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If you are a contractor or freelancer who works from home, you have probably struggled at least once or twice trying to stay focused. Having a home office or even your own small work space can help increase your productivity and your free time.
Whether you’re a contract or freelance writer, a digital marketing consultant, or if you just take care of minor business tasks and administration from home, you could benefit from creating your own work space to get things done.
It might be hard to imagine, but creating your own personal work space in your home really does increase your productivity. When you have a family, the common areas of the home are always buzzing and never truly feel your own, so you may not dedicate your undivided attention to work in these spaces. Creating a space that is yours alone will give you the ability to focus and step away from everything else to get work done.
When creating your own home office, you should stock it with everything you need so you don’t have to go in and out and break momentum. Keep it organised, and decorate it so that you enjoy being there and don’t feel like it’s just a hole in the wall that you use to get work done when you can. As a contractor, it’s important that you enjoy the work that you’re doing, and having a positive work environment is part of that.
Retailers such as Wilko, Argos and Amazon stock the essentials you would need to fill your home office, including stationery and furniture. If you’re going for a more high-end and polished look, look at larger retailers such as John Lewis, Marks and Spencer or Debenhams. Ikea also has great design ideas and accessories to pull together a finished look for your home office.
If you don’t have a spare room in your home or need to keep an eye on the children, find a spare nook or area that you could transform into a functional working space. For example, if you have low-hanging counter space in the kitchen or empty space under the stairs, they can easily be converted into casual work spaces.
As a contractor or freelancer, you can also claim some expenses from your home office. You can claim certain amounts from business-related expenses such as postage, stationery, printing, etc.
If you would like to know more about operating your own business, contact our specialists who can give you more information about running a limited company, including expenses you can claim. Contact us on 01707 871622 or on enquiry@churchill-knight.co.uk.
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The Churchill Knight blog is regularly updated with helpful content for contractors and freelancers – especially articles that answer the most frequently asked questions about umbrella companies! Please pop back shortly to see the latest articles written by Andrew Trodden (Marketing Manager) and Clare Denison (Marketing Executive).