Gasp! I know, you thought working remotely meant no more schedules, right? Sorry, this just doesn’t work. If you’ve committed to working remotely for a full-time job, then they should have some core hours you need to be online. It’s your responsibility to adhere to these hours or risk getting the ol’ heave-ho.
If you’re freelancing, then you should have pulled in enough clients to at least make more money than you were making at your commuter job. With this level of clients and income, you need to set up a fairly regular schedule. Sure, you can stray from this schedule a bit — I just did the other day to take my son to the courthouse and get his passport — but your normal day should be regimented.
The first thing is to set up business hours. If you’re a morning person, like me, set a morning-friendly schedule. Mine, for example, is generally 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. If you’re a night person, set up a night schedule. If you’re generally busy running errands in the middle of the day, set up a split schedule where your afternoons are free.
Post this schedule near your office, so everyone knows when you’re working.