•           Home
  • Getting Started
  • Working at Home
  • Productivity
  • Grammar & Spelling
  • Research
  • Text Expanders
  • Earnings Calls
  • Product Reviews
  • Podcasts
  • About

Friday, September 5, 2008

Getting Started – All That Other Stuff

While the majority of our posts cover the basics of transcription and the actual transcribing process, there are several other things that also come into play when scheduling your time. Earlier this week, Mandi covered pricing structures for audio, and while that is one way to figure out your income, you also need to remember the other time consuming aspects that don't pay as part of being a business owner.

One of the things that you need to leave time for is invoicing because, let's face it, if you don't make time to invoice your clients and contracts for the work you completed, the probably aren't going to pay you. For some companies your invoices will be due on certain days, setting the time you need to be invoicing, while other companies may leave it up to you to decide when to invoice. I personally try to set times each month for invoicing and keep them consistent. That way I keep those responsibilities in my calendar and keep up to date so that my cash flow remains consistent for the work I'm completing on a day-to-day basis.

Another thing that is important you set aside time for is keeping good records. Records are incredibly important in this industry, especially when it comes time to invoice the client or contract or – gasp – do your taxes after the first of the year (or on April 15 itself). Keeping good records will make both of these things much easier when it comes time to tackle them.

There is also the process of communication to take into account when scheduling your time. Writing all those emails back and forth and communicating about files in a variety of ways takes time. Not only do the emails about files take time, but there is also the process of accessing and downloading audio files, checking audio and proofing.

Make sure you set aside time for all these "other" activities when you are setting up your time commitments and figuring out what your week is going to look like. Each and every one of them is important and needs to get done, and you don't want to start jeopardizing your extracurricular activities (like SLEEP!) to make time for them because you didn't properly plan them in. You'll thank yourself for being organized later.

2 Comments:

margilowry said...

What is this "sleep" you speak of? Heh.

Stephanie said...

Yeah, sleep, what is that? I'm supposed to make time for that? :)