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Freelancing is now becoming popular as a source of income for many people. There are a lot of reasons why many are attracted to this kind of work. One reason that I find very attractive is I can work anywhere I want! The way you work affects the quality of your output, and your workplace affects how you work. Therefore, you should choose a good place to work from. You need to find a place that will give you comfort while working and where you won’t easily get distracted. In this article, I will be giving you a list of places where you can work comfortably. Have fun reading!
A great place where you can focus solely on your work is at an office. The ambiance makes you want to work, and you can really focus on completing tasks. Renting an office may be an option for freelancers who have a steady source of income. Since you need to pay the rent, the electric and internet bills, you may ask your friends who also work as freelancers to share the space and cost with you. Having someone around when you’re working also gives you a chance to socialize.
Advantages:
Disadvantages:
Image by: Geneva Sound
Many freelancers work at home. One thing I like about working at home is that I feel at home. There are a lot of locations in a house where you can do your work.
I work in my bedroom. What I like about working in my room is that I can do everything I want without disturbing my family and I can lock myself in the room so I won’t get disturbed. Any time that I need time to think for a certain task, I can just walk around my room while thinking.
Advantages:
Disadvantages:
Image by: Rebekah Pavlovic
When I feel that my room feels stale or stuffy and I need a bit more space, I work in our living room. So, what are the advantages and downsides of working in a living room?
Advantages:
Disadvantages:
Image by: Neil Goodman
Do you eat while working? You may just want to work in your dining room then. When I feel my body craves for food, I just use a laptop and place it on our dining table.
Advantages:
Disadvantages:
Image by: Bookishly Fab
When we were in college, we used to stay in our school’s library. The ambiance is good and most importantly, it’s very quiet.
Advantages:
Disadvantages:
Image by: Paul Burdick
In many places, public libraries have wi-fi. So, all you need to bring is your laptop and other personal belongings. Also, do not forget to bring an ID. Most libraries require people to surrender their IDs for identification purposes.
I remember from another freelancing job, my friends and I used to work at least twice a month in a coffee shop. This gives us different ambiance and since we love frappes and lattes, we enjoy working there.
Advantages:
Disadvantages:
Image by: Iris
In choosing a place to work, you should consider the following factors:
Setup
Say no to distractions. A distraction can be the weather, a noise, a person or an emotion. There are many suggested ways to avoid distractions, but for me there are only two things necessary to avoid distractions: focus and discipline.
Expenses should also be considered. Working in a coffee shop or in a restaurant everyday is too expensive. Be practical. If you are earning good money, you can just rent an office and share it with other freelancers. If you think you can just work at home, do that. There’s no better place to stay than at your own home. Before I end this article, I have collected pictures of the workplaces of some of the people behind 1stwebdesigner. Take a look below.
This is my workplace which is located inside my room. I have my PC, my notebook and my planner, a glass of water and a juice drink. I did the setup on where I find myself comfortable moving and working.
This is Rean’s workplace, he is a writer and editor at 1stwebdesigner. You will see his moleskine, his favorite pen, his laptop, a coffee and the BunnyPeople of Intel atop his books. Very clean and everything that he needs is readily on his table. (Rean’s note: pink walls help me concentrate, swear!)
This is Saad’s workplace, he is our main editor. In his workplace, you will see two monitors, a book, and a router behind the monitor. It’s very clean! One thing you need to make sure is your workplace is clean. Whenever I find my workplace messy, I ended up cleaning it and the rest of my room instead of working. So before doing your tasks, make sure your surroundings are clean and organized. This applies mostly to freelancers who work at home.
This is the office of our CEO. You will find here a Mac book, computers, a calendar, moleskine and other things he and his co-workers need. Your workplace must have a good lighting like this, it gives a comfortable working atmosphere. This kind of office setup where people are near each other is also good. This way, they can communicate well with each other.
How about you? Where do you work most of the time? What made you decide to work there? Share your insights! You can also show us a picture of your workplace 
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An Information Technology graduate who loves learning new things and chocolates, too. She spends the whole day sitting in front of the computer, making herself updated with the things going on around her.
Wednesday, March 9th, 2011 20:27
Thanks for all these work ideas! I loved this post.
