Telework: Everything you need to know before you start.
21 October 2014
Read by 2537 persons
A laptop, a (good) wifi connection, and maybe a notepad and pen: that's my office! For personal reasons, I've decided not to reveal my current location, but know that I've been away from home for a week. It's wonderful, nobody knows where I am: my clients don't know and probably don't want to know. When you're freelance, what matters is the result. Whether I send my emails from Levallois-Perret or Abu Dhabi, nobody cares. Happiness! But how to best manage this professional nomadism? Here are a few clues and tips.
The love of solitude
It may seem silly, but in my eyes it's the sine qua non condition for being a freelance teleworker. If you don't like being alone, if silence weighs on you and you need to talk to people throughout the day, then telework may displease you. Indeed, there are days when I don't talk to anyone - except my cat, but these are quite one-sided conversations, since he prefers to cuddle in my arms and sleep.
It's true that I prefer to work in my own corner, at my own pace, without the noise of colleagues who phone, chat and bustle. I loved seeing my colleagues, but I still tend to think that their presence was a little too distracting to allow me quality concentration. I was too often tempted to interrupt work to go down to Starbucks or have tea in the office kitchen. In short, productivity versus conviviality.
The love of nomadism
Those who know me know it: my need for independence is almost visceral. If I don't have a trip planned, I suffocate. I love the feeling of being able to leave at any time, of being able to plan little getaways from my daily life. Before, I had to ask my superiors for time off. Today, like Richard Branson, I can take as much vacation as I want - provided I do my work properly. Now I'm here, tomorrow I'll be there. Often I don't even need to inform my clients.
The complete dematerialization of my work is a privilege enjoyed by few professions. Yet, in my eyes, it's the future. To quote a company I appreciate enormously - Hopwork - one of the co-founders left Paris for the south of France, the same for another collaborator who lived for a while in Barcelona. New technologies allow us greater freedom in our professional operating methods: we must take advantage of it, that's the future!
The love of independence
Independence is the promise of great flexibility - but a flexibility that nevertheless requires a certain discipline. Indeed, when I don't work in the morning, I have to catch up those hours at another time of the day (or evening). How many Saturday nights have I spent in front of the computer? I don't really remember. Conversely, Monday is no longer a hated day and can sometimes start with a nice lie-in. Telework is a work environment that doesn't suit everyone.
Some people need to be guided and directed. For my part, I don't need the stern gaze of a superior to get to work. When I do nothing, I prefer to scold myself!
The love of responsibility
Yes, being freelance and, moreover, working from home is a great responsibility. You have to organize, manage and supervise your various tasks. There's no one to remind you of your deadlines or give you a quick update. Freelancers are often asked to be even more efficient than employees - especially if they charge by the day. The pressure is not the same, nor are the stakes. Nothing guarantees that your client will give you more work, a new mission, new projects.
Each day you will get up - never knowing how your day will unfold. Each day is a new battle in a way - that's what makes this freelance life so fulfilling in my opinion. It's a bit like love - it's not because the other person is with you that everything is won. There too, you have to fight and win back. So freelance life is like couple life - it's not by spending your days in pajamas that it will work!
Anissa Filali-Fischer.
Huffingtonpost.fr
Published October 14, 2014.
Posted online October 21, 2014.
The love of solitude
It may seem silly, but in my eyes it's the sine qua non condition for being a freelance teleworker. If you don't like being alone, if silence weighs on you and you need to talk to people throughout the day, then telework may displease you. Indeed, there are days when I don't talk to anyone - except my cat, but these are quite one-sided conversations, since he prefers to cuddle in my arms and sleep.
It's true that I prefer to work in my own corner, at my own pace, without the noise of colleagues who phone, chat and bustle. I loved seeing my colleagues, but I still tend to think that their presence was a little too distracting to allow me quality concentration. I was too often tempted to interrupt work to go down to Starbucks or have tea in the office kitchen. In short, productivity versus conviviality.
The love of nomadism
Those who know me know it: my need for independence is almost visceral. If I don't have a trip planned, I suffocate. I love the feeling of being able to leave at any time, of being able to plan little getaways from my daily life. Before, I had to ask my superiors for time off. Today, like Richard Branson, I can take as much vacation as I want - provided I do my work properly. Now I'm here, tomorrow I'll be there. Often I don't even need to inform my clients.
The complete dematerialization of my work is a privilege enjoyed by few professions. Yet, in my eyes, it's the future. To quote a company I appreciate enormously - Hopwork - one of the co-founders left Paris for the south of France, the same for another collaborator who lived for a while in Barcelona. New technologies allow us greater freedom in our professional operating methods: we must take advantage of it, that's the future!
The love of independence
Independence is the promise of great flexibility - but a flexibility that nevertheless requires a certain discipline. Indeed, when I don't work in the morning, I have to catch up those hours at another time of the day (or evening). How many Saturday nights have I spent in front of the computer? I don't really remember. Conversely, Monday is no longer a hated day and can sometimes start with a nice lie-in. Telework is a work environment that doesn't suit everyone.
Some people need to be guided and directed. For my part, I don't need the stern gaze of a superior to get to work. When I do nothing, I prefer to scold myself!
The love of responsibility
Yes, being freelance and, moreover, working from home is a great responsibility. You have to organize, manage and supervise your various tasks. There's no one to remind you of your deadlines or give you a quick update. Freelancers are often asked to be even more efficient than employees - especially if they charge by the day. The pressure is not the same, nor are the stakes. Nothing guarantees that your client will give you more work, a new mission, new projects.
Each day you will get up - never knowing how your day will unfold. Each day is a new battle in a way - that's what makes this freelance life so fulfilling in my opinion. It's a bit like love - it's not because the other person is with you that everything is won. There too, you have to fight and win back. So freelance life is like couple life - it's not by spending your days in pajamas that it will work!
Anissa Filali-Fischer.
Huffingtonpost.fr
Published October 14, 2014.
Posted online October 21, 2014.
