In my Beyond the Basics of Freelancing class, a student asked a really good question: how to stay sane while working on an insane project. No matter how carefully you manage your work flow and your routine, everyone has “one of those weeks” once in a while. A good client needs 15,000 words in a week, and you’re the only person they can trust it to…then the kid gets sick and the car breaks down and the dog has ear mites and the washing machine overflows.
Certainly, the best defense is a good offense: if I were to give one piece of advice to premium-market translators, it would be market in consistent, small increments, even when, or especially when, you have enough or too much work. Hopefully, that will smooth out some of the Everest-Death Valley cycle. But when you have one of those weeks, you need a freelance sanity routine: a few, small things that you do every single day, no matter how crazy the day is.
Here’s mine: I find that it makes me really nuts to be on the computer as soon as I wake up, or immediately before I go to bed. So, no matter how insane the day promises to be, I give myself some time in the morning to drink coffee (my one lifestyle vice) and have breakfast with my family. I never check e-mail or answer my work phone during that time, and this helps me get my day off to a relatively calm start. At the other end of the day, I’m often finishing up work or answering e-mail while my daughter does her homework after dinner. But I never let myself work until the second before I go to bed: otherwise I’m lying there awake, obsessing about some work-related thing. So my end-of-day sanity routine is that I try to log off all of my work stuff an hour before I want to go to bed. Then I practice my lute for half an hour and do a yoga podcast for half an hour, and no matter how insane the 15 hours between my morning coffee time and my evening music/yoga time were, I at least have that little oasis to look forward to.
The secret to a sanity routine is that you can compress it, but you never skip it completely. On a really bad day, like say yesterday, I might head to the office as soon as my daughter leaves for school, and the lute/yoga time might be 10 minutes of lute and 10 minutes of yoga instead of an hour total. But I really try to never, ever skip the sanity routine completely, or it really affects my happiness and productivity right away.
Other ideas for sanity routines?
btraduccion says
Dear Corinne, thanks for this advice. You are right, it’s a big mistake to totally skip those little things that keep us sane. My sanity routine is to not skip my arab dance lessons and when my mind is racing and I can’t sleep, a good movie will also help.
magda_p says
Very good topic and wise words, Corinne!
With a very demanding project, it’s very difficult to keep up with a sanity routine but, come to think of it, enjoying my cup of coffee is important so I try to wake up as early as I possibly can in order to be able to do that.
If I get used to this, I will be “better off” when something urgent comes up.
Another thing I do almost on a daily basis is write. It helps me clear my mind. If I have an urgent and long project, I will sometimes “sneak into” my blog or another document and go write something.
Otherwise, and if there’s time, I crochet. It’s relaxes me even if it’s just a matter of two stitches!
🙂
malucumo says
Walking the dogs very early in the morning, that’s my secret 🙂
aspyinthehouseofwords says
When I find myself slowing down and losing concentration I lie down and drift off to guided relaxation or meditate for 20 minutes. When I sit down at the computer again I feel more focused, work faster and can keep going till the panic’s over.
Karen Tkaczyk says
This is fresh in my mind as I had one of these last week: chicken pox and pending science fair projects at home on top of a work-related juggling act that included a client underestimating a job (2400 words became 21 hours’ work). I’m rarely flustered about work. My stress usually shows as impatience with the family, hence point 1. My solutions are different than yours – dribs and drabs throughout the day, not a routine at beginning and end.
1 – Communicate: tell the family (and everyone else you’re in close contact with) that it’s one of those weeks. Then they know to approach with care. 🙂 Expectations matter in keeping conflict and distractions to a minimum.
2 – Take a deep breath, hug someone, pray or read a joke. Repeat as necessary.
3 – Do some small things you “don’t have time for” anyway (call mum, put on the laundry, clean the kitchen sink, walk around the block, put check in the bank) because no-one can focus intensely for 15 hours a day without a few mental breaks. Five or six tasks that take a few minutes each will not delay the deliveries. They will clear your head to get back to it.
