Episode 17: Coping With Quiet Work Periods

This topic was a request from one of our listeners, and we thought it would likely apply to the current situation when many of us are feeling a lull in our work—or maybe even some patchy spots when work is busy for a week and then completely quiet the next—because of the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on the global economy.

We’ll also talk about other situations when you might experience a quiet work period, like holidays, summer vacation, or those times when you have unresponsive clients.

So, today, we’ll share our perspective and tips on how to get through these quiet work periods successfully by employing some smart habits.

Here is a summary of our conversation:

- Why it’s important not to overreact, but instead, to think about the situation in a calm, constructive manner

- What you can do when work slows down or dries up in emergency situations (like the current COVID-19 crisis)

- How to “nudge” existing clients and contact new ones in a graceful and respectful way

- How to go about expanding your service offerings, looking at other areas where your clients may need you—maybe pivoting

- How to create meaningful professional partnerships with colleagues

- What you can do to incorporate professional development into your schedule

- Why you may want to use the quiet work periods to volunteer with professional associations or become a mentor

- What you can do to improve your website and marketing materials

- How to contact unresponsive clients and not looks “salesy”

- How to plan for those times of year when work tends to slow down

- Why it’s so important to keep some perspective during slow work times

For more details and resources, visit our show notes at https://smarthabitsfortranslators.com/podcast-episodes/17