Sunday, March 6th, 2011 20:08
The only place I have ever been able to work effectively is in an office that is not part of my home. I know that it sounds a bit lame, but it can be quiet, I get free coffee all day, it’s a collaborative environment that helps spark a solid work ethic. When I’ve worked at home, I’m constantly distracted by TV, my kids, my dog, the sunshine, my bed, gaming, household duties…. everything.
Friday, March 4th, 2011 13:38
I run my photography business from home and have my work station in the lounge. The biggest challenge I find is separating work from non-work time. It’s very easy to do too much! Still I don’t miss the commute.
Friday, March 4th, 2011 11:01
Wow! The comments on here are very sincere and I can totally relate. I started to get really serious about starting my web biz about 3years ago and it has not been easy for because I didn’t have money a lot of other tools. Now I working from home and I have to say that from personal experience a solo place with no distractions is always best. I have a really cool portable table with my station so I use it with my comfy office chair in the room and had to put a lock on the door so I won’t get interrupted because I get alot of distractions I can’t concentrate. I can relate with some of the people here. Working as a freelancer in my case also running a small biz is great but has its cons too. I’m hoping to get more clients as I finish up my site and continue updating my blog. Please check out my blog thru the site. I would also love to connect with anyone interested on here. So Feel free to drop me a line. I love my job and would love to help out anyone with any advice or sharing info. Take care and great site you guys have here.
Wednesday, March 2nd, 2011 07:44
I think the best thing I do is get away from home. A coffee shop is awesome for me. To many distractions at home.
Tuesday, March 1st, 2011 20:46
My point is…. the office is the best place to work, even if you need to drive each day and pay a rent.
At home … there is a lot of things to do and you can’t concentrate on you job. But for freelancers I think it’s the best place… And forget about coffee shop it is not place to work.
Friday, February 25th, 2011 11:26
I am a freelancer myself and I work at home at the moment. I have my own room and nobody disturbs me at all while I am working. It is very important in freelancing that you can concentrate on your work and stick to your plans, otherwise you will have problems and will not achieve your goals.
Friday, February 18th, 2011 21:47
I work at home, in my bedroom. I have my drawing board, a desk with imac, sketchbook, etc, laptop and a small stereo. Not so many space left, but it`s comfortable and great!
Friday, February 18th, 2011 08:25
I have rented an office space from my friend to work as freelancer, as I am in Server management, i need concentration and quietness to do work.
Tuesday, February 15th, 2011 23:27
It is very much a personal thing, but I prefer to work at home. Call me crazy but with all my creature comforts I get more work done at home and there are certainly less distractions than being in an office.
Tuesday, February 15th, 2011 02:08
I usually work in my dining room because I always love to keep my teeth chewing something or the other. Other than that I sometimes shift my workplace to my small but comfortable room.
Also, My laptop’s model is almost the same as Rean’s! haha :D
Monday, February 14th, 2011 07:18
For me its normally a cafe, bedroom or a client’s office. As you say cafe is expensive, also can be loud and have a bad internet connection. Bedroom has a bed in it as well as numerous other distractions that I am rarely strong enough to resist! So I find sometimes it pays to give a friend or former client some free service on the condition that I can have a place to sit for a few days – I seem to be a lot more productive this way.
Sunday, February 13th, 2011 14:07
I like my office at home, but often find it very hard to work there.. too many personal distractions.
having a small dedicated office somewhere in the city is my favorite place to work :)
Wednesday, February 9th, 2011 01:03
All good ideas. My favorite is the coffee shop. There are so many to choose from. I tend to get cabin fever sitting in my apartment all day.
Tuesday, February 8th, 2011 20:17
I’d like to make an interjection on some matters.
First of all, I think the value of getting out of the house is greatly underestimated here. While working at home you don’t meet (new) people on a regular basis (other than your possible roommates or family), and that surely must be a noteworthy issue for many people. You also don’t get out of your house or apartment if you don’t have any special errands. You might take walks or breaks outdoors, but those who don’t frequently won’t get much fresh air!
Secondly, ergonomics is essential! Sitting in a couch or at the kitchen table is rarely good for your body since your constantly looking downwards on the screen or holding your shoulders up.
Finally, working in your bedroom kinda ruins its purpose — your bedroom is where you rest. I believe many a worker needs a place where work is utterly absent.