4 – Stock up on whatever it is that keeps you going when you are working under pressure – new music to listen to, some comfort food, the right kind of tea or coffee, flowers or a scented candle.
Seycen says
Totally agree with Karen’s points, especially #3. No matter how busy you are, you must take regular breaks or quality will suffer.
Morgane Boëdec says
A timely post, once more Corinne!
I totally agree with Karen about the communication: telling my family I’m having a busy day/week helps everyone know I might be a bit more tense…!
And going for a walk during my lunch break – 20 or 30 minutes or brisk walk in the nearby park is soooo helpful to really be more focused in the afternoon.
That’s what works for me – thanks for the post, it got me thinking about what “other” routing I could put in place!
Louise Péron (@LSPTranslation) says
Dear Corinne,
Thank you for the great advice, as always.
This September, I stopped going to my Tuesday evening Japanese class because I felt like I could never make time for it – there was either a job to fit in or some admin tasks to catch up on, or even worse, if I had just delivered a job, I felt quite drained of my energy and didn’t feel like “going to school” after a hard work’s day!
I think the problem came from the fact that during the whole week, I only had this two-hour slot allocated to my own leisure. If I’d established a daily routine and had planned an activity (or house chore) every weekday at that time, it might have been easier to leave the house at 5.30pm on those Tuesday nights.
I am still unsure about the early evening time slot, but I may put your advice into practice and create a morning or lunch break routine. Thank you!
Louise
Duncan R. Bell says
We turned down work from regular clients over the last 5 weeks because we already had an insane project (from a different client), and the deadlines requested for these new jobs meant they expected us to work over the weekends (which we were doing already). I translated 6,700 words today. That all adds up to a lot of pressure! We’re looking forward to final delivery on 7th of April, and keeping sane by playing music (ourselves, on instruments :), in 4 concerts over 3 weeks in different ensembles. You can’t look at a screen when you’re in a rehearsal!
magda_p says
I have already commented but I need to reply to Duncan 🙂
I am in AWE of you with the instrument playing and going to concerts in addition to an insane project!
Guess what. I translated the exact amount of words in one day a few weeks ago!
It was a project I worked on every day for 8 days and one day I translated 6726 words (5041 new), another day I worked through the night and went to bed at 6.30 to wake up at 8.00 to take my kid to school and the day before delivery I stopped working at 3.00am. I never thought I would reach 4000 words let alone 6726! What an experience! In the meantime, during that week I got 3 small translations one of which I outsourced and the other I translated myself. They were “my break” from the insane project.
During insane projects of this kind, the only thing I can afford to do is:
– breathe, think, drink coffee and look outside the window (and take a midday nap even if it’s just for 20 min) and take tiny breaks as much as I can (totally agree with Karen).
When projects are more normal, but still demanding, I crochet and I write too.
translatorlaura says
What a great post Corinne, thanks! I too agree with the benefits of yoga. I think it’s really important for us as freelancers to connect and share best practice and tips to get the most out of this career. 🙂
Francesca Gatenby says
Some useful ideas everyone! I am guilty of working as late as required in order to get the job in on time (whilst praying our toddler doesn’t wake because of teething): 100% punctuality record so far, though it’s tough sacrificing sleep when you have a cheerful, noisy, toddler-sized alarm clock waking you at 7.15am daily…
My ‘sanity safeguards’ include always making time to eat at mealtimes, ideally something quick/nutritious like poached eggs on toast; making the effort to shower, dress and look presentable before starting work so I feel more professional; getting out for a brisk walk or run if I’m full of nervous energy; having lots of coffee/green tea on hand; oh and trying to avoid working more than 1/3 of the weekend so that we still have time together as a family.
Kathy Paredes says
Hey Corinne, I really loved this article, and the Yoga part especially! Yoga is a great exercise for about any job! It helps release stress that has been caused throughout the day which allows you to be a better and more dedicated worker!
