your other remote coworkers might develop into an unexpected friendship. Your meeting could be at the activities organized by your coworking space or at an invited company retreat.

• Always Make A Point To Converse

It is always important to make it a habit to exchange at least pleasantries between you and others. This increases familiarities and nurtures the bond that exists between you and the other remote coworkers.
Through conversing, you might discover others who share your passion or have similar interests as you do. It is a good medium to network and improves your field of knowledge. Through this medium of bonding, there could be a collective structuring for a better corporation in the coworking space.

• Invite Them To Your Company Initiatives

This is another great way to bond with other members. By inviting them to your company’s initiative, you are breeding a link between them and yourself for a better understanding of what you do. This medium allows you to network and foster deeper connections.

Conclusion
A coworking space can be the best place for you to work in if you like a community. You should try some of the points highlighted here to help you improve the bond that exists between you and the other members. Our kitchen in Treehouse Society is always a perfect place where our members enjoy coffee or lunch together and share updates of their creative journey. 

References
​https://slackhq.com/team-bonding-remote-workers
https://medium.com/s/story/11-remote-workers-on-the-strategies-they-use-to-bond-with-co-workers-e326f29aaca2
https://www.shareyouroffice.com/blog-syo/build-community-coworking-space/

It's 2019, technology enables your team to have the choice to work from anywhere. However, just because they are based out of anywhere doesn't necessarily mean that your company's culture is all over the place. In fact, your company culture must remain strong so your remote employee could be the strongest ambassadors of your company and your brand. Therefore, you must keep them in line with your company’s culture even while they work from a remote location.
​Of course, remote workers are deliberately allowed to work from a remote location due to the inability to provide a space within the working environment of your company. It could also be a variety of other reasons and knowing how to communicate your unique company culture with your remote workers is key.
Method For Keeping Your Remote Workers In The Loop
Essentially, you can get your remote workers involved in your company’s culture and activities in a variety of ways. Some of the recommended methods that are tested and trusted are highlighted below

• Social Media Channel Utilization

One of the effective and efficient ways of carrying your remote workers along is by using social media channels available. Here, you can discuss the above variety of things to a relatable level with your remote workers. This is in a bid to carry them along with different activities that are being carried out.
In the case where you are having trouble with the flow of information, you can create a themed channel for sharing information.

• Personal Meetings

You can also keep up with your remote workers by arranging for personal meetings periodically via video chatting or phone calls. These time-to-time meetings are very essential for ensuring your remote workers are updated on any recent changes. These face-to-face meetings or interactions can take place at your company’s retreat or social activity.
This avenue can also be used to bond with your remote workers on a personal level. Your remote workers can also utilize these strings of social activities to network with their other colleagues.
Noting that the new trend of office practices does not require a worker to be in the office. Hence, these social activities must be organized for personal meetings. This will help you keep your company’s culture with your remote worker.  

• Create a Channel For Communication

An existing channel of communication is essential for promoting your company culture and an increase in productivity in your remote workers. You also have to deliberately set an expectation on the communication methods.
Through this channel, you can define your company’s value and culture even for your remote workers.
Furthermore, this channel can also be used to send out your company’s value and the importance of sticking to them. Understanding fully well that having a distributed team will make it more difficult to manage, a channel for communication is important to keep everyone informed.

• Publicizing Your Culture

Numerous companies have pushed their values and thoughts public. This helps you to project your culture and values to your audience and teammates in general. This is a great avenue to publicize your company’s culture and the set values you are trying to reach.
Wrapping It Up
Understanding fully well that your remote workers may have some challenges meeting up with the exact culture practiced in the main company, it is useful to refine your culture. This refinement would not take anything away from the core values of your culture. It is designed to create values that boost your company culture.