And by the way; your working pose must be terrible! How are your back, neck and shoulders doing with no place to rest your arms? :)
I like it that you summed your thoughts up! I just don’t think it was that well thought-out.
Tuesday, February 8th, 2011 13:14
Good work! You almost covered the whole house and other places. Wow!
Tuesday, February 8th, 2011 17:25
Well, but where do you work the most? How do you feel this article relates to your own daily routine?
Tuesday, February 8th, 2011 00:17
I got an office at my house. I’m not a freelancer, but have the opinion to work at home, cause the office would be 280km away.
There are a lot of distractions, yes. And sometimes it’s hard to stop thinking about work when you know upstairs is a large amount of work to do.
Well, I like my homeoffice. Enough Monitors (more than I would have in the office), unlimited amount of coffee, loud music, can pause whenever I want. Yea I like it.
Tuesday, February 8th, 2011 17:28
yeah, agreed – some considerable pros and cons. I guess it’s not so hard if you have separate room for work and not people who can distract you. At least that was my problem, when I wasn’t living alone, always I felt how girlfriend disrespected a bit my work time. It seems like I am available, but such distractions can do much bad to daily workflow.
Thursday, February 10th, 2011 17:35
Yeah, I know how that is. When I started working at home my girlfriend always asked: “why didn’t you this. why didn’t you do that?”. One day she stayed at home and wondered that I rarely came out the room for 10 hours. After that she knew that I work hard and have no time for caring about housework.
But still she comes in often and asks questions or wants to tell me something.
Monday, February 7th, 2011 23:36
2 monitors certainly helps increase productivity. 3 helps even more! I currently have a 4 monitor system but the 4th is just for testing purposes on my current project.
My saying is: how many monitors does a developer/designer need? One more than they have. :)
Although the office depicted here is lovely, it’s a leeetle too stark for me. I find my creativity is stimulated by having goofy things I love around me.
Wednesday, February 23rd, 2011 10:01
gee 4 monitors, if it me, I will end up with only just watching video and gaming :D, I just planning to have second monitor, and need to save some bucks
Monday, February 7th, 2011 18:25
Although I’m not always a stickler for not ending a sentence with a preposition, “6 Places Where Freelancers Can Work Comfortably At” is extremely awkward. “Six Places Where Freelancers Can Work Comfortably” not only is more grammatically correct by not ending in a preposition, but also follows the rule of spelling out numbers that are ten or less, and sounds much more natural.
Monday, February 7th, 2011 20:14
@Mike – And don’t start your sentences with conjunctions. ;) Alright, my comment is a little irrelevant. ;D
Sunday, February 13th, 2011 17:59
Got linked via Webdesigner Depot’s RSS and only reason I’m commenting is to say the same thing. But only about removing the “at”. Very awkward wording indeed ;p
Monday, February 7th, 2011 06:06
Nice to see all kind of workplace as am beginning my freelancing career
Monday, February 7th, 2011 09:27
Nice article, I wonder why your always talking about food though :)
Monday, February 7th, 2011 08:54
We could convert an extra room at home into a workplace as well…
Monday, February 7th, 2011 06:04
In my opinion, Office is the best place to work. You know you have to get up early to reach office, you have to finish your work and you have to leave office on time. This way, you do you work properly and on time and this makes you more punctual and I guess in today’s life each and everyone should be punctual so that he/she can utilize his/her time perfectly.
Sunday, February 6th, 2011 17:50
Just looking at your work stations I can figure out where you guys are hehe.
I prefer having a dedicated area for my work. Having a bed nearby is too tempting, I end up slacking more than than I’m working.
Tuesday, February 8th, 2011 18:01
hehe, would be interested to hear your guess :) I had some good experience at home when I have separate room for work and nobody is troubling me,but workspace is certainly better case, though not for everybody :)
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Alexander Wallin
Tuesday, February 8th, 2011 20:17
I’d like to make an interjection on some matters.
First of all, I think the value of getting out of the house is greatly underestimated here. While working at home you don’t meet (new) people on a regular basis (other than your possible roommates or family), and that surely must be a noteworthy issue for many people. You also don’t get out of your house or apartment if you don’t have any special errands. You might take walks or breaks outdoors, but those who don’t frequently won’t get much fresh air!
Secondly, ergonomics is essential! Sitting in a couch or at the kitchen table is rarely good for your body since your constantly looking downwards on the screen or holding your shoulders up.
