Episode 42: Finding Time and Energy for Unpaid Projects and Work

Smart Habits for Translators

In this episode, we’re having a conversation about finding time for unpaid work and projects. You know, those things we truly enjoy doing—whether for our own development or personal fulfillment or as a volunteer in an organization—but that can be difficult to make time for during busy days filled with paid work.

Like most of our translator and interpreter colleagues, it comes as no surprise that we love the work we do and we sometimes can’t believe that we get paid to do it. But there are also other projects and goals we have that we want to devote time to that we don’t actually earn any money doing. These are things that will help you grow but that are so easy to push aside for a "quieter" day.

For example, maybe you have a blog you write, a special project or area of study you’re trying to develop, a hobby you want to lean into, or maybe you volunteer for an organization that means a lot to you. Whatever the project or goal you’re working toward, it can sometimes be hard to find time to work on these things that don’t pay the bills but are fulfilling.

So, how do we make time for these projects and goals? We don’t have a secret recipe for success but we’re happy to share our approach and learn what others are doing.

Here’s what we discuss in this episode:

• What projects we spend time on and why we try to make time for them

• How to decide how much time you can devote to unpaid projects and how often you can work on them

• How to handle those times when a certain project takes more time than you expected

• How to make time for hobbies and overcome that sense of guilt that comes with devoting time to something fun instead of working longer hours or earning more money

• How to respond to requests or proposals to work on something that is completely unpaid and that may take up a good bit of your time

Resources we mentioned in this episode:

• Madalena’s website, courses, and blog

• American Translators Association

• No-Fail Communication: 13 Workplace Communication Problems and How to Fix Them by Michael Hyatt

• No-Fail Meetings: 5 Steps to Orchestrate Productive Meetings (and Avoid all the Rest) by Michael Hyatt

• Who is Maud Dixon? by Alexandra Andrews

See the full list of links and resources for this episode:

https://smarthabitsfortranslators.com/podcast-episodes/42