I'm back!

Hi everyone, I'm back!

I decided to restart my blog not because I'm interning again but because I'm trying to launch myself as a freelancer offering copy editing, proofreading and translation services. I thought that it could be interesting for anyone else considering this path as a career to see what my experiences are. I decided to keep the same URL because I already have a small following here and also because the older blog posts give a fuller picture of my experience to date, so you can truly follow me on my journey!

I am in the very fortunate position of holding a part time position meaning that not only do I have a regular income but it also gives me plenty of free time to pursue my other interests. The job in itself is to do with publishing and involves some proofreading but is mostly administrative and I want more!

The first step was to brainstorm everything that I need to do, research and consider. I set myself half an hour to write down everything that came to mind (although in the end it took about 15 minutes as I'd been mulling over this for a few weeks already). After brainstorming, I typed up my notes and ordered them chronologically into the set up phase, ongoing tasks and points for the future.

Feeling very motivated, I then proceeded to do nothing for 2 weeks. Why? I was feeling overwhelmed at the amount of items I had brainstormed and even though it was useful that I had prioritised them according to which part of the process they needed to take place, I hadn't set up a timetable or deadline for any of the points. I work best under pressure so it became obvious that the next step would be to set some deadlines for each task. The best way to do this was to copy the list into a Gantt chart (I chose the free online tool Gantter).

Gantt charts are a great project management tool which I have heard of and looked at the theory behind but never put to use myself. They allow you to list individual tasks, write down how long you think they will take, set a start and finish date and also set up dependencies. For example, I want a website! First of all, I need to think of a domain name. This involves brainstorming and researching other websites with similar names. Then I need to create and write the website. As all of these tasks are linked, you can use the Gantt chart to link them so that if phase 1 (research & brainstorming) gets delayed, the chart automatically moves the subsequent tasks backwards too. Now that the Gantt chart is in place, I can also track my progress which is motivating when I cross things off the list.

I better get onto my next task: join the SfEP!