| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3] > | How do you organise your day? Thread poster: Kathryn Strachecky
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| A Frenchman's idea of sharing the responsabilities | Feb 9, 2007 |
Philippe Etienne wrote:
Dear Kathryn,
You should delegate: my wife is assigned the housekeeping, cooking, washing, ironing, children caretaking, etc. so I don't have to worry about that.
And to recover from a hard day's work translating, I try to go to bed early, after an early dinner watching some action or horror film to release the pressure.
ehehehehehehehe
Philippe
You are cracking me up Philippe!
Only because it is SO true, blueblooded Frenchmen are terribly naughty.
Just out of curiosity, Kathryn, what nationality is this marvelous man of yours?
| | | | | Cher Philippe,... | Feb 9, 2007 |
...I guess we should take a wife!
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He's French, Inkling. Looks like I nabbed the best one
I like Philippe's idea of delegating though. Anne's right, I think we could all do with someone like Phillippe's wife!
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Kathryn Strachecky wrote: He's French, Inkling. Looks like I nabbed the best one
You're a lucky duck, Kathryn.
At least now you know life could be worse!
A good weekend to all, and... Don't forget Valentine's day, you macho men out there!
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| Prioritize, share, prioritize, delegate, raise rates, prioritize... | Feb 9, 2007 |
You should delegate: my husband is assigned the housekeeping, cooking, washing, ironing, children caretaking, etc. so I don't have to worry about that.
And to recover from a hard day's work translating, I try to go to bed early, take the dog out or go horseriding to release the pressure.....
No seriously - I have four kids (9, 4, 2 and 9 months) and I am the breadwinner. My husband is responsible for the kids (though not 100%), the house (sometimes I feel that I do more than h... See more You should delegate: my husband is assigned the housekeeping, cooking, washing, ironing, children caretaking, etc. so I don't have to worry about that.
And to recover from a hard day's work translating, I try to go to bed early, take the dog out or go horseriding to release the pressure.....
No seriously - I have four kids (9, 4, 2 and 9 months) and I am the breadwinner. My husband is responsible for the kids (though not 100%), the house (sometimes I feel that I do more than him!) and the cooking (he can cook far better than me). Saying that - I still end up doing the hoovering every day, feeding the baby, taking the kids to the doctor when they're sick, sorting the laundry, cleaning the kitchen, doing the shopping... We've pretty much given up on buying anything that will need ironing, and fold all the washing straight away when it comes out of the tumble drier (I have one with an alarm when the load's finished). That saves a bunch of work right there.
I fully agree with the comments in this thread about prioritizing, minimalistic home decorating, sharing the housework load and - to some extent - delgating I'm a perfectionist when it comes to my work, but I do accept a certain degree of chaos about the house.
My husband and I have a fairly set routine that we try to keep to. He gets up with the kids and gets them off to school/kindergarten, while I try to recover from being up every two hours in the night with the baby. I start work at around 9 and keep on going until about 11, when I go out with the dog. Then I work some more before lunch, the two middle kids come home from kindergarten and we have lunch together. Then it's back to the grindstone until I can't stand it any more - then I head off to the horse. My eldest comes home from school just after 4, and plays with her friends until supper time. Then the family comes together again to eat and we both put the kids to bed together and give the kitchen a once over before we collapse in a heap in the living room
We have a childminder come by two afternoons a week to help with the kids, which certainly makes a difference - that also allows my husband to do a spot of translating to escape from the housework
The garden is my weak point. I love gardening, but somehow my busy periods with translating coincide directly with busy times in the garden - and it's the garden that suffers. I'll get there one day.
Hoovering and sorting laundry get done kind of in between times - sometimes when I'm stuck in the middle of a horrendous German sentence that goes on for half a page I just get up, sort through a basket of laundry or hoover the house. By the time I get back to my computer the sentence makes sense.
We have kind of designated Saturday morning as being the clean the house morning. The stuff that we do during the week is more like a lick and a polish to keep things from getting too out of control.
I read a great book recently, written in German but it has been translated into English. The German title is "Simplify your life", and the English title is "How to simplify your life" - great translation, eh! I don't think that my life will ever be truly simple - with 4 kids and a whole menagerie of animals that would be pretty near impossible, but we're working on it.
OK - gotta get back to work
Alison ▲ Collapse
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I've found that many free-lancers think that, since they work from home, the "9 to 5 job" does not apply to them. So, instead of accepting a workload for 8 hours, they accept a workload for 15, 16 hours.
Ok, perhaps we don't start at 9, nor work the 8 hours straight, but I think we should limit our work time to 8 hours, and schedule our work around that.
Besides, there are time-saving techniques, like cooking all the week's meals in one day and then froze them, or prio... See more I've found that many free-lancers think that, since they work from home, the "9 to 5 job" does not apply to them. So, instead of accepting a workload for 8 hours, they accept a workload for 15, 16 hours.
