Work From Home, Home For Work
Work From Home, Home For Work
As a freelance translator, working from home can be difficult. It can be easy to get distracted by the TV screen nearby, the new recipe you want to try out or even the laundry waiting to be washed. Staying focused and getting work done can not be easy under those conditions. Therefore, here are some tips
about how to manage to be an effective freelance translator while working from
home.
Work space
The first thing to do is to manage
to keep work and home life separated even if they are at the same place. One of
the main ways to do this is to have a clearly separated work space. The best
option is to have a room especially dedicated to your work. Moreover, you
should feel comfortable in it since you are going to spend most of your time
there. The aim is for you to work in it, not to want to run from it. It should
be well-lit, neat and comfortable.
Organisation is the key
You should always plan what you have
to do. Try to plan at the end of the day what you want to do the next day. Be
careful not to plan too much because you will then have to try to do everything.
Another recommendation would be to start with the task you like the least - finishing your to-do-list is often easier that way.
Schedule
In order to be able to do all that you want
to do without getting sucked up either by work or by housekeeping, you must
schedule your time. You will have to determine a precise timetable so that you
know when you are at work and when you are not. For example, you can decide
that after 18h30 you will stop answering emails for work etc. In the same way,
you need to know that when it is time to work you should act as if you were
working in a company and focus. Try to stick to this schedule but do not forget
to often take short breaks when working.
Avoid multitasking
Studies have proven that multitasking
reduces your productivity by up to 40%. When translating you need to focus and
not to look at your emails, start your accounting or begin to chat at the same
time. So, if you do not want to work twice the amount of time you planned, do
one thing at a time!
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| Translators DO NOT have 8 arms! |
Go out
In order to work well, you have to
feel well. So, preserve your mental health – do not stay inside and regularly step
out, walk, talk to people, socialize, breathe fresh air etc. You will see – it
will be beneficial. In addition, translators tend to remain seated but so as to be fit and healthy, one requires to move.
You are lucky enough to be able to choose your timetable so make the most of it
and take time to take care of your health! Moreover, when you are feeling
lonely or cannot bear your office anymore, you can also enjoy working in open
workspaces or outside.
Social
As human beings, translators sometimes
need to talk and to interact with other human beings. Apart from your family and your friends, you
should be in contact with other translators. You are not the only one doing
this job and you will definitely enjoy talking to people living the same way you live, sharing your experience and learning from them. Not only do they represent competition, but they can also be seen as your colleagues and you can help each other.
To conclude, the key words are
organisation and boundaries. These two magic words will become your best friend
if you want to become a freelance translator. They are the keys to productivity
and a good work/home life balance.
One last word: most of what was said above seems to work for students too!
sources:
pictures from:
https://twitter.com/hannasles/status/821012619461005317
https://lexling.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/B2aCQr6IgAE1W1K.jpg
https://davidsonbelluso.com/the-reality-of-multitasking/
https://twitter.com/espritfreelance
Thank you for all these pieces of advice, Alexia! I feel like they will be helpful for many of us. As you said, we can already apply most of them to our daily student life. I must say I recognised myself as the lady with cat coworkers, haha! Among all the elements you mentioned, I think being well-organised and planning out your work are probably the keys to being productive. But as we all know, this may not be as simple as it sounds!
RépondreSupprimer--
Liselotte S.
Thank you for your comment Liselotte. I agree with you, it is usually not as simple as it sounds. But I think it gets easier with experience. This is another reason to start doing it now!
SupprimerAlexia E.
Your article really conforts me in my choice of career! I like the fact that free lance translators can choose their timetable and organize their days as their want. I guess the most difficult part of working at home is to create boundaries between work and home. One question though: do you follow your own advice? Emmanuelle D.
RépondreSupprimerThank you for your comment Emmanuelle. I agree, the possibility to choose your timetable is indeed an unquestionable advantage. Working from home implies of course difficulties too. Manage to create boundaries is one of them. But I think the hardest part is not to create them but to respect them. For example, I have a desk in my flat, but I am often working on my sofa. I think this also answers your question. I do not follow all those recommendations. As I said to Liselotte, it would be a good idea to start now.
SupprimerAlexia E.
Thanks Alexia! It was such an interesting article to read. This is the type of job that I am aiming at for my future career and your advices are really comforting. I always ask myself, will I make enough money, or can I actually earn a living while in my pajamas? :-) It sounds like some sorts of “life hack”, right? When I talk about my motivations for this, people may think that I am lazy or antisocial, but this is not my point. The way I see it, teleworking is the only type of work that can offer such freedom both on your surroundings and your schedule, while giving you the chance to live near your loved ones instead of spending 40 hours a week in an office. Besides, it gives you the possibility to follow your spouse anywhere without having to choose between them and your career. After having worked as a temp in offices during two summers in a row, I could really tell how much of a toxic work environment it can become. Sometimes it only takes one or two persons to turn your daily life into a living hell. I'm not saying that it is always the case, of course, and on the contrary I am also very aware that being surrounded by good people can turn even the dullest job into a nice experience. I actually enjoy working with other people too. As you said, humans need to interact with others and I couldn't agree more!
RépondreSupprimerThe reality is that we have to make money in order to live. And considering the amount of time we are going to spend "at work" until we retire or even die before that... I just think that if there is a way to do so while staying close to your family, children or parents, I want to do it by all means.
Diane D.
Diane, thank you for commenting and for sharing your experience with us. I completely agree with you. Working in an office does not suit everybody and being able to choose your environment is also an unquestionable advantage of teleworking. As far as I’m concerned, it is even more attractive than being able to choose your timetable because I would like to live in the countryside. And when working in an office or similar, you either have to live in the city or to drive and get stuck in traffic jams every morning.
SupprimerAlexia E.