Wake me up when September starts

My natural inclination to procrastination has hit me once again: for the last three months I have adapted the strategy “I’m going to deal with this in September”, advocating all sorts of excuses and justifications to convince myself it was the right choice and I was not going to regret it.

- An accurate depiction of September and I-

As always, I am regretting it – at least for the fact that I did not keep track of what I was planning to deal with in September. Now, back for good from holidays, volunteering experiences, summer CPDs, visiting friends and past the summer slump in the workflow, I have to face the cold hard truth: winter is coming, and I am not sure I am prepared.

I thought this might be the case for the many of us who have lived young, wild and free during the summer months enjoying a well-deserved rest. This is why I decided to come up with a list of “things I should have done over the summer, but I preferred to sunbathe”. And to those who have acted as responsible adults and can judge us from high above, I hope this can serve as a checklist to verify if they’ve done their homework or something has escaped their net.

1. Your Database of Clients

2. Start by making a list of the clients you’re already working with, and relevant information about them. Try and make an estimate of how much work can each of them give you, based on recent months or if you know they have incoming new contracts. At this point you want to consider if your schedule is already full (look at you – way to go!) or if you have some availability. If so, go catch’em all tiger – do some research, draw up another list and let the fun begin. I would like to underline how important it is to keep track of everything: client’s name, dates, what you sent, when you sent it, who you’ve been talking with. This can save you time later on as if we are 100% honest, clients are not always the most organised people in the world and they will ask you 7 times for that piece of information you sent in the 1st email.

3. Your Online Presence

4. A year is an awfully long amount of time in which a lot can change, and if we are talking about IT years, 365 day are enough to be considered as old as the Nokia 3310. You might have got a new specialisation, added a new service to the list, or even a language, but if you don’t boast about it online, no one will know. So, time to brush up your LinkedIn profile, give your Twitter bio a facelift, and if you really really want to you use FB then a bit of maintenance is needed. Under this point I would also include who to follow on social media – have a look at the most influential groups or forums on FB and individuals or companies on Twitter and LinkedIn, they are a good source of information, if not of jobs.

5. Your website

6. This is a completely different kettle of fish. Unlike your social media platform, you have more power in how information appears and how to basically set the whole thing up entirely. As above, all info needs to be updated, and a new look is never a bad idea. If you have a bit of budget left, why not invest and have it done professionally?

7. Your CV

8. CVs are boring, we get it, and they also need to be constantly updated, if not tweaked a little for each individual client you’re targeting. However, they’re your only chance to make a good first impression – wanna risk it? It also represents a good occasion to reflect on what skills you have and how to build on them, and to think about what to do to acquire new ones over the coming year.

9. Associations Memberships

10. Whether it is a local organisation or a worldwide institution, check that you’ve paid all the due fees, and if there are some new services you can benefit from as a member. Have a look at the event calendar and save the dates you’re interested in so that you don’t miss out on registration deadlines or book a weekend escape just when that CPD you really wanted, and needed to attend, was scheduled.

11. Insurance and Certificates

12. Professional insurance is that safety net that makes us all sleep well at night, so check that you’ve paid it! If you want to change provider, you might want to investigate if your current one requires a notice period, if there’s any cancellation fee and whatnot. This goes for all certificates such as vetting documentation and the likes.

13. Software licences

14. You wouldn’t want to end up without that life-saving software right in the middle of a translation right?

15. Invoicing and Tax Deductible Managing System

16. This is a hard one, as it entails an in-depth review of the system you’re already using, but as I said before, a year is a hell of a long time and your workflow could have changed dramatically. If this the case, then you need to come up with a solution to efficiently and effectively manage your way of working. There are many tools available online, and I’m sure with a little bit of research you’ll find the one.

17. Do your tax return!

18. I know, but we’ve already left it very late so no more procrastinating everyone!

Hopefully, after sorting all of this out you’ll be up and ready to jump back in the routine and churn out translation after translation like a pro. However, it is easy to get distracted on the path to glory – stay sharp, stay disciplined and stay organised!