Welcome to the third part of the Freelancer’s Toolbox. Today we’re going to discuss your workspace, the place you sit in your pajamas and do the things that bring you money.

Remember, earning money is a good thing, and how you set up your workspace can have a major effect on how productive you are. If your workspace is set up well, you’ll be more efficient and thus more successful on hourly projects, and much more successful on fixed price jobs. Fixed price jobs are where having a poor workspace can ruin your day.

Every time you bid on a fixed price contract you should be bidding based on the formula of how many hours the job will take multiplied by your desired hourly rate. That tells you how much the job’s worth to you. The faster you can finish the job, the better your hourly rate, and the better the job works out for you. Unfortunately, if you have a poorly set up workspace it may take a few extra hours to get the job done, and there goes your profit margin.

So, let’s take a look at some of the things that make a good and bad workspace:

So what makes a good workspace?

Well, to begin with you need an internet connection. It’s hard to work online without one. If you’ve got a laptop, as many of us do, it can be said all you need is your connection and a couch and you’re good to go; just plop yourself down on the couch and type away.

I wish I could say that’s a good workspace, but I’d be lying. It may be comfortable, but it’s not going to be the most efficient workspace for most of us. For one thing, it’s far too likely to be in the same room as the TV, and nothing beats a TV for distraction; except maybe kids. For another, the same things that make a couch comfortable make it unsuitable for long-term work.

If you’re going to be putting in regular hours you need a desk. You can keep the laptop if you like, but you do need to have a desk and decent chair. Ergonomics is important. There’s far more to it than I can go into in a blog post, but this document is a good place to start. If your desk is poorly arranged you can end up spending all your earnings on medical bills, and that’s not a good place to be. I’d pay particular attention to things like monitor height and reverse tilt on your keyboard. I have progressive lenses so I need to keep my monitors low enough that I’m reading through the right part of the lens.

Lighting is also important. I’ve got a desk lamp which also has a document holder which I can use to place something right beside my monitor, and a fresnel lens magnifier in addition to the light. It helps, especially when I have to look at something small.

Privacy is good too, sometimes it’s hard to get when you’re working at home. My five-year old daughter doesn’t always understand that Daddy is working and she can’t bug him. What you can do though is make sure the computer’s set up in an area that minimizes distractions. If you’ve got a den, use it. If you’ve got an office use that. If you don’t, set up a corner of a room and work there. Ideally try to find somewhere out of the way so you’re not the first person everyone’s going to come to when they have questions.

So, what makes a bad workspace?

It’s easy enough to say that a bad workspace is the opposite of a good one, but that’s simplistic.  A workspace that’s set up for one person may be good for them but bad for you.  Still, there are a few things that are clearly bad for everyone.

Nobody can work well if their workspace is cramped and poorly lit.  You need enough room to sit comfortably and have necessary work papers in easy reach.  I recently changed from a small desk to a bigger one and it’s much better.  For one thing I’ve got room for both monitors, my desk lamp, my laser printer and the fax machine.  The old desk didn’t really have room for the laser printer, let alone the fax machine and I found myself having to get up every time I needed to use the printer.   Now I can work more efficiently.

Another issue has to do with distractions.  My current workspace is in a corner of the dining room, with the kids’ computer beside it and the TV in earshot.  It’s not ideal.  Luckily in the new place I won’t have that to worry about it as much as I’m going to be in a different room.  Yes it’s the dining room, but since I do most of the cooking it won’t be a huge problem.

The thing to remember is that your workspace is just as important a tool as your computer.  Make it work for you, not against you.  You’ll make more money.

Once again, if you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask.  If you think I’m completely wrong you can tell me that too.

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• Toolbox of the Successful Freelancer
• The Freelancer’s Toolbox, Part 4, Your Network
• Piracy and your Reputation
• Freelancer’s Toolbox Part 2, Software