What’s on the iPod: Quiet Little Voices by We Were Promised Jetpacks
I’ve not mentioned it, but I’ve been on vacation since December 6th. Right now, we’re on our way back from Florida. December was a good choice for time away — nothing’s happening, and client projects were finished at the beginning of the month.
Just two clients know I’m traveling, and it’s only because they may have requests while I’m out of the home office.
Truth is, it doesn’t matter.
But sometimes clients get the impression that you’re not really working when you’re on the road with your laptop/tablet. So we keep it quiet unless we really don’t want to work while we’re vacationing.
It’s understandable. I remember a harsh reaction from a client who’d left me waiting for a month and a half on a project, then called on a Friday afternoon wanting to have it done right away. He’d said “We’ll talk on Wednesday.” I said, “I’m not going to be in the office that day.”
His response: “Didn’t you just have a vacation?”
That’s the reaction we writers try to avoid. Yes, he was a colossal jerk for many reasons — one, assuming a vacation (he was right), thinking it was his business at all what I did, and treating me like an employee.
It’s why a writer I know who works from another country makes like she’s working domestically. It’s a complication to no one but those who perceive it to be.
Today I’m writing from a hotel in Florida. Tomorrow, I might be writing from a friend’s house in North Carolina. As long as the project is completed accurately and on time, it doesn’t matter.
There are a few habits I’ve tried to adopt so that when I do go out of town, clients don’t panic or get another writer:
Keep regular habits. At home, I check email a few times a day — morning, mid-morning, noon, and mid-afternoon an hour before quitting. I do the same thing on the road on my phone. If something comes in, there’s little lag time between the note and the response.
Plan for requests. My schedule includes an hour or two every day that’s reserved for work. If it’s an urgent request, that’s another matter, but right now I have mornings set aside for some work, if needed. If more time is needed, I get the deadline extended or I bow out of activities going on around me.
Let them know of delays. I might not tell clients I’m traveling (unless I know them well enough), but I will say “I can get to that tomorrow morning.” That way they’re not sitting by the computer hitting Send/Receive.
Keep the quality up. No way I’m rushing through a project to get to the beach. If I can’t get it done in the time I have, I’ll bow out of fun around me, or I’ll tell the client I need another day. When I sit down, my focus is 100% on their project. It has to be. The reputation can’t be compromised for a day in the sun.
Writers, have you worked remotely?
How do you handle working from the road?
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