How to Work From Home Part 1 – Dress for Success
Do you work from home?
Most Illustrators and other creative professionals work from a home office or studio space, because it offers all the comforts of home and the freedom that a freelance business allows. In addition, you can save money and even claim a portion of your rent/mortgage and utilities on your taxes.
The Tradeoff
Unfortunately, working from home also has its own set of challenges, such as regular distractions and your many obligations to your house and your family.
To help you to confront these challenges, and hopefully increase your efficiency and focus, I’ll be exploring this topic in a series of posts here at Escape From Illustration Island. If you struggle with working from home, then stay tuned to receive more tips like the one below. I’d also love to hear how you cope with your own home business, so please share your thoughts in the comments section of this post.
(Update: You can now also read How to Work From Home Part 2 – Separation)
Part 1 – Dress for Success
One of the best parts of working from home is that you can hang out in your pajamas all day and nobody will know. If you have children, this idea is even more tempting, because your time is more restricted, and you may not want to waste it getting “dressed up” to go to work.
I must admit that I spend a lot of time working in either casual clothes or pj’s. It’s hard to resist when my 9-month old girls are hanging out in their onesies.
Every Monday, however, I try to be as well-dressed as if I were going to work in an office environment. This helps me to “get in the mood” and set a productive tone for the day, and even the entire week ahead.
I have a little fun with it, and my fiance has a good laugh, but it really does make a difference in my ability to take my business seriously. Getting dressed for work can have a psychological effect on your mindset, and can help to break you out of your usual home routines.
Today I suggest that you consider trying this for a few weeks. Dress as if you are going to work in an office just one day a week, preferably at the beginning. You might find that it increases your efficiency and keeps you on task.
You still have the rest of the week to dress casual, but hopefully this one small step will help you to be more productive even when you’re in your pajamas.
How do you cope with the challenges of working from home? Please share your thoughts in the comments section.
Related Posts:
- How to Work From Home Part 2 – Separation
- 7 Time Management Strategies That Work
- 9 Ways to Run a Smart Creative Business
- How to Turn Your Hobby Into Your Business
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When I opened this page, I was working on my laptop, in bed, in my pyjamas. Now I’m at a desk, in real clothes. You win!
Sorry Kim! I hope it helps you to be more productive. Let me know how it works for you.
Of course, sometimes I’m just as productive in my pajamas, if only because I want to keep being able to do that.
I don’t deny it’s an aid to productivity. But on a cold morning, before the caffeine kicks in, sometimes temptation wins out…
Appreciate your thoughts and ideas here. I too find working from home quite challenging…
-My wife and I live in a small house, a cape
-My elderly mom lives with us so she has the one good spare room downstairs
-I tried creating studio space in our bedroom, but geesh, I was working out of my bedroom!
-I tried working in our finished basement but there was just no natural light. I need natural light!
I was at my wits end and figured I could either take my mom’s room and put her in the shed out back or keep thinking of another way.
-Finally (well hopefully not finally) I am working in what was our dining room. We tend to use it for dining only during the hoildays anyway.
I like the space. Plenty of light and room. The distractions are certainly there… the kitchen and its temptations, my mom and her occasional phone calls and other needs. And then there’s the sunshiney days that I just want to stay outdoors on the deck (I’m working on that).
Love to hear more about the problems and solutions others face.
Here’s a shot of my space and a story about a dry-erase white board that I recently made.
Dave Aldrich
http://aldrichdesign.wordpress.com/2010/03/01/making-my-own-whiteboard/
Thanks for commenting, Dave.
I’m glad you found a space that works well for you. I think it’s rare to find the perfect workspace, but some artists are fortunate. Drew Struzan, for example, seems to have the ideal studio that’s set apart from the house, has lots of space and natural light, and is set in a peaceful setting.
As freelancers who work from home, we often have to get creative to maximize what we have.
Cheers,
Thomas
One day, I facebooked that it was 3 in the afternoon, and I just realized that I hadn’t put on pants yet that day. It gets hot in my apartment, even in winter, so in summer, when it gets really hot, no pants.
It became popular and people wanted to know my pants status.
Some one even got me a t-shirt that said, “Sadly, my day requires pants”
Maybe I should try a casual-n0-pants Friday. But then again, there’s my elderly mom here. And I definitely want her to keep her pants on. :-)
Over the past eleven years of working out of my apartment I most often “get dressed.” But for me getting dressed is the one of the more fun parts of the day. On the days when I am painting the finished piece I often unconsciously wear clothes in the same color scheme as the painting. I never notice until after the piece is finished that I wore the same split compliment scheme that I painted. Sometimes it is reversed, and my clothes influence my color scheme. Either way, it makes for a fun day.
As someone who have experienced working both at workplace and at home, I quite honestly prefer the latter.