Ok, perhaps we don't start at 9, nor work the 8 hours straight, but I think we should limit our work time to 8 hours, and schedule our work around that.
Besides, there are time-saving techniques, like cooking all the week's meals in one day and then froze them, or prioritizing chores.
Anyway, I think it's best to remember that we work for a living, not live for working. ▲ Collapse
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Philippe Etienne wrote:
Dear Kathryn,
You should delegate: my wife is assigned the housekeeping, cooking, washing, ironing, children caretaking, etc. so I don't have to worry about that.
And to recover from a hard day's work translating, I try to go to bed early, after an early dinner watching some action or horror film to release the pressure.
ehehehehehehehe
Philippe
Tiens, c'est le genre de commentaires qui me rappellent que j'aurais dû naître homme et que le combat pour l'égalité est loin d'être terminé...
C'est vrai, pourquoi n'y avais-je pas pensé, déléguer à mon mari!!!!!!! (ton ironique)
| | | | | As a French man... | Feb 9, 2007 |
.... I feel I have to protest!
I participate in the house chores. Actually, there're no rules. There's something to do and one of us (my wife and I) is available, this one is welcome to do it. It's just the concept of partnership right?
Anyway, my wife would beat me up if I didn't do anything.
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Irene N
United States
Local time: 05:07
English to Russian
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| Tips of a divorced childfree freelancer | Feb 9, 2007 |
1. I always try to have half day or a day off in the middle of the week - no lines, much less traffic etc. If I need to trade it for Saturday - no problems with me.
2. Cleaning lady is a must. I don't have one for now as I'm in the middle of remodeling but as soon as I'll be done to the point when I can let her in, hopefully next week, she'll be back. Lord, give me patience and please, hurry up! She does not "go through my things" - it's scrubbing kitchen and bathroom, floor mopping... See more 1. I always try to have half day or a day off in the middle of the week - no lines, much less traffic etc. If I need to trade it for Saturday - no problems with me.
2. Cleaning lady is a must. I don't have one for now as I'm in the middle of remodeling but as soon as I'll be done to the point when I can let her in, hopefully next week, she'll be back. Lord, give me patience and please, hurry up! She does not "go through my things" - it's scrubbing kitchen and bathroom, floor mopping, windows, dusting, vacuuming etc. - major dirty work. I do my laundry and make my bed myself:-). The office and my closets are off limits at all times. In fact, I do a little prep work before she arrives. 3 hours of my work cover 2 visits a month. Otherwise I would have to give up at least 4 full days of work with much less sparkling results both on the surfaces and in my pocket, or sit in the middle of a dumpster - I'm The Mess-Maker No. 1 on this planet.
If you are overloaded with work you'll soon realize that your time is much more expensive and the trade is more than fair even when you trade it for rest and fun. The rested you will produce much more. Can't have it all... Too bad, I know:-)
After all, even someone as far from the neat freak as I am gets depressed once in a while when the mess gets out of hands. It can catch up with your mood and add to your tiredness, be careful! The mind does not go to rest when you feel like you want to turn away from every corner you look at. I can't even sneak away on vacations and forget about it - there will be people coming to take care of my cats so the place must look decent, and for reasons unknown the loads of all kinds would be dumped on me right when I have no more than 48 hours left before my plane!
Prioritize! ▲ Collapse
| | | | Carole Paquis 
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:07
Member (2007)
English to French
| On ne naît pas femme, on le devient | Feb 9, 2007 |
That's my screensaver...
When I feel like I am drowning, I remind myself that I am putting pressure on myself...
I have heard men say 'sorry I can't...I just can't...not with my with my job, not at the moment' but hardly ever women.
The truth is if both partners work full time, whether from home or not, it is difficult to keep an household decent, do the gardening...with or without children.
So, what makes us think we can do it just because we work f... See more That's my screensaver...
When I feel like I am drowning, I remind myself that I am putting pressure on myself...
I have heard men say 'sorry I can't...I just can't...not with my with my job, not at the moment' but hardly ever women.
The truth is if both partners work full time, whether from home or not, it is difficult to keep an household decent, do the gardening...with or without children.
So, what makes us think we can do it just because we work from home ?
Seriously I would like to know how men who work from home as translators make it work (if they do): us women might learn from them...Is it a matter of having basically a 'life-assistant', or a massive support network, or living in a tip?
My partner has always helped at home (cooking, ironing, cleaning and looking after our daughter after work) - and by the way ladies he is English...He's rearranged his working day to go in early and come back early, so we can eat early and I can go back to work in the evening.
On a daily basis, my basic rule is working time is working time, and home time is home time.
When I am at work I do not touch the housework. That's done before the school run.
Family time between 3.30 (end of school in the UK) and 6.30 pm - then, well, the evening is mine...
