The Freelancer's Office

Embarking on a reliable freelance career need not be as daunting as some people dramatize it to be. There are a few basic things one can do and have, to instill a semblance of order as a freelancing creative professional.

1. Laptop

My entire office can pretty much be shrunk as a 14-inch gadget right in front of me. A reliable computer system is key to surviving the world of freelance as you are pretty much your own receptionist, secretary, supervisor and accountant all-in-one. Depending on what your field calls for, one need not purchase state-of-the-art, high-end technology if all you need to do is answer e-mails and draft letters on Word. I opt to have a laptop because it keeps my life free of tangled cable wires, provides lot of desk space and doubles as a mobile office as opposed to having a stationary and bulky metal box. The goal of any self-employed professional --- whether you've venturing into media, arts or computer programming --- pretty much boils down to efficiency.

2. Cellphone vs. Landline (oh, yes!)

If you have to make multiple, lengthy and repetitive inquiries...
, it would be best to have a land line at your convenience. This can double as access for an internet provider as well as a line for transacting fax correspondence. Depending on your required internet consumption a landline may minimize costs as opposed to someone subscribing to multiple accounts of mobile internet access and duo-subscriptions on top of existing cellphone bills.

3. 3-in-1 Printer/Scanner

I must admit that I have not used a fax machine in ages. What has served me well for the most part is my 3-in-1 compact machine that enables me to e-mail scanned documents easily as well as photocopy rush documents. Even though I churn out lots of writing requirements and scripts, I rarely submit my work in hard copy thereby keeping my printer needs quite fundamental.

If you're starting from the ground up, my best suggestion is to be creative, innovative and maximize your existing overhead (even if it means starting off by working on your dining table!) and start with what you have instead of unnecessarily splurging on fancy gadgets too soon.

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