In spite of some truly great perks, the life of a freelancer can also be quite challenging and, in some cases, even hectic. The majority of these challenges come from the fact that these professionals usually do their jobs from their homes, which makes the separation of private and professional life very difficult. With things as they are, stressful life situations like moving can wreak real havoc into freelancers’ lives.
When the times for changing the lodging comes full-time employees usually lose nothing but time and patience. Freelancers, on the other hand, are losing productivity and with that, livelihoods. Let’s see how this problem can be mitigated.
Take some time to nail the planning
Every difficult task is much easier to handle when you have a good plan you can always refer to. So, unless you are forced to move quickly, take some time to sit down and plan and schedule the future chores down to the minutest details. How many boxes are you going to need? How are you going to handle tax management during this period? What is the packing order that will allow you to attain an acceptable level of productivity? How to fit the items into the new layout most efficiently? All these things need to be addressed before the actual works start.
Schedule the obligations around the moving days
Freedom to manage personal workdays and hours is one of the greatest advantages in the life of one freelancer – the ability to comply with deadlines is one of the most powerful branding tactics. Keep these two things in mind when stipulating and scheduling your future work assignments. If you are able to, increase the workload to give yourself some free room when the moving starts. If that’s not possible then simply stop accepting new tasks for the time being. Trying to do two things at once will make both of them impossible and hurt your personal brand.
Book the trucks early
The world of real estate has its own rules. Sometimes, the period of calm is followed by a huge spike in sales and rentals. As a result, the moving fleets are locked for days, if not weeks. Therefore, as soon as you decide on your future apartment, get in touch with a truck rental company, and book the vehicles in time. Take this issue even more seriously if you’re moving interstate and need trucks to do it all. In this case, you should also check the local hotels and lodgings. You don’t want to be left without accommodation until your new home is properly set up.
Prioritize the workspace and productivity
Unpacking and bringing your new apartment to order can sometimes last for days upon days. Of course, staying inactive for that long can only hurt your career. This is a good time to go back to one of the popular tips for packing in a hurry. Namely, all of the things that are necessary for your freelancing work should be packed separately and moved in first. You can continue with all other chores only when your small workspace is properly set up. This way, even when things go south and unpacking drag on, you will still be able to work uninterrupted.
Make sure you are plugged in when you arrive
In its essence, this issue is very similar to the one with moving trucks. Utilities, telecommunications, and data services sometimes need weeks to get approved and connected. Failing to do this prior to moving will get you stranded without the ability to earn your salary. If you have influence over the moving schedule, postpone the activities until your new home is fully connected and ready to go. If not, at least make sure to have a backup plan. For instance, prepaid wireless data plans should allow you to bridge the productivity gap.
Focus on the bare necessities
Do you know that an average American home packs as many as 300,000 items? What’s interesting to note is that most of these items are never truly used and kept somewhere for some proverbial “better times.” These very items are what make relocations so stressful and kill your productivity while you are moving. So, why wouldn’t you sell them, throw them away, or simply leave behind to new tenants? Try making a list of priorities. You would be surprised by the number of things you can live without.
We hope these few tips will help you preserve productivity the next time you move. The life of a freelancer is challenging enough even as it is – no need to spice it up with mundane personal problems like moving. Now, you at least know how to approach this issue.
About the author: Mike Johnston is an avid blogging enthusiast and experienced freelance writer. He is a regular contributor to numerous online publications, where he writes about business, finance, technology, and management.
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