Yes, there are many distractions but they are, in my opinion, pleasant ones and as needed as times to work as well. I am quite known by my closed friends to be the artist who work and play at the same time. I work almost always the whole day as I play almost always the whole day.
The distractions becomes my way of taking a break.
However, I take deadlines seriously. Therefore, I always always calculate my time well.
In all my careers, I have never late to submit my works. I am quite efficient in using my time. And, my computer, my daily routine of plein air painting, and workshop enable to me to work at a much faster pace.
I work in front of my computer for no longer than an hour then I take my breaks.
This enable me to actually stay on task (without the risk of getting dizzy eyes, carpal tunnel syndrome, etc).
But, I think most of these efficiency can be traced to the way I started my work.
A lot of the time, I asked a lot of questions and request the client to give me samples of what is their projected illustration “should” looked like. In cases (a lot of them) where the client does not know what they want.. I usually asked them to give me samples of the illustration they feel are suitable to the project. And, I will give them mine and slowly explained to them why I think some style/composition/ color key would work better for theirs.
Then, I explained them my process of working.. We spend most of the time dealing with sketches, value, and color comps.
Once they approved it.. I can usually paint it real fast.
I would insist on my client to give their final approval on each step before I go further with the process.
and, of course, having a partner who can keep track of your time helps too :)
Hello Frans,
Thanks for making the point about combining work and play in your daily life. Like you, I prefer to work from home, and I hope I am always able to do that. Occasionally, I go to a coffee shop for a change of environment, but working from home is the most rewarding experience for me. I also agree with your point about calculating your time well, and I’ll definitely be exploring that topic more in future posts.
Thomas
I’ve been home raising kids and doing graphic design and illustration (and now more fine art too) for about 18 years … I LOVE IT!
I always dress for work — no jammies — no bare feet, fuzzy socks or muffy slippers.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t dress for success — I’m just comfortable in my polo, jeans, and slip on shoes! Besides, PJ’s nonstop is a depressing way to go.
These are my other work quirks:
#1. The most important thing is to keep your sense of humor and adapt, adapt, adapt!
#2. I always tell people right up front that I have children and the kids come first. The classy clients appreciate my honesty.
#3. Remember: the popular work hours of 9 to 5 are not for everyone — and it is okay!
Over the years as the kids changed I had to change my work hours to be available for them and my clients. For instance the minute all 3 children were in school full time I started going back to bed in the mornings for a couple of hours because then (after the kids went to bed in the evening) I could stay up until 1 a.m. or so and work without interruption. I have never had a problem scheduling client meetings for late mornings or early afternoons — so the “real” world meshes with my style of time shifting just fine.
In other words, I did a time shift so that I get enough rest time, the kids get enough “mom” time, and my projects get enough creative time.
When my children are all grown I will probably go back to the 9 to 5 scenario, but until then I’ll be time shifting!
Best Regards! Jane
Hi Jane. Those are some great points about working with children in the house. I like what you’re saying about being able to adapt your schedule and work habits to your family situation, rather than trying to make your life conform to your work schedule. Have there been any instances where you weren’t able to do this successfully? As a fellow parent, I know that things don’t always work out as planned, and I’d love to hear if your great strategy ever failed to work. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
I’ve worked from an outside studio & from a home studio, in one of the spare rooms and I definely like working from home. I like working at odd hours, like getting up really early , or working late.
To get in a car & drive somewhere…ooooo, it just was more challenging. In the winter, who knows if I would get there with the snow… I also like having all my stuff in one location! there seems to be a simplicity.
It takes abit more discipline, but I break-up the day with walks & fresh air!
Thanks for the comment, Linda. It sure is nice to be able to work whenever inspiration or motivation strikes, and not have to commute or restrict yourself to certain hours. And it certainly does take discipline, as well.
Great article, Thomas. I think you bring up an important area for us work at home freelancers. The important thing for me is to establish a working environment that has a professional feel to it. You don’t want to be working in or next to your un-made bed with mess everywhere.
I work in the same room I sleep in, but I fold up the sofa bed and make sure the room is tidy and fresh, so that it puts me in a more focused, and work-oriented frame of mind. The room should still be a pleasant environment to work in, of course. Oh, and a plant helps.
Thanks Alex. I agree that mindset seems to be the most important part of your work environment. It’s great to be able to make your studio feel separate from your living space.
