How do you prepare for the holidays?
December 11, 2007 by Deb Ng
Filed under Freelance Writing
So, it’s holiday time. No matter what you celebrate, you’re probably finding yourself having to re-think your priorities. While it’s true many writers like to lighten their loads for December, some of also take on extra work in order to ease the pinch of holiday spending. The problem is, how do you manage holiday preparation and enjoyment while still meeting your clients’ needs?
Plan Ahead
Make a plan for December as early as possible, especially if you know you’re going to load up on work. Perhaps you can appoint a babysitter to come over so you can get a couple of hours of work in, or make arrangements to work later into the night.
Sub Contracting and Guest Bloggers
If you have permission from your client, you might be able to sub contract or hire a guest blogger. It might mean less money for you, but it’s better than losing a client because you’re unavailable during the holidays.
Work Ahead
Lately I’ve been doing a lot of posting in advance. Not all of my clients are lightening the load for the holidays. Some still expect me to meet a certain amount of posts. Even though I’m going away for a few days, I’m still expected to meet my quotas.
The next couple of weeks will see me doing a lot of work in advance. I even started writing some Christmas posts in October.
I do lighten my load a little at the end of December because I like to visit my family for a few days. Most of my clients don’t mind my taking a couple of days off because it’s a slow time for Internet traffic.
What do you do to prepare for the holidays?
The “post ahead” function is my friends for my blogs…although I do take some time off too, because really, there aren’t many people on the Internet on Dec. 24 and 25. If I skip some days with updating, it isn’t that big of a deal!
I don’t go out of town or anything for the holidays, and the only day I spend with family is Christmas day itself, so I don’t really have to do anything differently. No one has expected me to work Christmas yet this year, but last year I did have to log on and work a few hours before beginning my holiday.
In general though, when I’m overloaded or short on time I’ll outsource my own personal projects as much as possible so that I can focus on my clients’ projects. If the client workload get overwhelming, I’ll get permission from clients to outsource some work. They tend not to mind as long as I supervise the project and make sure it’s done right before I send it along to them. Sometimes though, outsourcing can be more work than just staying up till 3am to get it done myself.
As a non-Christian pagan, I don’t make a big deal out of any of it. My holidays are the two equinoxes and two solstices, so they are spread out a bit over the year. I make a point of working on the 25th, and usually go to a movie on the evening of the 24th as a show of solidarity with my Jewish friends.
It’s a lot more fun than someone else’s holiday in my book.
Like Amy and Erik, I work, though I tend to work fewer hours because clients and those I interview are unavailable, especially between Christmas and New Year’s. So I have to compress four weeks of work into three.
Also send a small postcard or card to current clients to say “Thanks” as part of your holiday preparations. VistaPrint had some great deals on holiday postcards.
It’s such a small gesture but it usually helps spread the holiday cheer.
Erik,
A friend of mine started an informal group of Pagans and Jews who do movies on Christmas Day. If I didn’t get so antsy in movie theaters, I’d probably go along. My mom and I usually rent a horror movie to watch together. A lovely Christmas tradition, don’t you think?
Phil,
A good majority of the folks I write for are Jewish, so most are a little too available.
I’m really glad I don’t have to do many interviews. That would be a pain this time of year.
Amy,
Some of my clients are Jewish, too, so they are available. But my writing is very tech-oriented and tech companies tend to be closed (I found out to my chagrin a few years ago on deadline) the week of Christmas to New Years, with some taking a few days on either side.
Actually during the slow week I’ll catch up on accounting and bookkeeping (I do my own, and my own corporate and personal taxes), which I have gotten way behind on (yes, I ended with a preposition..former sportwriter’s perogative).
Phil,
Ironically, I just got off the phone with my accountant. He’ll be out of town tomorrow through the first week of the year. Must be nice!
Maybe I should figure out how to get into the tech industry. I’d settle for week off.
This is my first year freelancing full-time, and I have more work this month than I’ve had in the last three–which is a little insane! Because several days around Christmas will be taken up with travel, another few with the family, I’m really not quite sure how I’m going to manage except by staying up long after my fiance has gone to bed. I think I’m feeling a New Year’s resolution…
Amy,
You may want to look into legal tech or patent-related writing to break into tech. I have written on legal and legal tech a couple of times for KM World and Information Today, but those were items looking at the issue more from a tech pub view that will cover it once a year. Should be some legal pubs that would approach same issue more from legal angle.
Viewing such an issue from two sides is what helped me move from a pure financial services focus to financial services and tech 10 years ago.
Another reason I can’t really take the holidays off…dentist wants a good Christmas. My dentist of 23 years already retired (at my age), new one seems to want to retire earlier. Time for a new dentist.
Phil,
That’s a good idea. Would require a bit of studying on my part, but it’s an option if I ever want a week off badly enough.
My dentist is really getting up there in years but still hasn’t retired. I know it’s morbid, but every time I call to make an appointment I worry the receptionist will tell me he’s passed away. His son is a dentist and they share an office, but I like the old guy better. He’s the only dentist I’ve ever had who hasn’t tried to stick me with things I don’t need done — like unnecessary xrays and fluoride treatments and the like — just to get the money.
P.S. If you want to come out my way for a dentist, my guy is Thomas Ryan (at 171st and Harlem).
Thanks for the referral, Amy, but doctors (and dentists) tend to be a little less expensive in Indiana (lower insurance and other overhead — closest hospital is in Indiana, too), so we’ll stick with someone there (retired one was in Dyer). Checking with a former co-worker and others I know for referrals.
Problem with new dentist is they not only put my daughter through an “additional fee” procedure, they didn’t even clear it first with my wife who was there. This after 23 years. That’s not how you treat customers.