How organized are you? A freelance translator’s daily workload
Those of you who work from home know that establishing a good daily routine can be a challenge. There is no place for tiredness or boredom in a freelance translator’s day. You must manage your time wisely and can only count on yourself to complete the wide variety of tasks you have to juggle and to get the work done.
A freelance translator spends hours in front of a computer working with texts or visuals, using various technical software programs and dictionaries. For example, multiple projects, lengthy documents in several languages, tight deadlines, meticulous attention to detail, all these are part of a typical day’s work. Unfortunately, if not carefully managed, these aspects can lead to a problematic sedentary lifestyle. Indeed, this in turn comes with its own health risks: reduced mobility, lethargy, weight gain, back pain, cardiovascular issues, headaches, eyesight problems, low mood.
It’s easy to see the negative impact a sedentary lifestyle in front of a computer can have on your health. Therefore putting time aside for your own personal wellbeing is crucial.
On top of all this, you may have to continue dealing with all the typical household duties – such as the school run, shopping, cooking, helping with the kids’ homework, taking them to their respective activities, doing the laundry, etc. – but combined with your own daily workload, it can very quickly get out of hand.
It’s very common for a freelance translator to feel overwhelmed. We hope our top tips below will help you with your daily organization to achieve a better work-life balance!
How to establish your freelance translator daily organization: a balance between work, family and personal wellbeing
- Daily plan: schedule your day. A freelance translator needs to have a plan. Get yourself a diary if needed or use an online calendar or project management tool.
- Get into a routine: try to get up every morning at the same time. Shower, have your breakfast, get dressed and then start your work. You could even walk round the block to kick off your day on the right foot!
- Get enough sleep: don’t go to sleep too late. You need at least 7 hours’ sleep per night. You’ll be more productive the following day. Only stay up late occasionally.
- Book time in your diary: try to avoid interruptions. Turn your phone off, don’t respond to emails immediately and ask your family to respect your time. You can even put an out-of-office assistant on to let your clients know you’ll get back to them as soon as you can.
- Background music: listen to music if it helps you concentrate or if you don’t like silence.
- Avoid distractions: try to focus your concentration. Tackle tasks one at a time.
- Don’t procrastinate: list all your tasks, prioritise them and tick them off one by one.
- CAT Tools: if you can, consider investing into translation memory tools, they will help you save time and money.
- Ease the strain on your eyes: reduce the brightness and contrast of your screen monitor, and increase the text font size. Another tip is the 20/20/20 rule: every 20 minutes, focus on an object 20 feet (6 meters) away for 20 seconds.
- Take a break: if you get stressed, walk away. Get some fresh air, go for a brisk walk, have another cup of tea or coffee, have a good stretch. Close your eyes, breathe, relax, and listen to your body.
- Take time for yourself: go to the gym, go and see friends, visit family, go shopping, read your favourite book or watch your favourite TV series.
- Balance: last but not least, always remember that your job is not everything in life. Create a balanced relationship between work and your personal life and your body and mind will thank you.
How Lingostar can help
With LingoStar Language Services, you can always count on our professional translators to help you every step of the way. We will provide you with the best service. We analyze your requests, ask professionals to complete your translations, proofread them, and we send them back to you by the established due date.
If you need more information, call us today at 604-629-8420 or send us an email at info@lingo-star.com. You can also get a free quote. We are here for you! In addition, you can also subscribe to our newsletter if you would like to receive our updates and promotional offers straight to your inbox!
