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Poll: When I'm given plenty of time to complete a job, I....
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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Jul 9, 2012

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "When I'm given plenty of time to complete a job, I....".

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neilmac
neilmac
Spain
Local time: 13:43
Spanish to English
+ ...
Start immediately, finish ASAP Jul 9, 2012

Loose deadlines are nice, but stuff can still pile up so I always try to get everything done and dusted ASAP.
Anecdotally, I'm so used to working under pressure that when I was given a book to translate with no set delivery date, I eventually had to ask for one because I found it so hard to knuckle down without the usual Damocletian deadline looming...

[Edited at 2012-07-09 08:19 GMT]


 
Julian Holmes
Julian Holmes  Identity Verified
Japan
Local time: 21:43
Member (2011)
Japanese to English
Try to start as early as possible... Jul 9, 2012

...because you never know what's bubbling away inside until you've taken the lid off the pot.

And, believe me, some jobs do hold unforeseen nasty surprises.


 
Amandine Added
Amandine Added  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:43
Member (2010)
English to French
+ ...
Start immediately.. Jul 9, 2012

You never know what the days is going to bring you so I start ASAP on each job so to be ready for the next assignment without having to stop sleeping And as Julian said, the sooner you start the sooner you discover if this jobs is going to be full of surprises)

 
Mary Worby
Mary Worby  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:43
German to English
+ ...
It depends ... Jul 9, 2012

It depends on my workload. If I've got nothing else to do, I'll crack on with it straightaway. Otherwise I'll fit it in where I can, which often means I'll end up doing it as the deadline approaches!

 
Nikki Graham
Nikki Graham  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:43
Spanish to English
Despite not liking theme park rides... Jul 9, 2012

...I am an adrenaline junky where work is concerned. I work best when the clock is ticking and my brain finally gets into gear when I'm under pressure, so, when there is a long deadline, I invariably fit in something else for another client, which is great, because I then get to keep someone else happy, or, if there is no other job offer, I spend time doing things I wouldn't normally have the time to do, which is great because it keeps me sane*.


*relatively speaking

[E
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...I am an adrenaline junky where work is concerned. I work best when the clock is ticking and my brain finally gets into gear when I'm under pressure, so, when there is a long deadline, I invariably fit in something else for another client, which is great, because I then get to keep someone else happy, or, if there is no other job offer, I spend time doing things I wouldn't normally have the time to do, which is great because it keeps me sane*.


*relatively speaking

[Edited at 2012-07-09 09:10 GMT]
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Ty Kendall
Ty Kendall  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:43
Hebrew to English
"a man who puts off work is always at handgrips with ruin" Hesiod. c800BC. Jul 9, 2012

Whilst I'd like to lie and say I'd do it immediately.... I'm practically Greek in my procrastination habits, despite Hesiod's warning.

 
Allison Wright (X)
Allison Wright (X)  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 12:43
Start immediately Jul 9, 2012

I start immediately, and pretend the deadline is sooner than it actually is, which normally means the job is complete comfortably before the deadline. You never know when you might get one or two smaller jobs which you have to "squeeze in".

 
Suzan Hamer
Suzan Hamer  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 13:43
English
+ ...
Love the quote, Ty. Jul 9, 2012

Ty Kendall wrote:

"A man who puts off work is always at handgrips with ruin" Hesiod. c800BC.


Good to know people have procrastinated for a long time....

By the way, did you know procrastination may be a good thing?


"Procrastination in Relation to Immediate and Delayed Recall

Past research generally defines procrastination in negative terms, often considering it self-regulatory failure. In sharp contrast to most literature on procrastination, Chu and Choi (2005) found that some procrastinators, referred to as active procrastinators, are able to use procrastination productively. Modeled in part after Chu and Choi’s (2005) research, this study focused on how active and passive procrastinators vary in self-efficacy for learning and memory ability. Results showed that non-procrastinators had significantly higher self-efficacy than procrastinators, both overall and on all subscales. Active procrastinators had significantly higher self-efficacy for studying than those low on active procrastination. Additionally, results suggested that active procrastinators may score higher on memory performance than those low on active procrastination (these results approached significance). Therefore, this study supports the existence of active procrastinators as a distinct subgroup, and future research could consider examining other traits that may be unique to active procrastinators."

http://www.ufjps.com/spring2011/procrastination-in-relation-to-immediate-and-delayed-recall/

Edited to correct typo in cut-and-pasted quoted material; guess they had no proofreader.

[Edited at 2012-07-09 14:27 GMT]


 
Marjolein Snippe
Marjolein Snippe  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 13:43
Member (2012)
English to Dutch
+ ...
Start immediately Jul 9, 2012

and finish as soon as I can. I then use the extra time (if any) for a thorough proofread, if possible after doing something else in between, and deliver as soon as possible. I know I have been sent projects for proofreading which were finished before their deadline, so I received them earlier than expected, which made my life easier, and I like to try to do the same for my clients and their proofreaders.

 
Marlene Blanshay
Marlene Blanshay  Identity Verified
Canada
Local time: 08:43
Member (2009)
French to English
+ ...
both one and two Jul 9, 2012

I usually try to get it done ASAP, especially if a weekend falls during that period! but if it's kind of involved, lengthy or technical, i will take advantage of the available time. It gives me more opportunity for editing. However, I do still try to get it done ASAP if I can, in case something else comes up and I want to take that on.

[Edited at 2012-07-09 11:02 GMT]


 
Anna Sarah Krämer
Anna Sarah Krämer
Germany
Local time: 13:43
Member (2011)
English to German
+ ...
Finish ASAP... Jul 9, 2012

...would be great, but then there is other stuff to be done, the sun will inevitably be shining beautifully outside... and that notion of keeping sane and not turning into a TM (Translation Machine ) must not be forgotten - kids don´t care if you would rather finish things today, they demand us to have time for them, and with good right.

So I will always end up taking my time (and sometimes, squeezing other jobs between, that I really shouldn´t have accepted).

And ye
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...would be great, but then there is other stuff to be done, the sun will inevitably be shining beautifully outside... and that notion of keeping sane and not turning into a TM (Translation Machine ) must not be forgotten - kids don´t care if you would rather finish things today, they demand us to have time for them, and with good right.

So I will always end up taking my time (and sometimes, squeezing other jobs between, that I really shouldn´t have accepted).

And yes, I should be working now. But come on, I have a couple of days left to finish!
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Stanislaw Czech, MCIL CL
Stanislaw Czech, MCIL CL  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:43
Member (2006)
English to Polish
+ ...
SITE LOCALIZER
I assign it a place in a queue Jul 9, 2012

I usually have a few jobs waiting so when I get a new one I file it, and start working on it when its time comes.

 
Wolfgang Vogt
Wolfgang Vogt  Identity Verified
Argentina
Local time: 09:43
English to German
+ ...
start now, finish... Jul 9, 2012

Usually, I start immediately. The rest depends on how my workload looks like. Either I take off a day or two towards the end of the first week or I accept other projects, if I've got the energy (beware of underemployment!.
That being said, with two little children many things change... I might get an extra hour of sleep, now that my second one has been born!


 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 12:43
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
I start immediately (presuming that I'm available) Jul 9, 2012

Julian Holmes wrote:

...because you never know what's bubbling away inside until you've taken the lid off the pot.

And, believe me, some jobs do hold unforeseen nasty surprises.


OH YEAH!


 
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