8 in 10 Freelancers Feel More Productive Working Remotely – Here’s Why

If there is one positive outcome of the pandemic, it has been the rise of remote work. For millions of workers around the US and the world, the opportunity to work from home has been a dream come true to build a better work-life balance. 

Unfortunately, far too many company executives believe working remotely leads to less overall productivity. However, the facts speak for themselves, as Upwork found that remote employees are actually more productive when working remotely. 

Fewer Distractions 

The recent Upwork survey shows that freelancers make up at least 38% of the US workforce, or as many as 64 million Americans freelanced last year, adding $1.27 trillion to the economy. Now, consider that 8 out of every 10 freelancers feel more productive working remotely out of their home, free from the distractions of the office. 

Working in an office is great for social interaction, but casual chats and impromptu meetings can significantly affect productivity. Freelancers can and do thrive working in a cone of silence that allows them to focus on the task at hand, control noise levels, and customize their break schedules. Add in fewer in-person work “social” obligations, like a weekly office happy hour and team-building activities, and even more time can be spent crossing things off a to-do list. 

Better yet, one distraction that goes away for good as a freelancer is the commute. Commutes, whether in a car, on a train or bus, or with rideshare, are stressful, and when you are commuting, you are not working. Instead of commuting, you can get online earlier and do more work, with less distractions. 

Flexible Hours

Considering that you don’t have to worry about the traditional 9-5 commute, becoming a freelancer gives your schedule all the flexibility you could ever want. Have a doctor or vet appointment during the day? No problem, just block the time on your calendar without worrying about telling 10 people in the office and taking a PTO day. 

The same goes for childcare, as the reduced stress of worrying about and paying for childcare creates less stress overall. Instead, you can build your day around your family’s needs so everyone has the right amount of attention, including children and clients. Best of all, when you need to work more hours, you can work more, and if you have less work to do, you can do something else without feeling stuck in an office. 

Personalized Workspace

Unlike working in an office, where you might get stuck in a decades-old cubicle, you can set up your home office however you like. You can choose a cozy atmosphere or go with the minimalist approach and have nothing but a laptop on a desk. Whatever aesthetic you want from a home office is something you can do without asking anyone’s permission. 

Practical Strategies to Work Remotely

Task Batching

When developing a remote work strategy, start with task batching, or grouping tasks like emails or content creation. Perhaps your schedule looks like blocking out 9-10 AM to answer emails, while 1-3 PM is strictly content creation. Separately, you might be a social media freelancer who creates posts for a client all at once and batches them together for review. 

Time Blocking

One of the absolute best benefits of freelancing is the ability to time block however you see fit. This could be similar to time batching, in which you block out an hour of your day to respond to emails. There is a mental benefit to knowing you have an uninterrupted hour just for getting back to all of the emails piling up in your inbox, so as not to distract you later in the day. 

Tech Tools

If you want to think about the best way to remain as one of these 8 in 10 freelancers who feel more productive, it may all come down to the tech tools you use. If you utilize tools like Slack, Trello, Todoist, or any other software that can help you stay organized for the day, you will feel more productive and be more productive. 

You could also use a program like Toggl, which I use for one client, to help track all of my time on this client so I can properly bill them as I work by the hour. In addition, look at the type of computer, mouse, and monitor you use to ensure you have an ergonomic workspace with enough room for all of the different software windows you will need to open every day. 

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