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 […]
Using Project Management Systems
As freelancers, we are not just indexers but business owners—which means we have more responsibilities than just creating indexes. We are responsible for marketing, accounting, technical support, even filing. Even though any or all of this can be outsourced—even indexes can be subcontracted—it all still needs to be managed. You can go with an analog […]
It’s the Experience, Really!
Steve Jobs was right. Give the customer an experience, not just a product. And that applies just as well to those of us providing freelance services in the publishing industry. I see the customer experience as being 50% product quality, 50% customer service. In the end, my job is to service the customer experience. Product […]
Tips for Focusing on a Tight Deadline
While it’s commonplace to hear people say they work best on a tight deadline, it’s something I prefer not to do. However, freelancing means sometimes (often), it’s necessary. So you have a rush job. Tight deadlines happen for lots of reasons. Working with many different clients means you can have overlapping schedules. Often these schedules […]
