Freelancing: in case of emergency

I once had to dash from a meeting in Clerkenwell to one at Oxford Circus. In my haste to catch the client, I didn’t turn the laptop off fully. Upon arrival, the laptop had been rattled so heavily on my back that the document I’d been working on was completely lost. I had to explain both why I was sweaty and late, and why the presentation did, and yet didn’t, exist. This client was flying the next day and I needed to get the laptop fixed overnight, but nothing ever runs as smoothly as you first plan, and I was delayed by two days. In the end I drafted in another freelancer to help me share the workload. But paying them, plus the cost of the repair and that of another client meeting, ended up being quite an expensive lesson for me.

Such lapses are sometimes unavoidable, but what can you do to help cushion the blow of the extraordinary? Without knowing the lunar calendar off by heart or flood levels in your nearest city, there is little you can do to prevent against natural occurrences. But you can be sensible, structured and organised with relevant file backups and insurance. A healthy level of dystopian fear is useful. And owning devices that enable you to communicate on the move, plus keeping as much work as safely as possible in cloud internet spaces, means you’re much more flexible to work anywhere.

Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

The Creative Bloq team is made up of a group of design fans, and has changed and evolved since Creative Bloq began back in 2012. The current website team consists of eight full-time members of staff: Editor Georgia Coggan, Deputy Editor Rosie Hilder, Ecommerce Editor Beren Neale, Senior News Editor Daniel Piper, Editor, Digital Art and 3D Ian Dean, Tech Reviews Editor Erlingur Einarsson and Ecommerce Writer Beth Nicholls and Staff Writer Natalie Fear, as well as a roster of freelancers from around the world. The 3D World and ImagineFX magazine teams also pitch in, ensuring that content from 3D World and ImagineFX is represented on Creative Bloq. 

TOPICS