Attacking Admin
7 Aug 2012 | 2 Comments | posted by Megan Onions | in Me, The Business of Translation
Admin. Those little jobs that you don’t think will take much time, but end up eating into your day. What is your solution?
The following are some of the methods I use to deal with admin tasks:
* organising email folders – under month and client name, for example
* creating and using email templates – for initial enquiries or newcomers to translation seeking advice
* keeping a spreadsheet to document contact with prospective clients – dates of emails, details of responses, etc.
* using and keeping to a schedule for updating online profiles (e.g. new skills/projects on LinkedIn)
How to you deal with admin? I’d be delighted to get some suggestions!
Megan’s proofreading has been very beneficial to me. I appreciate her accurate linguistic knowledge of English, and especially her stylistic recommendations.
This article was written by: Megan Onions
2 Comments
Hi Megan! We use the month-client method where I work now, too! I have also noticed that, although we should all try not to waste paper, a diary is a good idea to have an overveiw of assigments. I prefer those that show a week on two pages, so that you can immediately have a glimpse of your week.
Thanks for reading and commenting, Chiara
Coincidentally, I just bought another diary today! I completely agree that recording appointments, tasks and deadlines in this way is a great method of getting a snapshot of the week ahead. Being the nerd that I am, I colour code everything in order of importance!
Speaking of organisation, I read an interesting post yesterday by Philippa Willitts, a writer and proofreader, on the Word Count blog (http://michellerafter.com/2012/08/07/using-whiteboards-to-stay-organized-low-tech-high-satisfaction/) about using a whiteboard. I have worked in companies who use them and I always got on well with the idea – I might have to get one!