If you are a blogger, or an aspiring blogger, or even a freelancer worker of any kind, you will know about the dangers of working solely from home. The huge temptation to sit in bed with your laptop, not even bothering to get dressed is massive! In my experience however, this is not at all productive. You might be comfortable for around half an hour, and then your back will start straining, due to no support, and the fact you haven’t yet got up to brush your teeth will start to dawn in your mind.
If you’re going to be a productive and creative blogger, to the best of your ability, you need to set some ground rules. One of those rules is finding the ideal workspace, and sticking to it.
You don’t need to invest in luxurious office furniture to be a successful blogger, although if you want to, go ahead, it won’t hurt! You don’t necessarily need one of those fancy luxury office chairs, but what you do need is something which is comfortable, supportive, and something which isn’t in your main living area. One of the biggest no no’s of blogging is doing it all in your living room or bedroom, and then living in it generally. You will find your brain goes foggy, you can’t think, and your creative juices stop flowing. You need a healthy work and life balance, and that means drawing a line somewhere down the middle.
Getting outside and working is therefore a great choice for a blogger of any kind, because outside there is inspiration! Watching people should get your mojo back up and running, and you should find that ideas start to pop into your mind. Before you know it, you’ll be typing quicker than your brain allows! As a side note, that is why I always double-check my work, my fingers have a habit of running away with themselves …
So, where can you go to blog away? We’ve mentioned your home and we’re going to talk a little more about setting up a separate space shortly, but we need to think specifically away from the home for now. I love coffee shops. I find the smell quite comforting, but aside from that, there is a general easy lull about a coffee shop that is great for creative writing of any kind. Again, watching people will inspire you, and you might find a few funny anecdotes to add to your work. A coffee shop isn’t usually loud either, and although there is a low buzz of noise, this can actually be a productive amount of white noise. Silence isn’t that great for creativity, not for me anyway. Of course, you shouldn’t simply head to the same coffee shop every single day to work, as that might raise a few eyebrows, and it won’t do anything for your inspiration either.
There are many apps available, which allow you to find useful spots to work from, as well as co-working spaces. You should also download a Wi-Fi finder, as this will allow you to source out the best Wi-Fi hotspots to work from. Bars aren’t normally the greatest places in my experience - the temptation to indulge is a little too high and the noise is a little greater than necessary. But hey, it might work for you!
Many bloggers love co-working spaces, because it means they can meet other bloggers and share ideas. That’s all very well and good, but not every blogger is particularly sociable. Some bloggers might find co-working spaces a little awkward, but this is something you might like to consider if you do want to network. My personal preference? My small home office.
We talked earlier about not working where you live, and that’s true, but you can easily set up a small space away from your normal living area, e.g. not in your bedroom. If you have a spare room this is ideal. You can purchase those executive chairs you’ve had your eye on if you like, go for one of the many luxury office desks, and check out some office storage solutions, to give you the ultimate blogging space. Throw in some personality, with some bright colours and pictures - basically anything which inspires you and makes you comfortable.
It might sound like a total contradiction to stay home and work when blogging gives you the freedom to write from anywhere, but for me, my creativity peaks when I’m in my little home blogging office!
If you’re a blogger, let us know your ideal workspace ideas, and let us build up a catalogue of suggestions!