Hi Mercedes! I only so your comment today. One of the perks of being a freelancer is being able to manage my time. Being able to take a walk in the afternoon, or work until late one day so I can go to my daughter’s event the next are priceless perks for me. The names of the days of the week don’t matter as much as the use I can make of them and how much time I can command of each, if you know what I mean. Working a Sunday so I can be free on Monday is perfect if that means I can enjoy time with my family or attend a class or… You get it, right?

Exactly, Helen! It is not a matter of [how much more speed you can add to your performance], rather [how much of your personal time can you give up for the job] – two different animals. The “rush” happens when a job encroaches on my personal time; and I give it a special price.

Each job is a reflection of ME. I want to put my best effort forward so I am proud of the material when it comes out – rush or no rush!

Recently, a client asked, “can you do this job by…?” I said, “Well, in that time frame I can do a poor rough draft. If we turn that in, the reviewer will also be rushed and will post it on the web with a very cursory review.” The client’s response: “You are right. Do it as soon as you can, and we’ll make it work.”

I committed to give it my full attention starting at that moment, and it turned out fine. However, I have been called on to review text that was clearly done in too much of a hurry. My favorite: translating “milliliters” as “milímetros”. Oops… Time to hit the brakes, go out for a walk, and give the brain a rest before continuing, no matter what!