Judy Jenner (@language_news) says
Great conversation! My main sanity routine is walking around the pool, even if it’s just for 5 minutes. It’s nice to get some sun and go outdoors, and being outside always puts things in perspective. This quick backyard-time will do if I don’t have time to go for a hike in the mountains, which I do frequently. I also try to read at least 30 minutes every day in bed. I don’t practice yoga at home, but I do make it to at least 2 -4 yoga classes every week. They do keep me sane indeed. And so much sitting really makes me want to go out and move, so when I feel my productivity go down, I take Luna, my labranard, around the block and do squats while she explores at the park. It’s the litle things!
Natalia Aleynikova says
Great advice! Thank you for it. It really motivated me to remember about my sanity and not to sink in workload. I always try to start doing some physical activity on a regular basis, but usually it is a question of laziness and habit to sit in front of a computer as if you are able to complete all existing work at a time. Now I will try to create my own routine free from work. In the morning I usually drink coffee together with my husband (freelancer as well) and have breakfast with my 3-year old son. Sometimes we do some morning exercises all together: it is very funny and pleasant. What I’d like to change dramatically is my outdoor activity: I should go outside much oftener. Roll on the day when a real spring comes! 🙂
Carolyn Yohn says
Love all the ideas here in the comments! I take quick breaks like Judy throughout the day—a 5-minute stroll around my garden checking the progress of the plants is better than a 20-minute catnap, and you can repeat it often without really detracting from your work time.
My husband is a great advocate for a night-time sanity routine, too: we try to eat dinner together every night. On really stressful days, meal-cooking time is no-tech, no-talk quiet time. Just him (or me) and the recipe. It creates a lovely wall of silence between the work day and the rest of the night, the client craziness and “our time.”
Natalia Aleynikova says
Oh, I would love this kind of breaks! 🙂 When I have my own house with a small garden I will definitely follow your lead.
Preston Decker says
I aim for an hour a day for the gym/a run at least 5 times a week. Last year I was getting to a point where, between translation, teaching, and a broken foot, I was barely getting any exercise at all. Did not feel good physically, and even though I’m a young guy, had heart palpitations. Eventually came to the conclusion that the best thing to do is to look at exercise time as a work-related necessity, because it really is.
Whenever I get a project now, I calculate in my one hour for exercise as part of the project time, and this really does help.
Coco says
Sometimes I make plans for the evening, so that I can work all day and have “something to look forward to” when I finish. That way, I can get work done and then spend time with my husband/have a social life/go to a fitness class etc. without feeling guilty about not working during that time. I also go running either before or mid-way through my working day, which gives me a lot of energy & makes me feel accomplished before I’ve even finished my work. I agree with the previous commenter about exercise being a good motivator. It’s also good stress relief. I think the key, as you say, is to do something, even if it’s only for a short amount of time! Thanks for the post 🙂
Coco @ hennahaare.blogspot.co.uk
Karen Sexton says
I really like this conversation. I agree with Karen Tkaczyk, incorporating small things into your routine does not make you late and can help take your mind off things. I also like to have a creative project away from the computer underway, e.g. handmade Christmas decorations, an indoor flower bed, knitting something, etc., so if I get tired and need to refocus I’ll work on it for a few minutes and a feel happy and centered again, ready to get back to work!
Tess Whitty (@Tesstranslates) says
Great tips here! My dog provides me sanity. She still needs walking. I have one of those periods now and have incorporated many of the tips here, especially telling family. I find that if I can do little things to move me forward in some way first, then I am happier to dig into the huge project later. Great music also helps. I find that the first thing to go when I am super stressed, are my workouts, but the dog still needs walking, so that is my little refuge exercise then. I always read a bit in bed too, no matter how late it is.
Jen Metcalf says
Wow, so many great suggestions! Swimming is what keeps me sane a lot of the time. The repetition of swimming laps and doing drills is soothing and energising all at once. If I’ve got loads of work on, I still try to get out for a walk along the canal. Ducks, swans and weeping willows are just as soothing as a few lengths of freestyle. I also find that podcasts in bed help me calm down as they force my brain to focus on them, not on the work / admin / stress that is waiting for me the next day.