Translation - art & business » Getting established »
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Are you afraid of going out, for fear of missing a job?
Thread poster: Louise Dupont (X)
Lydia Molea
Lydia Molea  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 17:14
English to German
+ ...
Taking time off requires discipline ... May 4, 2003

And at the beginning it is very hard. But like some people mentioned before me, you cannot become a slave to your work. Some of your clients will get used to the fact that you are available 24/7 and they WILL take advantage of that and start taking it for granted. Having said that, I need to get back to my midnight translation and work off the guilt I feel for taking 3 days off.

 
xxx xxx
xxx xxx
Local time: 17:14
Enjoy your life May 6, 2003

I really can understand your worries. I felt alike only a few months ago still. If I left my phone and computer at all, I even had to leave the computer switched on so that I wouldn\'t miss a fax ( I\'ve only got a faxmodem). But then I found out that I could let the telephone company store my faxes as well as serve as an answering machine and redirect my normal phonecalls to my mobile phone.



So now I can look after the children, do my gardening or shopping or whatever I li... See more
I really can understand your worries. I felt alike only a few months ago still. If I left my phone and computer at all, I even had to leave the computer switched on so that I wouldn\'t miss a fax ( I\'ve only got a faxmodem). But then I found out that I could let the telephone company store my faxes as well as serve as an answering machine and redirect my normal phonecalls to my mobile phone.



So now I can look after the children, do my gardening or shopping or whatever I like during office hours without bad conscience and worries that I might miss a job - provided I take the mobile with me. When I am around the house I check my e-mails every hour or so. I think people understand that you may not have an always-on access to the Internet and that normally you cannot read and answer their mail the moment it is written. If it is really urgent, they will rather call me.



As for your own \"business hours\" you have to find out when for you, enough is enough. I try to be available during the office hours of my clients (all in the same time zone as I) and do not worry about the rest of the time. If I am there and I hear the phone, I do answer it. But I do not want to encourage clients to call me always at those hours either!



This is also the reason why I do not give them the number of my mobile phone. If I am willing to answer business calls, I redirect my normal phone, if not, the client has to leave a message on the answering machine.



So just enjoy your live! - and your job



What I am wondering about though is about how to get and use an automatic responder for my e-mail. During hollidays I would rather be afraid of not winning a new client who tries to contact me than of loosing a good one whom I can tell in advance I am off for some time. I would be happy to leave the notebook at home and really relax during that time instead of having to check my e-mails every now and then!

Maybe ianwinick could give me another hint?



Quote:


On 2003-05-04 09:47, ianwinick wrote:



It\'s also a good idea to have an automatic reply for your e-mail, so that new customers will know straight away that you\'re on holiday and when you\'ll be back.

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Marc P (X)
Marc P (X)  Identity Verified
Local time: 17:14
German to English
+ ...
Advertise your absence? May 6, 2003

Quote:


It\'s also a good idea to have an automatic reply for your e-mail, so that new customers will know straight away that you\'re on holiday and when you\'ll be back.





... and to let potential burglars know that you\'re away. Seriously: there have been reports of burglars spamming e-mail addresses deliberately looking for these replies. Are they just another urban legend?



Marc
 
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Are you afraid of going out, for fear of missing a job?







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