Those who work from home know that such a work arrangement can be both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, you’re free to organize your time in the way you find most comfortable while actually working in pajamas. On the other hand, your self-discipline may let you down at some point, and you can end up procrastinating, messing up your time management, and drowning in deadlines.
Although it’s always the right time to improve your approach to work at home, now, when most people have switched to this format, it’s more relevant than ever. For that reason, we’ve made this ultimate guide for everyone looking for jobs you can do from home, as well as those who have been working from home for years and need a fresh breath of motivation.
Top Positions To Work From Home
Now that the boom in highly-paid and flexible freelance positions has given a great push to the at-home job force, more and more people start to consider leaving their offices. The good news is, with the ever-evolving technologies and services like Google Hangouts, Facetime, Skype, and Slack, as well as various texting and cloud-computing options, one can become a productive worker without being in an office full-time.
At the same time, work from home jobs has a lot to offer not only to employees but also to employers. They can manage the work process through the web, increasing employee productivity with lower organizational costs.
That is to say, online jobs are pretty much in demand for both sides. But which jobs from home to look for if you’re an office worker to the bone? We’ve highlighted the top high-paid jobs to work from home in 2021.
Virtual assistants
You probably think of secretaries as those people sitting at a desk in front of their bosses’ offices and making calls. In fact, this desk shouldn’t necessarily be in the office. For small companies, having an off-site administrative assistant is a great way to manage organizational processes with fewer expenses. You will do just what traditional assistants do — work with business docs, arrange meetings and appointments, calling clients and responding to emails, etc. — but at a lower cost for your employer. Of course, you will need to communicate with your boss: this is where real-time chats like Slack and Face time come in.
Translators
There are whole lotta options for people speaking multiple languages out there on the web. You can go with anything from document translation to transcribing conversations and conference calls for international companies.
Call center/customer service representatives
Many companies providing goods and services, be they small or big, opt for home-based customer service representatives. Because some English-speaking customers may have trouble understanding support agents whose English is a second language, companies leave this work to home-based native English speakers. Such positions may come with either an established or flexible schedule, requiring people to have good communication skills to help customers with orders or account info.
Data entry and transcription
Despite being different positions, these two actually require similar qualifications and skills. Transcription involves transforming audio files into document files, which is done for documenting conference calls, meetings, podcasts, etc. As for data entry, such positions involve entering certain data into spreadsheets or some software program. In other words, both positions require detail-oriented people who are good at typing.
Teacher/tutor
It’s no secret that online education has grown in popularity in the past few years. Therefore, tutoring is also a good remote option. It can be any subject from languages to physics. Also, most online teaching jobs don’t require teaching degrees, looking for people with an educational background. By the way, such positions are considered the best work-from-home jobs for moms, as they offer flexible hours.
Remote Work Software Options
All people working remotely have different work styles, that’s true. However, there are common software and tools that allow all remote employers to develop their digital collaboration ability. Here’s a list of what you should familiarize yourself with.
- Apps for sharing files: DropBox, Google Drive, and Box.
- Texting apps: Microsoft Teams, Slack.
- Communications & video conferencing apps: Skype, Zoom, Slack, WebEx.
- Apps for writing documents: Google Docs.
- Applications for team projects: Trello, Asana, Basecamp.
- Apps for creating spreadsheets: Google Sheets.
How To Work From Home Productively - Tips to Stay Organized
For most people (even for freelancers) it’s pretty hard to view their homes from a new, working perspective, especially when there’s no change of scenery. Keeping this in mind, we’ve highlighted the basic tips (read: essentials) on turning your home into a successful and productive workspace.
- Get a workspace. Designate a place that you will associate with work. If you don’t have a desk, you can work at a kitchen table. The point is to have an established workplace for a balanced workflow, instead of wandering around your place with a laptop.
- Set a schedule. They say that work from home is freedom. Well, you need to manage this freedom and turn it into a productive routine. Setting working hours and sticking to them is one of the keys to organizing and maintaining your work and life balance. All in all, you need to have a clear line between when to call it a day and when to work.
- Create a morning routine. You should create a pattern, a ritual that will guide you to get to work, thus getting yourself in a mood for work. Starting a day with a cup of coffee or going jogging before work — there must be something that will indicate you’re about to start working.
- Schedule breaks. Take the breaks following your company’s break times or give yourself enough time to walk away from the screen. Don’t overwork, as well as go too much with the breaks.
- Minimize distractions. Ensure that you have the weapon against your barking dog or neighbor's construction; noise-canceling headphones will be a good investment. Also, if you’re at home with the kids without childcare, take turns with your spouse or someone who’s in the same situation to make some indoor activities with kids while you're working.
Ways To Stay Motivated While Working From Home
Freelances usually encounter a lack of motivation when they don’t organize their work process properly. Below, you’re going to see some productive things to do in order to develop self-discipline and always be full of motivation.
- Wake up early. While you are free to start your day whenever you please, the earlier you wake up, the more productive you will be. Plus, you will be able to synchronize with friends that still work at the office.
- Put on actual clothes. Pajamas are tempting, but you should wear clothes that your brain associates with the workplace in order to set your mood for work.
- Don't work where you sleep. Otherwise, you will have neither a place for work nor a place for a rest.
- Work Out. You spend most of your days in front of the screen, so how do you plan to have a healthy mind in a healthy body? Going to the gym can drastically affect your work hours, so you can try home workouts that are pretty popular today.
- Stay focused. Don’t let social media and notification beeps get in the way of the work process.
- Stay away from distracting sites. We all love reading Reddit and watching YouTube videos with baby animals. But when it comes to realizing how much working time we can lose watching it, we get speechless. Again, just stay focused, okay?
- Remember to improve yourself. Every freelancer should make time for learning new things, whether they are professional or meant for common development. Also, don’t forget to challenge yourself by taking up new projects.
The 5 Top Sites to Find A Remote Job
Once you search Google for the best work from home jobs, you’re most likely to get lost in the variety of freelance-devoted websites. Let us save you some time by sharing the 5 most recommended and reliable sources.
- FlexJobs. It’s a well-designed website with scam-free remote and part-time positions. It’s very easy to navigate, so it’s worth every penny. Besides, it offers a discount if you linger long enough on the payment screen.
- SolidGigs. As the name suggests, this portal focuses on gig-style remote positions. Alongside a huge base of contract-based and gig jobs, they also provide their members with courses, templates, and scripts for a productive working routine.
- Remotive. Not only is it a free and user-friendly remote job’s board but it’s also a freelancers’ community!
- Angel List. Those who’re looking for sites with salary transparency will definitely love this jobs website.
- Hubstaff Talent. Similar to LinkedIn, this website offers lots of remote jobs posted daily for free registration.
Be Aware of Scams
You should be very careful when taking up a project, as there are 60 scams for every legitimate remote gig. Make some research on the company, ensuring it’s actually established. It’s better to avoid offers when the contact information is not available or if you can’t find the company’s physical address. Also, if a company requires you to purchase a “starter kit”, it’s most likely to be a scam.
In today’s world, remote work has established strong positions, becoming especially in demand with people who'd love to get a more flexible schedule. However, finding an online job is one thing; learning how to work from home effectively and productively is another. Today, we’ve covered all the crucial moments for people looking for a remote job or ways to boost their productivity. So now you know the secrets of living a balanced life as a freelancer!
REFERENCES:- Since the arrival of the digital age, more and more companies are realizing the utility of at-home employment. Source
- There are so many scams offering the opportunity to earn money at home that it can be difficult to believe that there are legitimate opportunities out there. Source
- For many people, being able to work from home online is a dream. Source
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