Finally, working in your bedroom kinda ruins its purpose — your bedroom is where you rest. I believe many a worker needs a place where work is utterly absent.
And by the way; your working pose must be terrible! How are your back, neck and shoulders doing with no place to rest your arms? :)
I like it that you summed your thoughts up! I just don’t think it was that well thought-out.
Tipifam
Thursday, February 10th, 2011 11:01
For me it’s home. Nowhere is as comfortable as home.
Brittany
Wednesday, February 9th, 2011 01:03
All good ideas. My favorite is the coffee shop. There are so many to choose from. I tend to get cabin fever sitting in my apartment all day.
Agent B
Tuesday, February 8th, 2011 00:17
I got an office at my house. I’m not a freelancer, but have the opinion to work at home, cause the office would be 280km away.
There are a lot of distractions, yes. And sometimes it’s hard to stop thinking about work when you know upstairs is a large amount of work to do.
Well, I like my homeoffice. Enough Monitors (more than I would have in the office), unlimited amount of coffee, loud music, can pause whenever I want. Yea I like it.
Dainis Graveris
Tuesday, February 8th, 2011 17:28
yeah, agreed – some considerable pros and cons. I guess it’s not so hard if you have separate room for work and not people who can distract you. At least that was my problem, when I wasn’t living alone, always I felt how girlfriend disrespected a bit my work time. It seems like I am available, but such distractions can do much bad to daily workflow.
Agent B
Thursday, February 10th, 2011 17:35
Yeah, I know how that is. When I started working at home my girlfriend always asked: “why didn’t you this. why didn’t you do that?”. One day she stayed at home and wondered that I rarely came out the room for 10 hours. After that she knew that I work hard and have no time for caring about housework.
But still she comes in often and asks questions or wants to tell me something.
Pushpinder Bagga
Monday, February 7th, 2011 08:54
We could convert an extra room at home into a workplace as well…
Harish
Monday, February 7th, 2011 06:04
In my opinion, Office is the best place to work. You know you have to get up early to reach office, you have to finish your work and you have to leave office on time. This way, you do you work properly and on time and this makes you more punctual and I guess in today’s life each and everyone should be punctual so that he/she can utilize his/her time perfectly.
Rassel Jan David
Monday, February 7th, 2011 09:27
Nice article, I wonder why your always talking about food though :)
Hastimal Shah
Monday, February 7th, 2011 06:06
Nice to see all kind of workplace as am beginning my freelancing career
adrian
Monday, February 7th, 2011 23:36
2 monitors certainly helps increase productivity. 3 helps even more! I currently have a 4 monitor system but the 4th is just for testing purposes on my current project.
My saying is: how many monitors does a developer/designer need? One more than they have. :)
Although the office depicted here is lovely, it’s a leeetle too stark for me. I find my creativity is stimulated by having goofy things I love around me.
aditia
Wednesday, February 23rd, 2011 10:01
gee 4 monitors, if it me, I will end up with only just watching video and gaming :D, I just planning to have second monitor, and need to save some bucks
Mike
Monday, February 7th, 2011 18:25
Although I’m not always a stickler for not ending a sentence with a preposition, “6 Places Where Freelancers Can Work Comfortably At” is extremely awkward. “Six Places Where Freelancers Can Work Comfortably” not only is more grammatically correct by not ending in a preposition, but also follows the rule of spelling out numbers that are ten or less, and sounds much more natural.
Rean John Uehara
Monday, February 7th, 2011 20:14
@Mike – And don’t start your sentences with conjunctions. ;) Alright, my comment is a little irrelevant. ;D
Josh
Sunday, February 13th, 2011 17:59
Got linked via Webdesigner Depot’s RSS and only reason I’m commenting is to say the same thing. But only about removing the “at”. Very awkward wording indeed ;p
Dainis Graveris
Thursday, March 3rd, 2011 13:42
ah..I agree..fixed.