I have worked at home for many years now and I relate very much to your point of “dress for success”. I had never thought about it, but now that you mentioned it I realized how important it has been for me to have a working routine. Get up slowly, healthy breakfast (quinoa flakes, almonds, raisins and fresh fruit), get dressed for work, not formally, but if I don’t dress I don’t feel productive…(I can NEVER stay in my pajamas), 15 minute meditation (as of 4 months ago), daily journal writing and at work by 9 am, break for lunch, and work until 5 pm at least. I am quite disciplined at keeping a working schedule, and when I occasionally break it, I can experience that pleasant guilty feeling of “playing hooky” ;-)
In all, working at home has been very rewarding, I have a dedicated room of my house for work and I appreciate not having to commute, but I also feel that I can be my own tough boss, giving myself a lot of tasks and whipping myself if I don’t keep up!
Thanks for the topic…I work from a home office as well, have kids, run errands, volunteer etc. Lots of distractions. I’m very fortunate to have lots of natural light in my studio which helps me get moving in the mornings and I dress to go to work. But wear slippers. What I do find most distracting is my email and my temptation to jump on the internet to see what’s going on out there. My studio is quite quiet, phone is quiet, but my email is constant as is my desire to surf.
I’ve only been freelancing full time for a few months, so my home office still looks pretty much like a spare bedroom with a desk in it. Which is exactly what it is. I don’t make a fuss about getting dressed a certain way when I work. I get up, if there’s work to do, I do it. Once I start working, what I’m wearing has no bearing at all on how productive I am — I’m too focused on the work to notice or care.
One thing *has* arisen though, which I’d love to hear from others on. And maybe you’re planning to do an installment on it anyway. Do you bring clients into your home office or not? I would definitely not want to bring a client into mine. As I said…it’s a bedroom, and it looks like one. Also, it just doesn’t seem right to bring a client into your home. This is especially true as I’m a single woman and I’m not really keen on bringing men I barely know into my home…even if I *was* dressed very professionally. But now and then the client wants to meet in person. I don’t have a good laptop (yet) to load work onto and show it to him at a cafe or wherever.
Anyway…that’s kind of off topic, so I hope you address it in a future installment. Great series idea, by the way.
After thirty-odd year as a Creative Director commuting to an office in NYC. Working from home now as an Illustrator is wonderful. I have always been a hyper-focused type creative, so I have no problem with distractions. I love my environment. I also must admit to a certain amount of sadistic pleasure that I get when I hear the morning’s traffic report. However, my wife has to occasionally remind me to get dressed at four in the afternoon.
I also experience the two versions. Worked in an office for 5 years and now working at home.
Definitely I chose the second experience.
I don’t earn the money that I use to earn in the company, but definitely I win in quality life for me and my family.
I had a baby two years ago and yes, I have to divide myself between work, home and family.
It’s not easy but I wouldn’t trade my life and doing the work that I love, for another company that give me more money but make me gave up this precious thing that I have now: having real time for my daughter and husband, organize my time and being the “boss” of my life .
But there’s a big catch in my story. My husband works in a company and have a fix pay check every month… if I was alone or if he was an artist too, well maybe this freelancer life wouldn’t be possible… I don’t know. Only time will tell.
But has my wise mother tells me: Maybe you don’t realize it but, working at home you save more money and spend less than if you were working out.
I read in the previous comment: “I also must admit to a certain amount of sadistic pleasure that I get when I hear the morning’s traffic report.” This is so funny but so true… because when I leave my daughter at school every morning and listen to the news, I had this sadistic thought to :D
And sorry about my written English… if I could write in Portuguese I could express my self much, much better.
It only took one Fed Ex delivery guy smirking at me in my jammies to make me dress for my workday! Now I make sure I’m dressed, but it’s usually in jeans and a t-shirt or sweater. That’s a great idea to dress professionally at least one day a week, especially on Mondays for motivation’s sake. And maybe my wardrobe will improve now…. Thanks for the tip!
This is a great idea, I’m going to give at a whirl starting next Monday.
I really do believe it’s all about Mondays. Even when you work on the weekend, I think we are all very much tuned to Monday as the Start Of The Week. It’s so easy to get off to a bad start on Monday and play catch-up on Tuesday.
In regards to Aldrichdesign’s post; never, never again will I work in the same room in which I sleep. That was the first home studio lesson I learned, and now I say the further away your bed is, the better.
Thanks for your comment, Peter. I agree that Monday is a crucial day. Even if you work on the weekends, there’s something about Mondays that is ingrained in us as the start of the week. The nice thing is that it’s up to us to set the tone for the rest of the week. Good luck with that experiment.
Peter, I will never work out of my bedroom again, either! And I too feel it important to be dressed and ready for the day.
If I’m not out meeting a client or potential client during the week I still try to get out and go to a place like Panera Bread, bringing my laptop and work with me. Sometimes I go just for the change of scenery. My wife works part time so it is nice having her home a good part of the day where we can go for a walk. She also plays an important part in helping me manage the business.
Working from home as a freelancer definitely has its challenges, but I love the freedom that it offers.