Choosing the best freelance or self-employed workplace

• Flexible scheduling: Working from home allows you to manage your work and personal life with greater options over how your routine is set up. You may be more productive in the morning or late at night, allowing you to work freely without any time restrictions.
  
  It also means you can take a break from working to tackle some house work, spend time with your family, or tackle the school run.
   
• No social requirements: While it’s a myth that introverts always want to be alone, it’s true that many people do find they’re more creative or productive when they can block out social distractions and other commitments.
  
  Working from home means you can avoid most people as much as you want (depending on how amenable your family may be), or choose to work at times when everyone else is out of the house or asleep.
   
• Saving money and time: Commuting can be a major financial and time drain, with hours lost every day. And while some people appreciate the division between home and work life, for others it will be a massive relief to skip standing in a crowded commuter train just to battle your way to work. Before having to buy an overpriced coffee and sandwich at lunch rather than just moseying to your kitchen.
  
  Working from home also means no dress code, so while some freelancers find a productivity boost by still ‘dressing for the office’, others are happiest in jeans and a t-shirt or their pyjamas.
   
• More chances for other activities: If you’re saving time by not commuting, or need a different break in your working schedule, you’re free to spend time exercising, meditating, or pursuing any hobby you like without judgement from bosses or colleagues.
  
  Whether you want to learn a new language, play a musical instrument, practise some needlecraft or spend a little time gaming to clear your mind and relieve the stress of the day so far, it’s fine as long as you don’t find yourself procrastinating too much.
   
• Building your own workspace: Working from home means you can set up a workspace which perfectly suits your needs. That’s particularly important if you’re living with a disability or chronic illness, but it’s also a massive boost to happiness and productivity if you enjoy being surrounded by plants, inspirational posters and loud music, for example.
  
  Whether you want to work at a gaming desk with an ultra-powerful PC, a bijou vintage writing desk overlooking your garden, or laid flat on a beanbag, it’s your choice.

Unless you’re tied into a long term agreement, as your freelance career evolves you’ll have the option to change when you work. So don’t feel pressured into trying to pick the ideal self-employed workplace from the start.

But being honest with yourself in answering the questions below will help you to whittle down the wide range of options available, and give some idea of what types of location and workspace will be most suitable for starting out.