So, I have a part time job, but I actually do most of my freelance projects from home. This usually works out really well for me. I get to be around for my daughter more, I get to work without somebody breathing down my neck, and so on. Unfortunately, though, this turned into one of those days….
To start off with, I thought I would treat myself to sleeping in a bit. After all, it was a school holiday, and I haven’t slept late in months! Well, it didn’t happen today either. I got woken up approximately 15 minutes after my alarm clock would usually go off by my yowling dog. Now, usually she’ll sleep as long as I do. For whatever, reason, though, she was very insistent that I get out of bed on time today! (Now, if she could do that when I hit the snooze button too many times on a different day, that would work for me!)
So, I’m basically starting my day at my regular time, although a little crankier than usual. But needy friends kept calling and dropping by, we were basically iced in thanks to this nationwide snowstorm, my daughter was exceptionally clingy today, and through it all, the dog kept yowling and doing crazy things all day long. Sheesh!
So, while I luckily didn’t have much real work planned (only about 30 minutes worth) it seems to be a good time to point out that you should ALWAYS have a backup plan, a quiet place you can sneak off to if a client call comes in, and always make sure you schedule more time than you need to complete a project.
I mean, seriously, if I had a deadline today, and I had procrastinated on putting things together, I would have been totally screwed! Luckily, I make good use of the free Google Calendar, and put all my daughter’s days off from school into it. That means those days are automatically marked off as me being mostly unavailable, although I can be reached by phone or email of somebody thinks they have an emergency. Then, I have a room I can go into and close the door really fast (unless I am closer to the front door) so if kiddo suddenly decides to blare the radio, or the dog starts barking, I can get away from the noise really fast. Usually before anybody on the pther end of the phone hears it! And, finally, I also use Google Calendar to schedule my projects, days at work, and so on. That means, at a glance, I can see what days I am already booked, and schedule time frames for new projects accordingly. And always, always with a little extra time built in just in case the power goes out, the kid gets sick, or whatever, I always have my project ready for delivery on the date I told the client it would be ready. In real life, I aim to have them done at least 24 to 48 hours in advance of the due date I give the client.
So, all this may be pretty basic. But, as a single mom trying to make some extra money, you have to plan for the unexpected while making sure your customers know you are a professional. And believe me, screaming children, barking dogs, and missed deadlines will blow that reputation in a second! Just by doing this little bit of advance planning you can save yourself a lot of apologizing and hassle.
Oh, and if you do have a day like I had today…Don’t worry too much. Tomorrow will be be better!
