If you want to work for yourself as a musician, you need to know how to work from home. Sure, you may do some of your work at a school or another location.
But even if you do the occasional remote project, you have to work from home in some capacity. Keep reading for my top tips.
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Consider Your Specific Work
“Musician” is a very broad term, and you can do a lot of different things. When learning how to work from home, think about the type of music work you do.
You can teach, record, compose, or even perform virtual concerts. Or maybe you’re like me and decide to post music-related content online and monetize it.
That way, you can decide what your work setup needs to look like. For example, a private teacher may want a neutral background with space for their desk and their instruments.
On the other hand, as a blogger, my work setup is flexible. Sometimes, I work from my couch, but I’ll also sit at my kitchen counter.
Tackle Admin Tasks
You don’t have to be a fully remote musician to work from home. If you work in person, consider some administrative tasks that you can do at your house.
Maybe you spend time scheduling your next month of lessons. Or perhaps you use your time at home to catch up on bookkeeping for your business.
The nice thing about this is that you can get smaller tasks done when you have a day off. You don’t have to cram everything into a long day of teaching or gigging.
Set Up a Workspace
Another one of my best tips regarding how to work from home is to set up a dedicated workspace. When I was a full-time freelance writer, I had a desk where I would do all of my client work.
It was in the corner of my living room in my apartment and in the corner of my room when I moved back home. Now, since I work from home part-time, I don’t have a desk at the moment.
However, do what works for you and your situation. That might mean using your kitchen table until you have the space for a desk or office, and that’s okay.
Create a Routine
Whether working from home is your primary thing or a side hustle, you need a routine. This will help you get in the habit of working while you’re at home.
During my freelance writing years, I would wake up and have a quick bite to eat. I’d get dressed and pretty much go straight into client work for the morning.
Now, I tend to do most of my blog work on my days off from my day job. Both routines work for me depending on where I’m at in my career.
Maybe you work best after your day job, so you meal prep your dinners. That way, you can eat quickly and get down to business when you get home.
Either way, having a routine can help you stay on top of things in your business. It can also help you separate your work and personal life when you don’t have that physical separation.
Ask for Privacy/No Interruptions
If you live with others, let them know about your work routine. Ask them to respect your schedule and to not disrupt you while you’re working except if it’s an emergency.
When I lived at home, my family was great about this. They might text me if something came up rather than knocking on the door, so I didn’t have to respond until I got to a stopping point.
Ideally, you’d have a room in your home where you can shut the door. But if you have to work from your kitchen, you should still ask your roommates or family to leave you alone.
Don’t Disturb Others
On the other hand, you need to show others the same respect by not bothering them. This is especially crucial for any musicians whose jobs involve making music.
Whether you teach or record, try to do those things during the day. That way, you can avoid breaking any noise ordinances, and you can keep from annoying your roommates or neighbors.
If I need to work on a recording project, I’ll try to do so during the late morning or early afternoon. And during the early morning or evening, I’ll do things like write blog posts since that’s a quieter activity.
Change the Scenery
If you only ever work from home, it can get boring. I’d recommend changing your location or view whenever it makes sense.
This could be as simple as switching from working at your desk to working on your couch one day. Or if you need to get out of the house, you could work at a coffee shop.
Changing your view can keep things from getting too boring. And it gives you the excuse to get up and move a little, especially if you change your view in the middle of your work day.
How to Work From Home: In Review
Learning how to work from home productively can make a huge difference. You can save a lot of time and get more done.
Then, you can start to make more money from your musical projects. If you want to learn even more, enroll in Create Your Career and mention my name (then tell me you did) to get an exclusive bonus!
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