Working from home as a Freelancer can be rewarding with all the advantages of being your own boss, but it can also be very draining on your health unless you treat it like a business, your business!  With that in mind, I would like to address your workspace and staying fit.

Setting up your workspace is an important key to success as a healthy and fit Freelancer. Your workspace needs to be clutter and distraction free!  I would not recommend setting up your workspace in front of the television or in the laundry room…both are far too distracting, at least for me they are.  I would also suggest setting up your workspace on a different level than your kitchen.

I like to have space to spread out my paperwork, have a container for my writing utensils, outlets for my computer, in general space for my things.  Above my workspace or in my line of vision I have what I like to call a dream board. My dream board has my picture of my family in the center and then pictures and sayings all around it.  The pictures symbolize long term goals, short term goals and whatever is important to me with inspirational sayings to keep me motivated.  My dream board helps to keep me focused on why I work as a Freelancer!

Staying fit as a Freelancer can be tricky.  Eating all the time and laying around your house instead of getting up and going into the office seems to be par for the course for a Freelancer.  I recommend when you set up your workspace you set up your countertop or desktop at chest level.  Why in the world would I want you to do this? If you do this, you will have to stand!  I know it sounds crazy, but you work more muscles standing than you do sitting and gravity pulls down, your butt is less likely to get pulled down in all the wrong places if you are standing!

When you need a snack, make sure you don’t have unhealthy snack food in your house.  Buy snacks like carrots, peanuts, grapes, or apples’  I have found that temptation is easier to resist when it is not within reach or sight. I like to keep a trail mix within reach, I also like to keep activia yogurt stocked in the refrigerator.  For lunch I usually eat a Lean Cuisine, instead of making a meal which means time away from my work for preparation and cleanup.  Oh, yeah, I almost forgot!  I do not keep any pop or juice at my house, so I am forced to drink something healthy like milk or water.

Staying fit is difficult no matter what, but having a routine and a journal will help to keep you motivated.  Keeping a fitness and food journal like this one  http://www.myfitnessjournal.com/ forces me to be accountable for my health and fitness.  I sign up for an actual road race monthly to keep me motivated!

I compete with myself to stay in shape…I like to beat my own time and I feel rewarded when I do it! I try to sign up for races that are different…during the winter I run the same course for 3 months – it is only 5 miles, but it is also outside!  This keeps me motivated during the winter months.  I have called upon my friends to join me in relay races, to compete with me in duathlons and to help me run ½ marathons.

Staying fit and being a successful Freelancer have a few things in common:

Commitment

Dedication

Routine

Progress

I like my workspace to be at chest level forcing me to stand and work faster and smarter while working my muscles.  I wake up early and workout before I start my work for the day.  I eat a good breakfast and then I get started for the day!  I eat lunch at the same time every day and I try to take my ½ hour breaks in the morning and in the afternoon.  This all of course depends on my workload!

Staying fit is very important, feeling healthy keeps you motivated to do great work, and, great work pays the bills and then some.  Maybe I will see you at my next road race! Which by the way, I find on the internet by searching marathons, triathlons and duathlons.

photo credit: smith_cl9