…or editor, or proofreader, or anyone who does most or all of their work in a sitting position. There was a lot serious continuing education at the American Society for Indexing’s 2018 conference, like software exploration, specialty indexing, controlled vocabulary, and indexing music sessions. There was also a session that still applies today entitled “Kinks […]
I’m Too Busy!
We hear about how people tend to treat the urgent as important, as an emergency. Business coaches preach prioritization and boundaries, saying “no” or “yes, but …” or “yes, later …” But what about when we get really good at ignoring maintenance in favor of deadlines? Freelancers have a different relationship to urgent than office […]
Juggling Multiple Projects
Some indexers prefer to have more than one index at a time, and others don’t. No matter what your preference, you can’t always avoid slipped schedules and project pile-ups. There are several ways to handle the balancing act of colliding deadlines, and no one way is better than the other, although you’ll find that one […]
Freelance Life: New Year Prep and Purge
It’s time. Time to start anew, which in our world at PI means purging the old information and updating what we want to be new. Each partner has their own style of managing their business, but to work together, we need to keep a common file and project system. Since I like to organize files […]
Strategies for Work Underwhelm
I’m anticipating my usual new year drop in indexing and editing jobs as everyone reboots from the holidays. As the primary breadwinner in my family, this situation generally leads me into 1) fear, and 2) distraction, which are both extremely counterproductive in terms of making the most of any “unscheduled” time off. I know, you’re […]
Working (or not) While Sick
It’s winter, and we’re in the midst of a triple threat illness season — COVID-19, RSV, and flu. So you’re sick, and your doctor recommends you rest, or you’re caring for a family member who’s sick. Too bad deadlines don’t take doctor’s notes. If you’re lucky and you frontloaded your current project, and/or you have […]