So all in all, I do put in my 8/9 hours in, at least...and if I can't make a living with that input, well, it's the running of the business I need to look at.
It does work for me, but I still find it frustrating that I can't fit in more work... or renovate my dining room...
Also my life must run like clockwork otherwise disaster hits. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Vito Smolej
Germany
Local time: 12:07
Member (2004)
English to Slovenian
+ ...
SITE LOCALIZER | ...no man has dared... | Feb 10, 2007 |
Hold it, that's not fair. I had to do the dishes first (g).
I'd say
On ne naît pas homme, on le devient
so - why don't you invite your men to join the discussion? Could be one of the points on your "prioritize" list.
Full disclosure: I'm a granpa, who did his share of diapers in the previous century. I work 9 to 5, so it's early mornings, late nights and weekends for freelancing. With kids gone and my wife home it's a joke compared to ... See more Hold it, that's not fair. I had to do the dishes first (g).
I'd say
On ne naît pas homme, on le devient
so - why don't you invite your men to join the discussion? Could be one of the points on your "prioritize" list.
Full disclosure: I'm a granpa, who did his share of diapers in the previous century. I work 9 to 5, so it's early mornings, late nights and weekends for freelancing. With kids gone and my wife home it's a joke compared to the average situation described here - and how it used to be lets say 10 years ago -.
Regards and back to my lurk depth
smo
[Edited at 2007-02-10 05:13] ▲ Collapse
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Thank you all again so much for all this advice. Guys, please don't feel like this is a free-for-all against you, it honestly isn't.
I think you're all right, I'm going to lighten up a bit, not worry if things do get a bit out of hand housework-wise, not let myself work too long unless it's absolutely necessary and try and increase my rates soon.
To tell you all the truth, I actually have virtually a whole day off today. It's all planned out already- housework (well, i... See more Thank you all again so much for all this advice. Guys, please don't feel like this is a free-for-all against you, it honestly isn't.
I think you're all right, I'm going to lighten up a bit, not worry if things do get a bit out of hand housework-wise, not let myself work too long unless it's absolutely necessary and try and increase my rates soon.
To tell you all the truth, I actually have virtually a whole day off today. It's all planned out already- housework (well, its got to be done and we have guests tomorrow) a loooong bike ride to get myself out of the house and do a bit of exercise and an evening curled up on the sofa with my husband and a DVD. I'm smiling just thinking about it!
I wish you all such a happy Saturday ▲ Collapse
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Carole Paquis
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:07
Member (2007)
English to French
| Tell us more | Feb 10, 2007 |
[quote]Laurent Boudias wrote:
I participate in the house chores. Actually, there're no rules. There's something to do and one of us (my wife and I) is available, this one is welcome to do it. It's just the concept of partnership right?
So it looks as if you do find yourself in a situation that a lot of us experience (sharing chores)...
But do you find yourself in the situation women have in this thread ? in other words, is the problem a gender one or has it got to do with freelancing/working from home ?
(not picking on you, but you did give a useful answer)
| | | | Carole Paquis
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:07
Member (2007)
English to French
| Agree with you Vito ! | Feb 10, 2007 |
[quote]Vito Smolej wrote:
I'd say
On ne naît pas homme, on le devient
so - why don't you invite your men to join the discussion? Could be one of the points on your "prioritize" list.
smo
Agree with you entirely, on both ideas.
So, formal annoucement : can we have some male freelance translators in this forum to tell us about their experience ?
| | | | Amy Duncan (X)
Brazil
Local time: 07:07
Portuguese to English
+ ...
| Set things up the way you want... | Feb 10, 2007 |
Here's what I do...
Even though I live alone, I had reached a point where I was working way too many hours and had no time to do anything else. I realized (finally) that I didn't need to work all those hours, and that I could make enough money to live on working fewer hours (I'm not a financially ambitious person!)
So I set some rules. I notified the translation company that I currently do most of my work for that I am unavailable until 10 a.m. (I like do to other thing... See more Here's what I do...
Even though I live alone, I had reached a point where I was working way too many hours and had no time to do anything else. I realized (finally) that I didn't need to work all those hours, and that I could make enough money to live on working fewer hours (I'm not a financially ambitious person!)
So I set some rules. I notified the translation company that I currently do most of my work for that I am unavailable until 10 a.m. (I like do to other things in the morning), and also I turn down jobs if I feel I'm getting overloaded. They don't seem to mind, and just keep contacting me.
Recently I took on a large project translating a series of books, and now I'm thinking (if this project works out and I continue to enjoy it), that I will gradually cut way back on my other work. That way, my hours would be much more flexible, because sometimes I'd rather go to the beach during the morning and work on translations later, or even at night.
This is why I love being a free-lancer. You can organize yourself the way you want!
Amy
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