References
https://inside.6q.io/how-to-grow-a-positive-company-culture-with-a-remote-team/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/yec/2018/08/21/nine-ways-to-boost-company-culture-with-remote-workers/

​There is an impression of the remote interviews that they are comparatively easier than the interviews in person. This is a false impression because in remote interviews the interviewer will be more keenly observing your actions and gestures and the way you are talking since the camera is so focused on you. Being comfortable with the camera is very important in terms of remote work interviews. Although you might think it is an unnecessary skill to be comfortable with it, more jobs are growing to become remote. According to the Census Bureau, the remote interviewing practice is becoming common day by day. The remote workforce is growing! 
If you are one of the people that are getting ready for remote interviews to join this remote workforce and not sure where to get started. Here are a few tips to help you out in a remote interview, these tips are as follows.
Preparing for the interview:
You need to know what you are talking about. Make sure to do plenty of research about the company you are interviewing with to know their core values and principles. Brush up on the skills that you are supposed to know as well as industry news. Check out the company profile on Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook, Glassdoor, and Instagram to make sure you stay relevant during the interview.
You are supposed to show enthusiasm:
Take your remote interview as you are giving it in person, which means you should be showing enthusiasm for the company. This will be the key to impress the recruiter. If you look bored, distracted, or uninterested this will leave a bad impact. 
Even if you are restless during the interview, it will be perceived as though you are not eligible. In simple words, you should look happy and interested in the job, and you might look like you will appreciate it a lot if you get the job. 
You must look motivated enough to get the job, show your goals and enthusiasm to the interview. No one wants to hire a boring person and I am sure that is not you! So make sure your personality shines through!
Your dress code matters:
Appearance matters a lot either it is an interview in person or the remote one. The reason is that dressing sense somehow defines your personality. You have to properly dress for the job interview, maybe according to the dress code mentioned by the company. If it’s not mentioned then you should try to blend in the culture of the company. 
There are two things to follow, you should be over-dressed or under-dress. Here are few tips related to dressing, you should be avoiding the dressed that have trendy logos, splashy patterns or glittery stuff on them because they are unprofessional and distractive. You need to choose your clothing according to the job, you are applying for because it is obvious that you cannot dress too trendy in an office. 
In simple words you have to be casual, your dress should be properly pressed and should be presentable. Another pro tip is that if you feel like that you need a haircut then go for it because it could give you an enhanced casual look.
Complete all of your Research:
If you have no idea about the company, there is no way that you can give a good interview. You have to complete your research about the company, its management, and its employees and so on. You need to learn first and then apply for the job. You need to have proper information about the background of the company, the major information about the company should be gathered.
You are supposed to maintain the level of noise:
When you are being interviewed, you are supposed to keep a balance in everything either it’s your voice or the tone. In a remote interview, you should be keeping the voice level low or maybe moderate. We have mentioned this above but if you have children around, they should not be distracting you while the interview. 
If there is too much noise in the background it will be a mess. If you have pets at home, especially dogs you need to send them for a walk. No one should be watching the television at a higher volume in the background. Your phone should be on silent, even the notification sounds might distract the interviewer. 
You will fail to maintain the concentration level, your interview will be highly affected if any of these things happen.
Be very polite:
When someone is over-confident it is considered as arrogance or attitude, you have to avoid such a fuss. Being arrogant can be a big turn off for your interviewers because you have to keep in mind that they are the judges. 
You are supposed to mention how your talent can politely benefit the company. You should be confident about your talent and education, but not arrogant. Politeness and humble way of talking can take you to places, avoid bragging.
Setting up for the interview: 
You have to set-up for the interview, obviously, you cannot just sit in a messy room in messy appearance for the interview. If your room is full of the children’s toys or any other personal items then it would not look like a professional environment. 
If there are kids at the background, or people yelling, running here and there can leave a bad impression. If not a bad impression, it is distracting in general if people are walking behind you or a kid is crying behind you. Also, you are not supposed to show the interviewer how and where you live, they might consider it a piece of unnecessary information. 
It is suggested that you sit an isolated room, better take care of what will be seen by the interviewer as background. Organize your desk neatly, get rid of any mess around.
If you can't control your environment at home, make sure to come to our coworking space for your remote interview! For a more pro-tip, you could get a trial week pass and schedule all your interviews in one week. 
Any more tips on how to get ready for the remote work interview, then you can share it in the comments section below.

Next: Coworking Space: Freelancer's Adrenaline

Treehouse Society, a coworking space in San Francisco, hosts almost a full house of remote workers. Check out our membership today!