When it comes to working as a professional translator, one of the essential factors in your everyday life is how you choose to organize and manage your time. Now, you might be wondering, what does time has to do with translator motivation?
We’ll explore that and a few more points in today’s Day Translations blog. Keep reading to find out more.
What’s Affecting Your Translator Motivation?
As a professional translator, most of your work can be done remotely. Many factors are at play when you’re not in a ‘controlled environment’ such as the workplace.
Distractions can come in any form, mainly depending on where your interests lie. There’s television, social media, housework, and even the same tool that you use to get your work done (the computer) can become distractions. When you give in to these distractions, they waste your time, and you can end up falling off track with work and even your personal life.
The question left to answer now is, how do you find the motivation to stay focused and keep going? We have a few tips we hope can help you to find back or maintain your motivation to be the best professional translator that you can be.
6 Translator Motivation Tips to Use this Year
Get an Early Start
An early start to your day can do wonders. It is often said that everyone has the same 24 hours in a day; what you do with those 24 hrs can either make or break you. That said, the world never stops turning, and the early bird always catches the worm. So start your days early. It gives you more time to do your job better, with less hassle and more leeway to correct any potential errors or fix any mishaps that might occur.
Create a Schedule that Works for You
Creating a schedule and sticking can help you way more than you think. If you have set work hours, it allows you to have a better work-life balance. Within your set work hours, it’s also best to organize your work and create a to-do list so that your time is used well.
Reward Yourself
Rewards or treats for yourself are great avenues for boosting motivation. Whatever your profession is, all work and no play is not very motivating. You must set a time for some leisure activities and reward yourself for all the hard work you’ve been doing. For example, you could rent an RV and explore a nearby national park over the weekend, reconnecting with nature and recharging your batteries. Alternatively, go out and have some fun with friends, order takeout and enjoy your favorite food; whatever feels rewarding to you, be deliberate about getting it done.
Set up Some Parameters
Suppose you wake up every day and decide to ‘wing it’; more than likely, you won’t get much done. This is where setting boundaries or parameters comes in. You must be deliberate about your success as a professional translator and work towards it. That said, here are a few things you can put in place as parameters for your working hours: limit your time on social media, no television, find a co-working space and work from there, take an hour break for lunch, and the list could go on.
Take Advantage of Learning and Upskilling Opportunities
Improving your skills and learning about the new trends in the industry are great motivators. This is because you become more marketable and can expand your network and clientele when you stack your credentials and gain more experience and exposure while you’re at it.
Develop a Healthy Lifestyle Outside of Work
Being a professional translator is not all you are or will be. It is imperative to have a work/life balance. If you’re working too hard or too little, it’s time to develop better habits leading to a healthier lifestyle. In this case, healthy encapsulates your entire life and well-being and isn’t only focused on exercise or what you eat. Make time for your family, for leisure activities, as well as for work and growing in your profession. It’s a good idea to set some goals for yourself for your personal and professional life and work towards them.
Final Thoughts on Translator Motivation
We hope these six tips help you to stay motivated in your professional life as a translator. It’s not always easy, primarily if you work in the freelance world, but with some focus and balance in your life, you can make so much happen.
Remember that at Day Translations, we love languages. For all your localization, translation, interpreting, and AVT solutions, we’ve got you covered. Our team of professionals is available to help 24/7, 365 days a year. Contact us for a free quote today.