Several hats on one head, yours!

At the beginning of my work day, I meet with my Intelligence Assessment Consultant for a good hour. Together, we read specialized articles via pre-programmed alerts. With the help of my Sales Director, I prospect customers and send off some emails to chase up or establish contact with the companies I discover through my assessments.

After quickly checking in with my HR Manager, I have a look at professional trade shows I could attend or seminars and trainings that would be good for business. We sort through it together to find the most useful ones that fall in line with this year’s strategy. We need to pay special attention to setting off any negative reactions from my Head of Marketing, who does not fool around with decisions set at the beginning of the year.

“We don’t budge. Period!” That’s her motto.

My exclusive Ttravel Agency lends a hand when buying a train ticket or reserving a room. Once my PR Director arrives, I take the time to read some blogs by fellow translators.

When she leaves, my Administrative Director stops by to go over the things I have to accomplish during the day. I absolutely have to keep an eye on my time, so I have adopted David Allen’s Getting Things Done approach. Even though I spend a full day with her at the beginning of each month, my Accountant always pops her head in the door at the last minute.

And finally, I’m alone for a few hours. I’ll be able to translate, proofread, and revise my documents or train and mentor a colleague or two. That’s if my IT Specialist has done her job and updated all the antivirus programs!

I only open my email box four times a day. All the messages to each member of my "virtual team" are automatically transferred directly to them through my Outlook filter settings. My inbox is reserved exclusively for translating. All emails I can reply to in under two minutes are done immediately. What remains will be dealt with the next morning. Then I CLOSE my email app so I’m not distracted or tempted to take a peek at the incoming message icon blinking at the bottom of my screen.

And that is how I organize myself to avoid that dreadful feeling of not being able to do what I planned.
What about your organisation? How do you manage with all the hats freelancers have to wear?