Alexander
Sunday, February 13th, 2011 14:07
I like my office at home, but often find it very hard to work there.. too many personal distractions.
having a small dedicated office somewhere in the city is my favorite place to work :)
Louie
Friday, March 4th, 2011 11:01
Wow! The comments on here are very sincere and I can totally relate. I started to get really serious about starting my web biz about 3years ago and it has not been easy for because I didn’t have money a lot of other tools. Now I working from home and I have to say that from personal experience a solo place with no distractions is always best. I have a really cool portable table with my station so I use it with my comfy office chair in the room and had to put a lock on the door so I won’t get interrupted because I get alot of distractions I can’t concentrate. I can relate with some of the people here. Working as a freelancer in my case also running a small biz is great but has its cons too. I’m hoping to get more clients as I finish up my site and continue updating my blog. Please check out my blog thru the site. I would also love to connect with anyone interested on here. So Feel free to drop me a line. I love my job and would love to help out anyone with any advice or sharing info. Take care and great site you guys have here.
David Fenwick
Friday, March 4th, 2011 13:38
I run my photography business from home and have my work station in the lounge. The biggest challenge I find is separating work from non-work time. It’s very easy to do too much! Still I don’t miss the commute.
Mark
Sunday, March 6th, 2011 20:08
The only place I have ever been able to work effectively is in an office that is not part of my home. I know that it sounds a bit lame, but it can be quiet, I get free coffee all day, it’s a collaborative environment that helps spark a solid work ethic. When I’ve worked at home, I’m constantly distracted by TV, my kids, my dog, the sunshine, my bed, gaming, household duties…. everything.
Ramon
Sunday, February 26th, 2012 13:33
You forget coworking spaces. There’s thousands all over the world, are cheap, flexible, allow you to interact with other human beings in a professional network, improve your opportunities to get contracts, are better than any home to receive clients, and help you separate private & professional life.
David
Tuesday, March 15th, 2011 06:14
Working in the dining room, living room, or bedroom should not even be considered. Consider the concept of industrial psychology. You want to associate work with your work environment, and other environments with the activities you do in them. Work in your bedroom, and you’ll start dreaming about work and not getting sleep. Work in the dining room and your dinner table conversations will drift to your esoteric work concerns. That’s a bit hyperbolic, but you get the point. Working in the same place conditions your body and mind to go into work mode, and you’ll be more productive, have better morale. When you “log off” you’ll be able to do so more effectively.
Brett Widmann
Wednesday, March 9th, 2011 20:27
Thanks for all these work ideas! I loved this post.
Brian
Wednesday, March 2nd, 2011 07:44
I think the best thing I do is get away from home. A coffee shop is awesome for me. To many distractions at home.
Aaron
Tuesday, March 1st, 2011 20:46
My point is…. the office is the best place to work, even if you need to drive each day and pay a rent.
At home … there is a lot of things to do and you can’t concentrate on you job. But for freelancers I think it’s the best place… And forget about coffee shop it is not place to work.
Elaine
Tuesday, February 15th, 2011 23:27
It is very much a personal thing, but I prefer to work at home. Call me crazy but with all my creature comforts I get more work done at home and there are certainly less distractions than being in an office.
Abhishek
Tuesday, February 15th, 2011 02:08
I usually work in my dining room because I always love to keep my teeth chewing something or the other. Other than that I sometimes shift my workplace to my small but comfortable room.
Also, My laptop’s model is almost the same as Rean’s! haha :D
Akhtar
Wednesday, February 16th, 2011 11:46
I totally agree, Abhishek. This is a great strategy.
Benjamin
Monday, February 14th, 2011 07:18
For me its normally a cafe, bedroom or a client’s office. As you say cafe is expensive, also can be loud and have a bad internet connection. Bedroom has a bed in it as well as numerous other distractions that I am rarely strong enough to resist! So I find sometimes it pays to give a friend or former client some free service on the condition that I can have a place to sit for a few days – I seem to be a lot more productive this way.
Ali
Friday, February 18th, 2011 08:25
I have rented an office space from my friend to work as freelancer, as I am in Server management, i need concentration and quietness to do work.
Nail Yener
Friday, February 25th, 2011 11:26
I am a freelancer myself and I work at home at the moment. I have my own room and nobody disturbs me at all while I am working. It is very important in freelancing that you can concentrate on your work and stick to your plans, otherwise you will have problems and will not achieve your goals.
Felipe
Friday, February 18th, 2011 21:47
I work at home, in my bedroom. I have my drawing board, a desk with imac, sketchbook, etc, laptop and a small stereo. Not so many space left, but it`s comfortable and great!