7 Things that Help the Freelancer

Is there stuff that freelancers and work at home types just can’t live without? You betcha. The main one being coffee, of course. We mainline the stuff through an IV catheter in our kidneys. It’s what gives us our somewhat frightening ability to get stuff done while still being all ADD and interesting.

So I personally think one of the main things a freelancer can invest in is a good coffee maker. Seriously. You laugh now, but you won’t be laughing if you are stuck with cold French Press or worse yet, instant! Gah, oh the humanity! Freelancers don’t have a lot of time to dilly dally, so we need a coffee maker with a large keep-warm carafe. This is the one my hosts in Kansas had, and I want one for here.

Google Reader. If you aren’t loading your reader up with great small business and freelancer sites like this one, you should be. Knowing what others are doing can help inspire you as well as educate you on trends in freelancing and your niche. Reader is free. Use it.

A voracious reading appetite. Fiction, non-fiction, trade journals, cereal boxes… doesn’t matter. Keeping the words flowing in will keep them flowing out. It’s brain stimulating, whether you read a journal related to your niche or just a good novel.

A website and good hosting. If you have a business – especially a writing business – you need a web presence for it. Build a static page or a blog, or both if you can. Many companies offer good pre-made templates to help the less web-savvy types along along. I use 1&1 for both domain registration and hosting. It’s not expensive and I’ve had almost zero downtime in the five years I’ve been with them. GoDaddy is great for searching and registering domains, but I’ve heard only bad things about their hosting and support, so beware.

And yeah, I do blog consulting and web copywriting if you need help. Just sayin’.

A good chair. I don’t practice what I preach, and am currently sitting on a dining room chair. I have chronic back pain and a sore neck. Don’t be a dork, like me. Get an ergonomic chair that offers adjustable height and lumbar support. If you don’t, then unspeakable things will happen to you. You’ll become a cripple, your eyes will cross, you’ll grow hair on your palms and we’ll lose the war. All because you didn’t spend $90 on a good chair. Tightwad.

A condom for your computer. You don’t casually date riding bareback, and you shouldn’t casually surf without protecting your computer. AVG and Avast are both free virus protection services. Free. Doesn’t get cheaper than that. Carbonite offers unlimited online backup for your business or home PC for less than $50 a year. It backs up all your files and folders for you on a secure web server. They are always running a try it free offer, so there’s no harm in checking them out. I use them, even if I’m not smart enough to have a good chair.

A backbone. You can’t be entertaining neighbors and other local moms just because you work from home. If you run a home business, you have to have the discipline to tell those who just pop by unannounced to take a hike. Thankfully I have been practicing the fine art of misanthropy for many years now, and my friends are well-trained in leaving me the hell alone. Are yours? If not, it’s time to start the training. Begin with subtlety, but be warned: If subtle doesn’t work, you will have to escalate to blunt. Grow a pair and put your livelihood first.

What are some of the things you use that you just can’t live without? Share in the comments.