I've been a bit quiet of late (for those who know me personally that is very rare!).
I've been very busy with quite a lot of work coming in - great.
However a couple of weeks ago I had to make a difficult decision with a job I'd agreed to take on - I sent it back, unfinished. I've never done that before - I've always ensured that I've done a complete and satisfactory job, though it may have been a little late. Unfortunately it had got the the stage that I'd worked double the hours I'd allocated to it, it was already a week late but I was less than halfway through the final edit. I was staying up all hours to make progress on it and had other clients work backing up. The final decision was to risk losing this one client to save losing up to 3 others. A difficult decision but it was the right one at the time.
I've already had repeat business from the other clients but I must say it has knocked my confidence a bit - mainly because it was taking me so long to complete the project and I like to take pride in my work.
How do you deal with it when your confidence is knocked?
Coronation Street Parties Senyru
1 year ago
4 comments:
Eat chocolate!!!
Seriously, though, I do sympathise. When a client seriously misjudges the work involved on a project, they really should extend the deadline and up the fee. I've had many a battle along those lines, and it's usually down to a desk editor skimming through something and labelling it a 'light' edit (whatever that's supposed to mean - they only want me to read every second line? I hate 'light edit' - it's a publisher's cop-out phrase for 'not paying much for this one') when a more thorough appraisal might have thrown up the full extent of the work required. If the client wouldn't budge then you're fully justified in sending it back. I usually find that I have a major setback just after I've sat back and thought to myself 'hmm, things are really going well at the moment', so I make a point of never thinking that because it's tempting fate . . .
Yes, I suspect everyone has had projects that haven't worked out. I know I have. I don't do editorial work but I have taken on research projects that for various reasons I have had to hand back either incomplete or with finding that are opposite to what I was paid to find!!
If I suffer a knock to my confidence I always make sure my next project is a straight forward one that I know I cannot fail on (even if it is not a good earner) and that usually boosts me back up again.
I know how horrid it feels. Chocolate is probably a good soother (well, I would go for a nice bottle of wine. . .)
I like the chocolate bit.
I have written to the client in the first few days of a project to say that the work is not what was expected (too dense, bad shape, etc.). I've always been able to work out a compromise on longer schedule, etc. I think that to renew confidence I would be extra diligent on the work and due date on my other projects (or the next project from that client) to show myself (and maybe them) that I am a solid editor. When I was working in publishing I appreciated getting an unfinished project back on time rather than having the freelancer hold it for days and days and not paying it proper attention to it just to finish it. So sometimes I think returning it is the fair thing to do.
Projects are not always quantifiable (on either client or freelancer side). Isn't this just to be regarded as an 'occupational hazard' that sometimes it will just not be possible to execute it as anticipated and you have to cut your losses for the greater good?
I am currently dipping a toe into freelance marketing (for books), but the day job stays full-time for the forseeable future.
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