Hello,

Fall is off to a roaring start for me. September was busy. October is so far a little slower, which is good as I am still catching up on projects I didn’t complete in September. And November and December are shaping up to also be full.

With a full schedule also comes scheduling challenges. Part of this is on my end, if I underestimate how long an index will take to write or if something else comes up that sets me back. Running late on one project can snowball into the next, and before I know it I’m running behind for the next few weeks trying to catch up.

On the other end are clients with delayed, shifting, or vague schedules. Sometimes this works to my advantage. I’ve had two projects originally slated to begin in September which I am thankful are now delayed. Sometimes this works against me. It seems like almost every project I’ve been offered for November and December have come with the qualifiers “maybe” or “probably.” Should I expect three or four proofs to all arrive at once or for the indexes to all be due in the same week? Or will they be nicely staggered? I don’t know.

All of this busyness and uncertainty has prompted me to think more intentionally about how I book and schedule projects. While I do keep a fairly full schedule, I don’t enjoy being too busy and feeling overwhelmed.

I’m being more intentional in the following ways:

• Checking in with clients a month before proofs are due. Sometimes, even two or three months in advance, if the original schedule was tentative and I’m trying to see if I have space for another project. In the past, I would check in with some clients, but not all. My new policy is to check in with all clients. It is not that I don’t trust my clients, but rather an acknowledgment that even my best clients are often busy and may forget to send an update. More importantly, I need to be responsible for my schedule. Being proactive about checking in is giving me a greater sense of confidence in my schedule, and, so far, has helped to identify a couple of delays earlier than I would have otherwise heard.
• Being open with the client if I am not a hundred percent confident about the schedule. This may mean telling them that I can’t fully commit until they give me firm dates. This may also mean being honest that I have a number of other potentially overlapping projects at that time and that I don’t fully know what my schedule will look like. Being open like this accomplishes two things. One, it gives the client an out if the client prefers an indexer with a lighter schedule and a firmer yes. Which has happened and I don’t blame the client for going elsewhere. Two, it gives me an out if my schedule becomes too full. When I accept a project, I fully intend to do my best to honor my commitment, but if my schedule turns out to be truly too full, I don’t want to be stuck juggling too much.
• Develop my subcontracting capacity. I’ve begun telling potential clients, especially if I’m uncertain about the schedule, that I may want to bring on a subcontractor. This gives me another option without having to give up the project entirely. I don’t want to spring this on the client at the last minute, and so I am bringing this up early in case the client is not comfortable. In terms of developing subcontracting capacity, I am creating resources for subcontractors, including my own style guide, and providing a lot of feedback so that the subcontractor and I can learn to be on the same page.

I am already seeing benefits from this more proactive approach. By being more open, I am not making unrealistic promises and I’m presenting different options for delivering the index on time. I’m able to learn sooner if there is flexibility with the schedule. I feel more confident that I have the support in place to deal with unexpected shifts without too much additional stress.

Subcontracting on a more regular basis, like I am trying to develop, as opposed to maybe a couple of times a year, is a change for me and still a work in progress. I’ll have a better sense in a few months how it is going. But I’m pleased so far and am feeling hopeful.

I have long thought of myself as a small, one-person business. Managing a host of subcontractors and producing hundreds of indexes per year does not appear to me. And yet I do feel my limits as a single person. Perhaps what I want is to remain a small business while also having good support, a buffer against the uncertainty and the shifting and overlapping schedules. I think scheduling will always be a challenge, but it can be anticipated and managed. That is what I am trying to become better at.

How do you manage your schedule, especially when projects are delayed or go sideways? I am curious to hear.

Yours in freelancing,

Stephen
​

PS. I’ve been hesitant to mention subcontracting as I am trying to grow this slowly. But it is a new direction I’m trying and I want to be open about that too.

If you are interested in subcontracting for me, if you use Cindex, and if you are Canadian or live in Canada, feel free to send me an email. I make no promises, but I am open to hearing from you.